The ACCC instituted proceedings against Qantas seeking penalties for alleged price fixing contraventions relating to fuel surcharges applied to international carriage of air cargo between 2002 and early 2006. The conduct concerned collusion between competitors over fuel surcharges which the ACCC alleged and Qantas admitted had the purpose and likely effect of fixing or maintaining a component of the price for air cargo services. The Federal Court in Sydney ordered Qantas to pay $20 million in pecuniary penalties for breaching the price fixing provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974.