Annual Baxt Lecture
The Competition Law & Economics Network hosts an Annual Public Lecture Series on competition law and economics related issues. The Lecture is given by an eminent international or national figure in this field on a topic of contemporary relevance. The intention behind the Lecture series is to highlight and generate debate about big picture policy issues as well as provide comparative insights from other jurisdictions.
About Professor Baxt
The lecture is named in honour of Emeritus Professor Bob Baxt AO in recognition of his substantial contribution to the development of competition law in Australia. In particular, the lecture acknowledges his significant support for the establishment of competition law as a recognised and sought after discipline at the graduate level at the Melbourne Law School. Professor Baxt was the Chair of the Advisory Board of the competition and consumer law specialty in the Melbourne Law Masters program.
2026 Baxt Lecture
The 16th Annual Baxt Lecture
Thursday 12 March 2026
Revolutionaries in Power: Lessons Learned from the US Antimonopoly Movement
Lecture by Professor John M Newman
Abstract:
Effectuating change often takes decades, if it happens at all. Political movements rarely succeed overnight. But the recent antimonopoly movement in the United States was an exception.
In just a few short years, it grew from a handful of civil-society researchers and academics to a group with powerful allies in Washington DC, holding the reins of three major federal agencies. It was, in some ways, a model for conceptualising and institutionalising prosocial policy. Yet it was not perfect, nor was its rapid ascent without drawbacks.
In this lecture, Professor John Newman will describe from first-hand experience the highlights, pitfalls, and lessons learned by serving as a revolutionary in power.
Speaker:
Professor John Mark Newman currently holds the Herff Chair of Excellence at the University of Memphis School of Law, where his research focuses on antimonopoly issues, with a particular emphasis on digital markets.
Professor Newman has served at both US federal antitrust enforcement agencies, most recently as deputy director of the US Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition under then-Chair Lina Khan. While in public service, he was involved in high-profile antitrust cases involving Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, among others.
Professor Newman’s academic research has appeared in a number of leading journals, and his commentary on current events has been featured in a variety of popular media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Sunday Times (London), and Rolling Stone.
He is a member of the advisory boards of the American Antitrust Institute, Academic Society for Competition Law, and the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies.