A peak organisation or peak body in Australia is an association of industries or groups. They are generally established for the purposes of developing standard

Standardization

Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....

s and processes, or to act on behalf of all members when lobbying

Lobbying

Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...

 government or promoting the interests of the members.

In the commercial sector they allow competing companies to meet to discuss common issues without the risk of breaching the Trade Practices Act

Trade Practices Act 1974

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 is an act of the Parliament of Australia. On 1 January 2011 the Trade Practices Act 1974 was renamed the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The act provides for protection of consumers and prevents some restrictive trade practices of companies. It is the key...

 which outlaws collusion

Collusion

Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage...

 between competitors which would affect the operation of a free market

Free market

A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...

.

Examples

Some examples of Australian wide organisations are,

• Council On The Ageing (COTA) NSW
• Athletics Australia
  Athletics Australia
  Athletics Australia is the National Sporting Organisation recognised by the Australian Sports Commission for the sport of athletics in Australia....
  
  
• Australian Council of Trade Unions
  Australian Council of Trade Unions
  The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
  
  
• National Academies Forum
  National Academies Forum
  The National Academies Forum was replaced in May 2010 by the Australian Council of Learned Academies.The National Academies Forum was established in 1995 as the peak organisation for the four Australian learned academies...
  
  
• Australian Council of Social Service
  Australian Council of Social Service
  The Australian Council of Social Service is an Australian advocacy group that represents the interests of organisations and individuals engaged in social welfare in Australia. It was formed in 1956....
  
  
• Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
  Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
  The Australian Youth Affairs Coalition is the national peak body for youth affairs in Australia, representing young people and the services that work with them....
  
  
• Conservation Council of South Australia
  Conservation Council of South Australia
  The Conservation Council of South Australia is an environmental organisation that aims to develop the green movement’s blueprint for environmental action in South Australia, by focusing on water, planning, waste, biodiversity, coast and marine, and energy....