Andrew Leigh

BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS
MEMBER FOR GORTON
 
ANDREW LEIGH MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY
SHADOW MINISTER CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE IN SERVICES
MEMBER FOR FENNER

RAFF CICCONE

LABOR SENATOR FOR VICTORIA

SHIREEN MORRIS
LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DEAKIN

LABOR WILL BACK OUR SUBBIES IN DEAKIN

Today, we met with sub-contractors in Deakin to discuss the benefits of Labor’s Tradie Pay Guarantee.

We heard stories of workers missing out on super, on pay cheques and on sleep due to dodgy companies running out on their responsibilities.

Subbies working on federal government projects will be protected from being left unpaid when dodgy businesses go bust through the implementation of Labor’s Tradie Pay Guarantee. A Shorten Labor Government will address this by requiring large Commonwealth construction projects to establish a specially structured account – using a cascading statutory trust - that ensures all businesses down the supply chain get paid on time.

ANDREW LEIGH MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY
SHADOW MINISTER CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE IN SERVICES
MEMBER FOR FENNER
 
JENNIFER YANG
LABOR CANDIDATE FOR CHISHOLM
 
STRONGER, BETTER AND FAIRER: THE ECONOMY UNDER LABOR

Today we met with Chisholm locals to discuss how a Shorten Labor Government will deliver a better, fairer economy for all Australians.

Labor will close the loopholes exploited by big multinationals to avoid paying their fair share of tax, boosting the budget by billions of dollars.

COALITION ALL SIZZLE AND NO SAUSAGE ON MULTINATIONAL TAX AVOIDANCE

The Coalition’s approach to multinational tax avoidance boils down to two tactics: telling the public what they won’t do, and claiming credit for revenue raised by Labor’s laws (which they voted against in 2013).

The latest announcement by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is more of the same: explaining why he won’t implement a digital sales tax, while failing to offer any concrete action on multinational tax avoidance.

The Treasurer talks vaguely about supporting global reform of the tax system, but Australia is largely missing in action from the international reform process. We are no longer represented on the Steering Group of the OECD’s Inclusive Framework on BEPS - a key body that has been shaping the multinational tax reform agenda. 

ROSS HART

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BASS

ANDREW LEIGH MP

SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY

SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE IN SERVICES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR FENNER

ENDING TAX REFUNDS FOR FRANKING CREDITS

Launceston Examiner, 21 March 2019

Tax loopholes occur when we write our tax laws in a way that inadvertently allows revenue to slip away. Those who use loopholes aren’t breaking the law, but the effect is that we don’t raise the revenue we need to fund vital services. 

That’s what’s happened with refundable franking credits.

UPTURNING THE MONOPOLY BOARD

Crikey, 20 March 2019

As a parent, I hate the board game Monopoly. It never takes long before one lucky player has bought up a slab of real estate, and the rest are mortgaging their properties just to survive. No matter how happy the kids are when they start the game, it invariably seems to end up in tears.

As it turns out, that’s how most economists feel about real monopolies. From the British East India Company to Standard Oil, monopolies produce too little, and charge too much. Like the strongest kid in the schoolyard, they sometimes throw their weight around - threatening to bankrupt or buy off competitors. Monopolies can become fat and lazy, living off their dominant market position rather than looking for ways to produce better and cheaper products.

In recent decades, Australia’s monopoly problem has come into stark relief. To see the size of it, Australian National University researcher Adam Triggs and I analysed hundreds of Australian industries. Across half the economy, we found that the biggest four players controlled more than one-third of the market.

FUTURE OF MORTGAGE LENDING IN AUSTRALIA

CANBERRA, 19 MARCH 2019

Thanks very much, Mark, and can I acknowledge we're meeting on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal people and pay my respect their elders past and present. I thank Australian Finance Group, Connective and Mortgage Choice for putting on today's event.

I acknowledge my fellow panellists – Mark Hewitt, Mark Nocera and Mark Haron.

When it comes to the question session, please do feel free to call me Mark.

[laughter]

That will ensure that the panel gets full marks.

[laughter]

Did I mention that I’m a dad?

For those of you who are visiting Canberra, welcome. The OECD determined this to be the most liveable region in the advanced world, so I hope you'll take a chance to enjoy the beautiful bush capital.

I'm sorry that we're not joined by a representative of the Coalition today. However, I can assure you that after nine years in politics and hundreds of Question Times, I can probably answer questions on their behalf too.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP

MELBOURNE

MONDAY, 18 MARCH 2019

SUBJECTS: Ending the Coalition’s war on charities, wages growth. 

PETA MURPHY, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DUNKLEY: Hi, I'm Peta Murphy, Labor's candidate for Dunkley. It's been absolutely terrific to have Andrew Leigh here today, the Shadow Minister for Charities.  We've held a roundtable with at least 20 organisations across the Dunkley electorate, talking about what makes a great charity, how community groups can get better support and better link with each other to help with volunteers, and generally talking about how a federal government can be of assistance to the amazing people that we already have here who are doing great work connecting and supporting other locals. So, thank you very much for being here today Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: It's a pleasure, Peta. A connection to community is what propelled Peta Murphy to stand for Dunkley. Her engagement with her local community, the strength of her civic connectedness is what marks her out as one of our extraordinary Labor candidates. We've appreciated today the insights from a range of different charities and not-for-profits in the Frankston area, working with Labor to ensure that we end the war on charities and begin the process of reconnecting Australia.

ANDREW LEIGH MP

SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY

SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE IN SERVICES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS

MEMBER FOR FENNER

RAFF CICCONE

LABOR SENATOR FOR VICTORIA

PETA MURPHY

LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DUNKLEY

MELBOURNE RECONNECTED ROUNDTABLE A SUCCESS

Today, we held Labor’s 18^th ‘Reconnected’ forum, this time with charities and not-for-profits in the Frankston region, exchanging ideas to boost social capital and community engagement.

Over the course of the last generation, Australians have become more disconnected. We are less likely to join community organisations or play organised sports. On average, Australians have fewer close friends, and know fewer neighbours. 

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

RADIO INTERVIEW

5AA MORNINGS

FRIDAY, 15 MARCH 2019

SUBJECT: Labor’s plans to give Australians hotels control over their businesses.

LEON BYNER: You've got in this country two large businesses - these are multinational companies - who control up to 85 per cent of online accommodation bookings in Australia. And do you know what they are able to do - I think the fact that they could even do it in the first place was outrageous - that they say to a hotel or motel, doesn't matter who it is, what size, ‘you will not in your advertising on your Facebook for your company, your business, yu will not undercut our prices’. Because the fact of the matter is. if you book through them you'll often get a better deal. Now you've got companies like Expedia and Booking.com that have got 85 per cent of this market. Now I've got Dick Smith on the line and Dick, before I get to you I want you to hear what a good policy is about to do. Okay, so you stay there and don't go away. I want to talk to the Shadow Assistant Treasurer Dr Andrew Leigh. Andrew, I'm very glad to have you on today because one of my passions has been that for too long corporations have been able to bully small businesses and because they've got such market power they can get away with it. Now in this space of hotel bookings, tell us what you're proposing if you win the election.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Leon, we're planning to go straight to the problem you've talked about - getting rid of those price parity clauses that prevent small local hotels offering the best deal on their own websites. These large multinational booking providers have a massive share of the market and they're taking a whopping slice of booking fees. So if you book a hotel, coming to see WOMADelaide or the Adelaide Fringe, you might pay a $100 for a room and see $30 of that go overseas. A 30 per cent booking fee is a massive hit to a small operator.

PUTTING AUSSIE HOTELS BACK IN CONTROL: THIRD PARTY SUPPORT

“The Accommodation Association of Australia welcomes this historic announcement from the Labor Party. Effectively this means that our industry, should the Labor Party win office, be able to finally offer the best rate directly to our customers without fear of being darkened or threatened by these big multinational online travel agents. This announcement is very welcome for our members and the industry across Australia, the winners will be the operators of small business and the public who can finally get a better deal by going direct online once this legislation is passed.”

- Richard Munro, Accommodation Association of Australia CEO.

“We were pleased to see Labor’s announcement today to ban online travel agent price parity clauses if elected to Government. Long overdue as accommodation providers and their customers are paying increasing and unsustainable commissions nearly all of which leave Australia.”

- Julian Ledger, YHA Australia CEO.