Why the ATM Governments Were Like the Useless Machine - Speech, House of Representatives
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 AUGUST 2022
In 1952 Marvin Minsky invented the 'useless machine'. It was a little machine with a box with one switch on it, in the off position. If you turned it on then a little hand came out of the machine to turn it back off again. That was its only purpose. As Arthur C Clarke put it:
There is something unspeakably sinister about a machine that does nothing—absolutely nothing—except switch itself off.
And that's what Australians are saying about the last nine years. As the Economist has noted of the British conservative government, the Liberals were, when they were in government, the political equivalent of a useless machine: they know what they're against, they know what they want to turn off, but they have no idea what they are for.
Read moreCanberrans should not be second-class democratic citizens - Speech, House of Representatives
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1 AUGUST 2022
In 2016, Canberra man Nebojsa Pavkovic died on his 61st birthday.
He was at the end of a five-week hunger strike inside a body which he knew was no longer working. Mr Pavkovic had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for a decade and had come to the decision, speaking with his family, that he wanted to end his life. He was, however, unable to do so through voluntary assisted dying and had to do so through the much more traumatic and painful approach of a five-week hunger strike. As daughter Katarina Knowles said, 'He was really, truly bedridden, and it was just the worst.'
I spoke to Katarina a year ago, when I was moving a private member's motion in this place to repeal the Andrews ban - to finally allow the ACT and the Northern Territory to have the same rights as the states to legislate over voluntary assisted dying.
Read moreThe biggest settlement in Australian tax history - Transcript, FIVEaa
LEON BYNER, HOST: The Australian Government has welcomed the settlement reached between the ATO and Rio Tinto, which will pay approximately - listen to this - $1 billion, in one of the largest tax settlements in our tax history in this country. Now this represents, as I understand it, quite a drawn out - and we're talking here drawn out in years - hard work by the Tax Office. It's a significant win for everybody, because the community will ultimately benefit in terms of lower taxes. But that's a lot of money. $1 billion. Let's talk to a bloke who is, I think, one of the most qualified economics experts in the Australian Parliament. Highly revered, both by universities and economics experts. I'm talking about the federal Assistant Minister for Treasury, Dr Andrew Leigh. Andrew, thank you for coming on today.
ANDREW LEIGH, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY: Pleasure, Leon. Great to be with you.
Tackling multinational tax avoidance a matter of fairness - Transcript, Sky News
PETER STEFANOVIC, HOST: Rio Tinto has settled running disputes with the Australian Tax Office, agreeing to pay another lump sum. Almost a billion dollars has been paid, money the ATO claims the mining giant owed. Settlements include a dispute over whether the company should have deducted interest payments from money borrowed from itself to pay its UK arm and an argument over alleged transfer pricing through its controversial Singapore hub. Rio Tinto has paid 78 per cent of the total load. The ATO says it's a good outcome for the Australian tax system. And joining us live now is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh. Good morning, Andrew. Good to see you. That’s quite the amount to cough up.
ANDREW LEIGH, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY: It certainly is. And it's a testament to the corporate tax inquiry headed by Labor Senators in 2015, which first flagged the issue of marketing hubs. I think it was pretty odd that you have resources companies digging up resources in Australia, selling them to a second country, and yet the payments are being routed through a third country. Four years ago, BHP reached a half billion dollar settlement. And this billion dollar settlement from Rio doesn't just cover past tax payments, but also says that going forward taxes on Australian commodities be paid in Australia, which is the way it should be.
Paying tax not an optional extra - Transcript, ABC News Radio
THOMAS ORITI, HOST: First this half hour, the multinational mining giant Rio Tinto has settled a decade long tax dispute with the Australian Tax Office. It’s handed over almost a billion dollars in unpaid taxes after an investigation of its Singapore marketing hub. The settlement’s one of the largest in Australian tax history, with the mining giant following in the path of other multinationals forced to pay up. Let's get more on this now. We're joined by the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh. Andrew, good morning to you.
ANDREW LEIGH, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY: Morning, Tom. Great to be with you.
Government helping drive down costs for car owners - Transcript, Doorstop
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
QUEANBEYAN
THURSDAY, 30 JUNE 2022
SUBJECT: Government helping drive down costs for car owners.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. I'd like to thank Clem Camage Motors - Craig and his team - for having us here today for an enormously exciting announcement.
Modern cars are computers on wheels, and yet independent mechanics have struggled to get the digital files and codes they need to fix your car. When independent mechanics can't get access to the data they need, consumers pay more and don't have the choice that they require. We’re about to go into school holidays and many Australians will be taking that road trip, going up the coast maybe. And if you break down on a road trip, you might not find that there's a dealer nearby who specialises in the vehicle you're driving. But you'll probably find an independent mechanic round the corner. If that independent mechanic can get access to the digital files they need, they can get you back out on the road and enjoying your school holidays.
Read moreMulticulturalism makes us more dynamic, interesting, and affluent nation - Transcript, ABC Radio Brisbane
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC BRISBANE DRIVE
WEDNESDAY, 29 JUNE 2022
SUBJECT: Census.
STEVE AUSTIN, HOST: What is an Australian today? What do we look like? What do we present as, given the census data? I want to do this with my guest who is, as a result of the federal election, now an Assistant Minister. Andrew Leigh is Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. That's not the real reason why I wanted to speak with him. He's also a prolific writer of honest and interesting books, and most recently wrote the book ‘What's the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics’. Andrew, thanks for joining me today. Have any of your scenarios in that book come true yet?
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: Pleasure, Steve. It’s fortunate to say that the world has not ended yet, and long may that continue.
AUSTIN: Give me your just general overview, first of all. What stands out to you? What do you think, Andrew Leigh, as someone who's got a PhD in economics and writes prolific, as a prolific book writer, what stands out to you in the census data about who we are?
LEIGH: Two big things, Steve. One is that almost half of Australians have a parent born overseas, and it really does speak to the multicultural success story that is modern Australia. The other is the significant decline in the share of Australians expressing a religious affiliation. There's now almost as many people who profess to having no religion as there are Christians in Australia. So a big change in the way in which the nation engages with religion.
Read moreCanberra tops country in population growth - Transcript, ABC Radio Canberra
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC CANBERRA MORNINGS
WEDNESDAY, 29 JUNE 2022
SUBJECTS: Census; Canberra’s population and political representation; Staffing.
ADAM SHIRLEY, HOST: A day after his self-described Christmas, Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh is with us on Mornings. He is the Member for Fenner, and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. Dr Leigh, a very good morning to you.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning to you, Adam. Great to be with you and your listeners.
SHIRLEY: How was Christmas and the unwrapping of all your presents?
LEIGH: It's fascinating to get a bit of a picture of the ACT, to get a sense that we're volunteering at higher rates than the national average. An 18 per cent volunteering rate here in the ACT compared to 14 per cent nationally. It reminded me too what a strong Defence community we have here in the ACT, something maybe we don't talk about very much. Canberrans are five times as likely as the average Australian to be currently serving, and much more likely to be veterans. And that veteran community is a really vital part of Canberra.
Read moreThe census and social capital - Transcript, 2GB Afternoons
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB AFTERNOONS
TUESDAY, 28 JUNE 2022
SUBJECT: Census.
JOE HILDEBRAND, HOST: Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Treasury, but more importantly he is the minister in charge of the census. Minister, welcome to Afternoons.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: G’day, Joe. Great to be with you-
HILDEBRAND: Great to be with you.
LEIGH: I’m feeling tickety-boo like you.
HILDEBRAND: [laughter] I can't stop thinking about it now. Golly gosh, gee whiz.
LEIGH: It’s such a good phrase.
Read more