E&OE TRANSCRIPT

TELEVISION INTERVIEW

SKY NEWS AM AGENDA

MONDAY, 18 JUNE 2018
 
SUBJECTS: Dividend imputation reform, Income tax cuts.
 
KIERAN GILBERT: With me now, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh. Thanks very much for your time. The Labor Party, a spokesperson has advised or pointed out this morning that the individual author within Treasury of this report which has questioned Labor’s numbers is a former staffer of Mitch Fifield and Kelly O’Dwyer and a former Vice President of the Young Liberals Student Association. The point though that Angus Taylor has made and others have made, Simon Birmingham, is that this has been ticked off by senior levels of Treasury. So is Labor really impugning the reputation of the Treasury in this?
 
ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Kieran, you’ve got to take a step back and recognise how Labor does our costings. We do them through the Parliamentary Budget Office, which is an equal status coster to the Treasury. And the whole purpose of the Charter of Budget Honesty, in setting up the Parliamentary Budget Office, is we wouldn’t have the kind of debacle we’re seeing from the Coalition today. Our policies have been costed by a body which has an equal status to the Treasury. To spend taxpayer money attacking Labor policies is a terrible waste. Why aren’t they spending resources working out how to scrap the tampon tax? This should be paid for Liberal Party funds if they want to attack Labor policies.

Alex Hutchinson's Endure explores the mind-body influence on sports performance

Andrew Leigh

The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 2018

PHYSICAL ENDURANCE

Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance

Alex Hutchinson

HarperCollins, $39.99

Humans are amazing. Members of our species have held their breath for 24 minutes, deadlifted 500 kilograms, free dived deeper than 200 metres, and pulled a 99 tonne truck. Humans have long jumped nearly 9 metres and high jumped almost 2½ metres. A person has swum 225 kilometres. Another skydived at 1300 kilometres an hour.

And we keep getting better. Cycling and swimming were among the sports that saw new world records set at the Commonwealth Games. There have been 100 metre races in which almost everyone finished in less than 10 seconds. Sometimes the improvement is remarkable, as when competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi doubled the hot dog eating record in 2001, devouring a gut-churning 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF INEQUALITY

ANDREW LEIGH

Inside Story, 15 June 2018.

When Jane found herself jobless, homeless and separated from her partner, she began staying in her campervan in Hawkesbury, on the Sydney fringe. There was a time, she said, when she had 11 cents in her bank account and wouldn’t have more for another nine days. She survived off charity. “Most Australians don’t know what real hunger feels like,” she says. Sometimes, men would approach her campervan to ask for sexual favours.

For another group of Sydneysiders, life looks very different. Later this month the Art Gallery of New South Wales will host its inaugural ArchiBall, the most expensive and exclusive gala dinner it has ever hosted. Sitting under Nolans and Drysdales, guests will sip Moët, enjoy a meal designed by celebrity chef Matt Moran, and listen to a famous Australian singer whose name is being kept secret. Tickets are $2000 each.

Australian inequality has risen markedly over the past generation. Homes on Point Piper’s Wolseley Road can cost $50,000 per square metre; and if you’d like to park Australia’s most expensive sports car in your garage, Pagani’s Huayra Roadster — powered by a 562kw engine — will set you back $5.5 million. Many stores are struggling, but luxury retailing in Australia has surged.

STOP THE WAR ON CHARITIES

Labor will support the set of principles outlined today the Hands Off Our Charities Alliance, in order to ensure that the not for profit sector remains viable and our democracy stays intact.

This began as a debate about foreign donations but somehow, in the hands of Malcolm Turnbull, it has morphed into a war on charities and not for profits.

We’ve heard from multiple charities over many weeks about their concerns that the foreign donation bill will stop them from advocating for their communities and make it harder to raise money to support communities in need.

There is bipartisan support for banning foreign political donations, but banning donations to political parties should not entail cutting down free speech.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

RADIO INTERVIEW

ABC NORTH QUEENSLAND

WEDNESDAY, 13 JUNE 2018

SUBJECT: Banking Royal Commission.

MICHAEL CLARKE: Last night a forum was held to discuss cases of financial misconduct. It was put together to discuss the issue with the Labor Party and in town at the moment is the ALP's Acting Shadow Treasurer, Andrew Leigh who joins us this morning along with the Member for Herbert, Cathy O'Toole. Good to see you both. Thanks for being with us today. Andrew Leigh, why have a discussion about banking issues in Townsville when there is this Royal Commission underway across the country?

ANDREW LEIGH, ACTING SHADOW TREASURER: Michael, we want to hear directly from people about their stories about how the banks have affected them. We know that Townsville was hard hit by the Storm Financial scandal that not only saw people lose their homes but in some cases, end up with over a million dollar’s worth of debt. That led the last Labor Government to put in place a series of reforms that required financial advisers to act in the best interests of their client. Not a very high bar you'd think! We were surprised when the Liberals and Nationals tried to wind that back when they won office. We then argued for almost two years for this Royal Commission that we finally had. Malcolm Turnbull was telling us it was a stunt and we know it's anything but. We've seen the scandals coming through, dead people being charged for financial advice, one bank playing with kids school bank accounts, the head of AMP having to step down, one in twenty bits of advice the ANZ has given were not in the best interest of the client. And then last night we were hearing a lot of the texture around that and how that's directly affected Townsville residents and the changes that they want to see.

ANDREW LEIGH MP, ACTING SHADOW TREASURER

CATHY O'TOOLE, MEMBER FOR HERBERT

TOWNSVILLE COMMUNITY FORUM

Last night, Townsville locals gathered at CQ University to share their experiences with and concerns about the big banks.

These stories, along with the revelations of dodgy behaviour in the banking sector, prove how important the banking royal commission is.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER AND SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY

MURRAY WATT, LABOR SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND

RUSSELL ROBERTSON, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR CAPRICORNIA

LABOR TAKES THE WHEEL FOR MECHANICS IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Labor is driving a better deal for car owners and independent mechanics with a plan to make timely access to technical information a reality.

Whether you own a Toyota Corolla or a Ford Ranger, everyone should be able to choose where they get their car serviced. But independent repairers are struggling to get fair access to the standard service information they need.

Under Labor, car manufacturers will have to share the same technical information with independent mechanics that they currently provide to authorised dealers.

ANDREW LEIGH,SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER

RUSSELL ROBERTSON, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR CAPRICORNIA 

ZAC BEERS, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR FLYNN

ROCKHAMPTON COMMUNITY FORUM

Last night, Rockhampton locals gathered at the Giddy Goat to discuss what they want to see from a future Labor Government.

Concerns over wage growth, penalty rates and inequality were among the issues discussed.

Labor understands that ordinary Australians have been left to struggle with sluggish wages growth and increasing inequality, which is now at a 75-year high.

With profits now growing six times faster than wages, now is not the time to be handing out billions of dollars to big business.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER & SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION AND PRODUCTIVITY

SUSAN LAMB, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR LONGMAN

LABOR TAKES THE WHEEL FOR MECHANICS IN LONGMAN

Labor is driving a better deal for car owners and independent mechanics with a plan to make timely access to technical information a reality.

Whether you own a Toyota Corolla or a Ford Ranger, everyone should be able to choose where they get their car serviced. But independent repairers are struggling to get fair access to the standard service information they need.

Under Labor, car manufacturers will have to share the same technical information with independent mechanics that they currently provide to authorised dealers.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
ABC NEWS BREAKFAST
SATURDAY, 9 JUNE 2018

SUBJECTS: Economic growth figures; Labor’s plan for a bigger, better and fairer tax cut; Indigenous treaty; gender quotas.

HOST: We are speaking now with Andrew Leigh, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Pleasure. Great to be with you.

HOST: Are these economists right? Is it as good as it gets?

LEIGH: You have to look at the fragility around the numbers. The household savings rate is now at a 10-year low, wages growth is as slow as a dead duck, and we're seeing some softness in the housing market. That suggests that what households have been doing in some cases is reducing their savings in order to spend. Not spending because they have more in their wallet, but choosing to put less in the bank and spend more down the mall.