Andrew Leigh

MEDIA RELEASE

17 December 2024

PUBLIC COUNTRY BY COUNTRY REPORTING JURISDICTIONS NOW SETTLED

Today, the Albanese Government’s determination of specified jurisdictions for Australia’s world leading Public Country by Country tax transparency regime has been published on the Federal Register of Legislation.

Primary legislation to put in place a Public Country by Country reporting register passed Parliament on 29 November. That legislation set out the annual tax data that affected entities will be required to report from 1 July 2024. The Taxation Administration (Country by Country Reporting Jurisdictions) Determination 2024, registered today, sets out the jurisdictions for which an entity must publish disaggregated (country-level) information.    

With this determination in place, the government has delivered on our election commitment to increase tax transparency and added momentum to global campaigns to increase corporate accountability for tax strategies.

Julie Collins MP

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Minister for Small Business

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP

Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, and Treasury
Assistant Minister for Employment

MEDIA RELEASE

17 December 2024​ 

Mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct established in law 

The Albanese Labor Government has made the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mandatory, protecting farmers and everyday Australians at the supermarket checkout. 

The mandatory code has now been signed by the Governor General and published on the Federal Register of Legislation. The new mandatory code will come into force on 1 April 2025, replacing the voluntary code. 

This will protect suppliers and farmers and improve supermarket conduct with heavy penalties for breaches of the code. 

The Hon Bill Shorten MP

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme

Minister for Government Services

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP

Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, and Treasury

Assistant Minister for Employment

ACCC FEDERAL COURT ACTION AGAINST NDIS AND AGED CARE PROVIDER WELCOMED

14 December 2024

The Minister for the NDIS the Hon Bill Shorten MP and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Dr Andrew Leigh MP today welcomed strong action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to address allegations of false and misleading conduct by an Aged Care and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider, Ausnew Home Care Service Pty Ltd. 

This action is proof of the success of the ongoing collaboration between the ACCC, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission), and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to drive positive outcomes that safeguard NDIS participants in the Scheme and stamp out poor behaviour by providers.

Minister Shorten said the commencement of civil proceedings in the Federal Court against Ausnew Home Care Service sends a strong message to any provider who falsely claims their products are ‘NDIS approved’ or misleads NDIS participants about the price of products.  

When a coin toss saves lives

The Saturday Paper

14 December 2024

James Lind set about determining the most effective treatment for scurvy, a disease that was killing thousands of sailors around the world.

Lind selected 12 sailors suffering from scurvy and divided them into six pairs.

Each pair received a different treatment: cider; sulphuric acid; vinegar; seawater; a concoction of nutmeg, garlic and mustard; or two oranges and a lemon.

In less than a week, the pair who had received oranges and lemons each day were back on active duty, while the others languished.

Given that sulphuric acid was then the British Navy’s main treatment for scurvy, this was a crucial finding.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
RADIO 2CC INTERVIEW WITH LEON DELANEY

WEDNESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2024

Subjects: Supermarket competition; Antisemitism; RBA decision on interest rates; Fit for Office competition

LEON DELANEY, HOST: Yesterday the people at CHOICE provided their quarterly report into supermarket prices to tell us what was revealed. The Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, not to mention our very own local member here in the seat of Fenner, Dr Andrew Leigh, good afternoon.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon, Leon, great to be with you.

DELANEY: Thanks for joining us today. Are the supermarkets still taking us for a ride?

LEIGH: We're doing our very best to make sure that's not the case, Leon. Part of it is this   quarterly grocery price monitoring which puts more information in the hands of consumers and puts more competitive pressure on the supermarkets. Last parliamentary sittings we passed through Parliament the mandatory Food and Grocery Code that gets a fairer deal for farmers, pity the Coalition didn't vote for it, but it got through the Parliament all the same, and we're also giving more money to the Competition Watchdog to crack down on shrinkflation by enforcing the Unit Pricing Code. The latest results for the CHOICE price survey show again that Aldi is the cheapest supermarket, followed by Coles this time, followed by Woolworths and then IGA.

Strength in Diversity: Celebrating Australia’s Charities 

One ACNC all-staff meeting 

Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission
Melbourne

TUESDAY 10 DECEMBER 2024

Thank you for the generous introduction. It's wonderful to be with you today on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I acknowledge their elders and recognise all First Nations people present.

It's a real pleasure to be here with Sue Woodward, your remarkable head, and also with Rob Heferen from the ATO joining us today.

The "One ACNC" motto really is apt for what we are doing today, bringing together that conversation between the Tax Office and the ACNC for the good of all Australians.

I was struck, looking at the 365 charities that you registered in November 2024, by the sheer breadth of Australia's community groups.

Looking through those names is a reminder of all the organisations that help Australians.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC 666 INTERVIEW WITH ROSS SOLLY

TUESDAY, 10 DECEMBER 2024

Subjects: Australian Flags; Dutton’s divisiveness; Combating antisemitism; CHOICE quarterly report on supermarket prices.

ROSS SOLLY, HOST: On the text line, Ross says, Sue "The only things dividing our country are Peter Dutton and the Union Jack still being on the flag of our multicultural country. I came to live in Australia from the UK in the 1970s and cannot believe we have not yet updated our outdated flag." Andrew Leigh is the Federal Member for Fenner and joins us on the program this morning. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning, Ross, great to be with you.

SOLLY: And good to be with you as well. In a moment we'll talk about the CHOICE quarterly report which has just come out, which will give our listeners an insight into where they might get the best supermarket shopping in the lead up to Christmas. But Andrew Leigh, on this comment that Peter Dutton made last night, which people are talking about this morning, he says that when Anthony Albanese stands up at a news conference and he has the Australian flag and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag behind him, that it is into the 21st century when it comes to its corporate registers dividing the country and that he would never do that and he will only ever stand in front of the Australian flag. What are your thoughts on this?

LEIGH: There's days Ross when Peter Dutton reminds me of the last guy in the pub looking around for someone to fight. He's always up for a battle. He's never up for actually bringing the country together. We ought to be celebrating the fact that we have this privilege as non-indigenous Australians of sharing a country with a people whose continuous link to the land goes back more than 60,000 years. We're incredibly lucky to have that culture. Extraordinary Australians like Ash Barty, Adam Goodes, Noel Pearson, these are remarkable Australians. And to celebrate indigenous culture, it's really so much of what Australia is about.

CHOICE supermarkets report focuses on Christmas staples

The third Albanese Government-funded CHOICE quarterly report into supermarket prices has been released today, giving consumers pricing information on seasonal staples including lamb and ice cream.

CHOICE visited 104 stores across Australia including Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and IGA.

Overall, Aldi was once again the cheapest supermarket for a basket of 14 goods (with and without specials). It was followed by Coles, then Woolworths and IGA.

CHOICE also examined some Christmas specials, which found including Coles and Woolworths were the cheaper options for the leg of lamb. Without specials, Woolworths was the cheapest, followed by Aldi then Coles.IGA was excluded from the lamb comparison as CHOICE could not consistently find a comparable item in the stores it visited.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
RADIO 2CC INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO

MONDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2024

Subjects: An open register of corporate ownership

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, HOST: All right, third time lucky. We're going to talk to Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, and Member for Fenner, Andrew Leigh. Andrew, the gremlins have got me, mate. If you were the Communications Minister, I'll be going after you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Indeed, Stephen. I think you're having a few tech issues this morning, but it's lovely to be with you.

CENATIEMPO: We got there in the end. Now, tell us about these reforms for beneficial ownership of unlisted companies. What does that mean?

LEIGH: Well, it's basically about knowing who really owns Australian firms. Right now, our share market register is too opaque and often the person who's listed on the register is actually a holding company. So, this, for the first time, ensures that you're not able to hide behind the corporate veil. That's important in terms of transparency, in terms of making sure that firms aren't being used for nefarious purposes. It's a way in which many other countries are moving to having a little bit more honesty and transparency in their corporate registers. We're taking those next steps today, really moving Australia into the 21st century when it comes to its corporate registers.

CENATIEMPO: What's the impetus for this? Is this phoenixing and those kinds of things that are happening in the building industry? Is that the kind of thing we're trying to avoid here?

LEIGH: Look, that's one of it. And then also just the risk of tax avoidance if you're not properly listing who owns Australian firms. One of the strange things I discovered when I looked into this, Stephen, is that sometimes the managers of companies have to pay private investigators to find out who the owners are, because they can't just find out from the registry –

National Australia Indonesia Language Awards

Andrew Leigh
Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury
Assistant Minister for Employment

Australian National University
Canberra

7 December 2024

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we meet, and all First Nations people present.

Salamat sore. Welcome to the National Australia Indonesia Language Awards (NAILA). A special welcome to those of you who have come from outside Canberra for these awards. I recognise NAILA Director Jade Lee, NAILA founder Maighdlin Doyle, Indonesian Ambassador Siswo Pramono and organiser Andaleeb Akhand.

When I was five years old, our family moved to Indonesia. My father was a political scientist who had written his PhD on Malaysia. When an opportunity came up to work in Banda Aceh at Syiah Kuala University, he decided to move there. In preparation, my father did his Indonesian language training at Point Cook, an Air Force base in Victoria, where he was assigned the notional rank of Squadron Leader and told that he not to go anywhere near a plane. He got full immersion training, and studied Indonesian language diligently.

When we arrived in Indonesia, my mother developed her own expertise. She researched Acehnese handicrafts, and wrote Tangan-Tangan Trampil (The Hands of Time). She also developed an interest in how Acehnese schools were used to convey a sense of national identity (Pancasila), which ultimately turned into a PhD. Perhaps watching a five-year-old son attending the local Acehnese school and singing patriotic Indonesian songs had something to do with this.