Andrew Leigh

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING, WITH MELISSA CLARKE
MONDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Prime Minister’s visit to the UK, Final Budget Outcome, Tomago smelter

MELISSA CLARKE: For the government's view, let's bring in Assistant Productivity Minister Andrew Leigh. Thank you for joining me from Canberra, Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH: Pleasure Melissa, great to be with you.

MELISSA CLARKE: So, before we get to the budget figures – can I just ask you about the PM addressing the UK Labour Party conference during his visit to the UK? Was that an appropriate thing for him to do?

ANDREW LEIGH: It certainly was, and it was a great speech. I mean, it followed very much in the history of Clement Attlee and Ben Chifley's relationship – the strong relationship between Tony Blair and Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. Those links are well known and long-standing and help buttress the strong links we have with the UK. The Prime Minister spoke about the importance of defending democracy at a time in which populism is on the rise, about the strength of the relationship between our two countries, and about the important initiatives such as AUKUS that are being pursued. It was absolutely a national interest speech, and one that strengthened even further the ties between Australia and the UK.

The Hon Jim Chalmers MP
Treasurer

The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

Reappointments to the Competition Review Expert Advisory Panel

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP 
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury 

OPINION PIECE

Are We Counting What Really Counts?

Published in Inside Story

Thursday, 25 September 2025

If you were diagnosed with cancer in Australia in the early 1990s, the chances you would survive for another five years were little better than 50–50 — a toss of the coin. Thirty years later, the most recent data shows the odds of surviving that long are better than 70–30. But such remarkable improvements in medical treatment aren’t always captured in our national statistics. As the Productivity Commission noted last year, our traditional way of measuring productivity may be missing a significant share of the benefits patients are receiving from improved care.

Diane Coyle has spent her career carefully studying how we measure economic progress, often highlighting the shortcomings of traditional approaches. Her many books include The Weightless World (1997), which examined how digital technologies shifted value towards ideas and services, and GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History (2014), which traced the origins of national income accounting and its limits in a service-based economy.

In her latest book, The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters, Coyle returns to some of the same themes. She points out that there is always a lag between the structure of the economy and how we measure it, noting that statistics in the late 1800s were overly dominated by agricultural numbers rather than metrics that captured factory production. Today, however, Coyle goes further. “The elastic relationship between the statistics and the economy they represent,” she contends, “has stretched to breaking point.”

Policymakers have long recognised the limitations inherent in national income accounting. No one has expressed it more powerfully than Robert Kennedy, who in 1968 noted that gross national product included money spent on cigarette advertising, ambulances and guns, yet “does not allow for the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials.”

To this, Coyle brings fresh examples. A hypothetical treatment that reverses disabling symptoms and restores a patient’s ability to lead an independent life. A silicon chip that is more energy efficient. A decision by a hospital to use a cheaper medicine that achieves the same result. Smaller smartphones. A person who marries their paid cleaner, increasing happiness while reducing measured economic output.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA, POLITICS NOW WITH TOM CONNELL
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Productivity Commission GST Review, United Nations Climate Summit, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report

TOM CONNELL: The Productivity Commission will launch a review into the GST payments. It will potentially look at the WA deal, which means the state retains 75 cents of every dollar of the GST. That's due to reforms introduced by the Morrison Government. The arrangement at the moment costs the Commonwealth about $60 billion. That's the estimate over the next four years. The Treasurer says the review of the deal is fair and financially sustainable. Joining me now, the Assistant Competition Charities and Treasury Minister Andrew Leigh. Thank you for your time. Now, I know Labor takes taxpayer money seriously, so if there's a review - everything's on the table, including WA's GST distribution? Is that accurate?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Tom, as you accurately said this is a review that was legislated back in 2018. It has to happen before the end of 2026. So, this is really just us delivering on the legislated timetable. We'll wait and see what the Productivity Commission comes back with. Of course, our goal is to see an equitable and efficient distribution of GST, as is done through the independent Commonwealth Grants Commission.

TOM CONNELL: And what about the WA aspect of that? Is that on the table? Is the review allowed to look at it and make recommendations? And would Labor consider them?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, that'll be one of the issues that the review looks at. That was legislated back in 2018 when the legislation passed the Parliament with bipartisan support. So, it'll look at that along with a range of other issues. Obviously, we're always looking at how we can modernise arrangements and ensure that the system is working as well as possible.

TOM CONNELL: So, we had Patrick Gorman on air today say, guaranteed nothing's being touched with the WA GST distribution. Is that just something a West Australian MP has to say?

ANDREW LEIGH: Patrick is absolutely right. We have no plans to change those arrangements.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB RADIO SYDNEY, MORNINGS WITH MARK LEVY
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Fake Google reviews, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump selfie

MARK LEVY: Well if you were listening to the show yesterday, I was joined by George Sowmi. He's the boss at Origin Bathrooms, and you'll remember he told us about his struggle with these fake Google reviews. The story in short is that foreign actors, in this case from Pakistan, have been leaving fake reviews for George's business. They then contact the business owner asking for money to take down the reviews. And this is the sort of thing that's happening across the country, impacting businesses like George's. Take a listen to the effect this has had on his business. This is George speaking yesterday.

[Plays excerpt]

GEORGE SOWMI: You think about who's contracting us to do work. It's mums and dads who are investing a huge amount of money. One of their biggest investments that they make in their home, renovating kitchens and bathrooms and laundries. And that Google review is an instant thing that recognises to them that they can trust us. If we've got a bad score, not only do they not see us; if they do see us, they won't even bother clicking on us because they need to be able to trust us. For us, this is detrimental.

[End of excerpt]

MARK LEVY: George Sowmi speaking yesterday to us here on 2GB Mornings. And this is something we're seeing happen not only here in New South Wales, it's right across the country to small businesses everywhere. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. He's on the line with me now. Assistant Minister, good morning to you.

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

MARK LEVY: And you too. Are you aware of these fake Google reviews and the damage that's being done to these businesses?

ANDREW LEIGH: Absolutely. It's an issue that's been raised by the competition watchdog’s Digital Platform Services Inquiry. And if Google is monetising a review process, it has an obligation to ensure that that review process has integrity. I really feel for a business that is relying on its online reputation. Gone are the days in which people are getting new information by word of mouth. Now the online reputation really counts. So, we do need to make sure that Google reviews have integrity and that their review system has an ability to take down fake reviews quickly. The ACCC recommended that there should be a mandatory process to remove fake reviews and that that should be done in a reasonable time period.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO SYDNEY, MORNINGS WITH HAMISH MACDONALD
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Productivity Commission GST review, benefits of migration, Harry Styles and the Berlin Marathon

HAMISH MACDONALD: A question for you. Do you shop around for your groceries to get the best price? Or like me, are you just a bit of a creature of habit, going to the same shop every week, buying the same things because it’s a bit more convenient and you don’t have to think too much about it? This morning, the consumer advocacy group CHOICE has published their latest supermarket report comparing the price of an average basket of goods across a variety of stores. Andrew Leigh is the federal Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Andrew Leigh is here. A very good morning to you.

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

HAMISH MACDONALD: So, the CHOICE survey cites 86 per cent of respondents are concerned about the rising cost of food and groceries. That tells you something, doesn’t it?

ANDREW LEIGH: It sure does. Australia has got one of the most concentrated supermarket sectors in the world, and we have been putting the spotlight on the big supermarkets, giving more resources to the competition watchdog and funding quarterly grocery price monitoring from CHOICE. That’s about putting power in the hands of consumers to shop around by giving them accurate, up-to-date information on the cost of a representative basket of groceries.   

HAMISH MACDONALD: But that’s where I think this story gets really interesting, because Coles and Woolies remain so close on price. The price of a basket of goods varies between just 20 and 40 cents. Doesn’t that also tell us that maybe some of these concerns we have about competition are well-founded?

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Sydney 2000 Olympics 25th anniversary, Ben Roberts-Smith War Memorial display, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Optus

ROSS SOLLY: So, a new report from the consumer advocacy group CHOICE looking at the prices of various supermarket products has been released today. What does it mean? Where is the best place to get cheap supermarket products? We'll find out in just a moment. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity Competition, Charities and Treasury. He's also the member for Fenner, and he joins us on the program this morning. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

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

ROSS SOLLY: And with you as well. A couple of things first. Where were you 25 years ago today, Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: So, I was doing my PhD over in Harvard and I remember being down in a basement watching TV with my friend David Madden, the only other Australian who was around - cheering our heads off, surrounded by Americans who were completely bemused as to why we thought this was the greatest moment in human history.

ROSS SOLLY: Well, I mean they would have just been cheering for Michael Johnson I think, who won gold on the same night. So, it might be good to get one up on the Americans then Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: But just an amazing moment Ross. Like, you think about what that did for the reconciliation. You know, Cathy Freeman winning that 400 gold really was such a uniting moment for Australia.

The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

New Report Helps Australians Get a Fairer Deal at the Checkout

25 September 2025             

The latest Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly report into supermarket prices released today has revealed Aldi remains the cheapest supermarket followed by Coles, Woolworths and IGA.

The sixth quarterly report gives consumers the latest pricing information on household products by comparing a basket of basic goods and putting a spotlight on home brand products.

CHOICE mystery shoppers visited 104 supermarkets in 27 locations across Australia in June. For a full basket of 15 items, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket again with a total cost of $55.34, followed by Coles ($56.75), Woolworths ($57.20) then IGA ($65.56).

The September report also includes a new ‘freshness assessment’, comparing strawberries from the four supermarket chains. CHOICE found Coles was the winner on both day one, with 100 per cent of punnets showing no signs of decay, and day five, when 58 per cent had no signs of decay.

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Social Services

Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
Minister for Finance
Minister for Women
Minister for Public Service
Minister for Government Services

The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

Dr Marisa Paterson MLA
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services
Minister for Women
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Minister for Corrections
Minister for Gaming Reform
Member for Murrumbidgee

Suzanne Orr MLA
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water
Minister for Disability, Carers and Community Services
Minister for Seniors and Veterans
Member for Yerrabi

Innovative trial to support First Nations fathers and tackle family violence

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

The Federal and ACT Labor Governments are teaming up to deliver an Australian-first trial program that will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait fathers who are using, or at risk of using, violence at home.

The trial Caring Dad’s program will help First Nations fathers to better understand the impact of harmful behaviour, improve their relationships with their children and support them to engage in respectful parenting with mothers.

With almost $1 million funding from the Albanese Labor Government, the ACT Government will deliver and evaluate the culturally safe and community-led trial over the next two years.

The program will be trialled in partnership with Yeddung Mura, a local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation.

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
YEDDUNG MURA, CANBERRA
WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Caring Dads program to support First Nations fathers and reduce family violence

MARISA PATERSON MLA: Wonderful to be here today to officially launch the trial Caring Dads program. Yeddung Mura has done a huge amount of work developing this program. It's a Canadian program that's been specifically adapted for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community here in Canberra. The program is designed to work with dads and men who use violence or harmful behaviours, and work with them to change their behaviour. The program is very focused on connecting fathers with children and working on those relationships. So, it's great to be here and I really commend Yeddung Mura for the work that they've done and for setting up this program and really looking forward to seeing the outcomes that this program delivers for the community.

ANDREW LEIGH MP: G'day, my name is Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Treasury, and it's a real pleasure to be here at the announcement at the beginning of the pilot of Caring Dads at Yeddung Mura. And I'd like to thank the team from Yeddung Mura for showing us around and talking with us about the important work they're doing in the community. The Albanese Government's plan to end violence against women and children within a generation has as part of it, investment in innovative programs to address perpetrator behaviour. As part of that, we're providing $3.3 million to the ACT Government, and $780,000 of that will go to the trial of Caring Dads. It’s a world’s first trial of an innovative program based on a Canadian program, but very much adapted for First Nations people here. It will work with a range of vulnerable cohorts, including those coming out of the Alexander Maconochie Centre, in order to address perpetrator behaviour and ultimately reduce violence against women and children.

ENDS