Andrew Leigh

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC SYDNEY MORNINGS WITH GERALDINE DOOGUE
SATURDAY, 10 JUNE 2023

SUBJECTS: Digital distraction in workplaces and its impact on productivity

GERALDINE DOOGUE (HOST): Now to one of the main economic themes of the week, which you just heard canvassed as well this week: productivity in Australia. I mean, it rarely goes away for long, this topic. It was certainly relaunched big time into the public conversation by Reserve Bank chief Philip Lowe after his higher interest rate announcement. Unless productivity rises, he said, wage rises would virtually inevitably yield higher rates. Now that's heralded a battle royal about what's behind our flagging labour productivity growth which is down to a 60 year low, according to the respected CEDA think tank. Then the OECD weighed in this week with research showing that corporate profits had been driving inflation. But is that merely exceptional iron ore export profits? Came the counter. Look, this is a conversation not to be finalised in one week and we will continue to follow the debate. Dr Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Employment, has named an intriguing culprit, though, particularly for services sector workers, that the social media and the constant flow of workplace emails that interrupt us on average every six minutes and constitute at least part of the problem. I spoke to him earlier yesterday as he sat in a busy airport lounge.

LEIGH: Thanks, Geraldine, great to be with you.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC BRISBANE DRIVE WITH STEVE AUSTIN
TUESDAY, 6 JUNE 2023

SUBJECTS: How digital distraction is eroding community and reducing productivity, and what we can do about it.

STEVE AUSTIN (PRESENTER): I've been looking forward to speaking with my next guest. My guest says if workplaces were reshaped to allow deep and creative thinking rather than multitasking badness, the economy and you and me would be far better off. These are revolutionary words in my mind. They were the thoughts of Andrew Leigh, who is the Assistant Employment Minister in Australia. Andrew Leigh is a Federal Labor MP for a Canberra electorate known as the Electorate of Fenner. Andrew Leigh has a great book out some years ago now called Disconnected, which I still go to every now and then. Andrew Leigh, I still think it holds well.

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT, COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH ANDREW LEIGH: G'day, Steve. Great to be with you.

AUSTIN: And you. Is it still selling? I mean, you keep pumping the books out. Are they selling?

LEIGH: Here and there. I mean, books are a challenging market in Australia, but one of the great things that gives you is a platform to talk about big ideas. And I think there's no bigger idea than screen addiction right now. Basically, among parents, there's two big conversations that seem to take place among my friends. What's going on with house prices? And how do we manage digital distraction for our kids and for ourselves?

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC SYDNEY DRIVE WITH DOMINIC KNIGHT
WEDNESDAY, 31 MAY 2023

SUBJECTS: Australian Centre for Evaluation

DOMINIC KNIGHT (HOST): The press release from Andrew Leigh who is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, as well as Assistant Minister for Employment, says the government is creating an Australian Centre for Evaluation to measure what works. How would it measure what works? Andrew Leigh. Good afternoon.

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT, COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon, Dom. Great to be with you.

KNIGHT: What are you evaluating?

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TV INTERVIEW
SKY AFTERNOON AGENDA WITH KIERAN GILBERT
WEDNESDAY, 31 MAY 2023

SUBJECTS: Cost of living pressures, Interest rates, CPI, and housing.

KIERAN GILBERT (HOST): Let's return now to the politics of the day. With me is Assistant Minister for the Treasury Andrew Leigh. Andrew, thanks for your time. We heard from Governor Lowe, his appearance before the Senate estimates today. But I want to start with that monthly inflation number. Does it mean the RBA is more likely to hike rates again next week?

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR CHARITIES, COMPETITION, AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: Kieran, the monthly inflation number is just an inflation indicator at this stage. It'll be a full inflation measure from next year, but right now it doesn't cover the full basket, so you should expect it to be a little bit more volatile. When you strip fuel out of the equation, then inflation actually falls on this monthly number and the fuel number seems to be largely driven by indexation, which, as you know, happens twice a year. So, I don't think it's a major cause for concern. Most economists would agree that the inflation peak has passed.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC AFTERNOONS WITH LEON DELANEY
THURSDAY, 25 MAY 2023 

SUBJECTS: Additional Assistant Minister responsibilities, Australian Centre for Evaluation, John Gorton Drive Bridge project.

LEON DELANEY (HOST): It's eight past five now on 2CC, it's Canberra Live. If you want me to talk to a Federal politician how about we welcome to the program our own local representative for the seat of Fenner here in the northern part of Canberra.

Dr Andrew Leigh, good afternoon.

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon, Leon. And unlike some of your listeners, I will never tell you how to run your show!

AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR EVALUATION TO MEASURE WHAT WORKS

The 2023‑24 Budget includes $10 million over four years to establish an Australian Centre for Evaluation (ACE) in the Australian Treasury. The Australian Centre for Evaluation will improve the volume, quality, and impact of evaluations across the Australian Public Service (APS), and work in close collaboration with evaluation units in other departments and agencies.

The Australian Centre for Evaluation will help ensure government programs deliver value for money. The Albanese Government is committed to respecting taxpayers’ money and ensuring that we achieve results for Australians. This means knowing what works, and what can work better.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
6PR MONEYNEWS WITH KARALEE KATSAMBANIS
MONDAY, 22 MAY 2023

SUBJECTS: Designated complaints function at the ACCC, Treasury evaluation unit, and funding for ACNC.

KARALEE KATSAMBANIS (HOST): And welcome back to Money News, 133 8882 or you can send me a text 0487 999 882, as I said at the top of the show. I am delighted to be joined now by Dr Andrew Leigh who is Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury with some great new initiatives that he has introduced. Dr Leigh, good evening. 

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY ANDREW LEIGH: Good evening, Karalee, great to be with you and your listeners.

KATSAMBANIS: It is lovely. We've had you on the show a couple of times since last year. So it's always great to touch base with you. Now, one of the things that I really wanted to have you talk about is you have ‑ well, you have introduced a Designed Complaints function that's going to be introduced to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, better known as the ACCC. It's going to make it easier for consumer and small business groups, which you know there are a lot here in Western Australia, who lodge complaints about systemic issues. So can you just tell us why you have decided to introduce this? 

Rebuilding Communities in a ‘Friendship Recession'

The Daily Telegraph, 22 May 2023

How many people can you talk to without having to watch what you say? In 1984, Australian adults averaged nine trusted friends. A generation later it had fallen to five.

Two decades ago the typical person got together socially with others about once a week. In a new survey, the average person's response was closer to once a fortnight.

Even before the pandemic community engagement was declining. In Reconnected: A Community Builder's Handbook, Nick Terrell and I documented a drop in the share of Australians playing organised sport, volunteering, attending religious services, joining a union, donating to charity or joining community organisations.

Are we facing a friendship recession? The evidence certainly seems to point that way. Compared with four decades ago, Australians have almost half as many friends and we catch up with our mates only about half as often.

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DOORSTOP
WRECK BAY VILLAGE
FRIDAY 19 MAY 2023

Subjects: Housing investment in Wreck Bay Indigenous community, importance of housing to closing the gap, Wreck Bay’s PFAS class action

ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY, ANDREW LEIGH: Kristy McBain and I are here in Wreck Bay village to announce a historic investment in housing in the local community. We know that for too long housing in this community has been in a state of disrepair. In the last Budget we allocated $5 million as an initial step to make a difference. In this Budget we announced a historic $45.1 million over eight years. This will be working in consultation with the community to repair and build the housing that the community needs. Closing the Gap is one of the critical issues for this government and at the heart of Closing the Gap is improving the quality of housing in Indigenous communities. The Wreck Bay community is an unusual one, it doesn’t have state or territory representatives, it only has representatives in the Federal Parliament. And as the member for Fenner I’ve been arguing consistently for more support for this extraordinary local community. We’ve also got a bill before parliament right now that will provide greater governance for the Wreck Bay community, allowing better long-term arrangements for the community. And we’re putting in place a new mobile tower which will improve the problems with mobile reception that we’ve known exist in this community. It was a policy we took to the last election and I’m very pleased to see the Albanese Government delivering on mobile coverage for the Wreck Bay community.

$45.1 MILLION FOR HOUSING IN WRECK BAY

The Australian Government is committing $45.1 million to invest in housing on Aboriginal Land in Wreck Bay Village in the Jervis Bay Territory as part of the 2023-24 Budget’s $1.9 billion investment in initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

This investment will support a capital works program to fix the disrepair of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council’s residential housing stock. This builds on our investment of $5 million in 2022.