Andrew Leigh

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP

PARLIAMENT HOUSE

THURSDAY, 28 JUNE 2018

SUBJECTS: Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of action on tax havens, the Government’s war on charities, company tax.
 
ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Good morning. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer.
 
We know that Malcolm Turnbull has been soft on the big end of town, but again yesterday in Question Time he claimed that his multinational anti-avoidance laws had raised significant revenue for the government. Last time Malcolm Turnbull made a claim like this, we had to write to the Tax Commissioner to find out the truth. So yesterday, I did that again. I’ve written formally to the Tax Commissioner to find out precisely how much revenue the Liberals’ multinational tax laws have raised.
 
We know that the Liberals have a history of telling porkies on multinational tax. They claimed credit for the Chevron judgement, which added $300 million to the budget, despite the fact that they had voted against those very laws in the parliament. And we’ve seen the Liberals again and again oppose Labor’s sensible measures to close multinational tax loopholes.

LABOR STANDS FOR TAX TRANSPARENCY

FEDERATION CHAMBER, 26 JUNE 2018

Dr ANDREW LEIGH: This is a motion based on a lie. Labor never voted against the multinational anti-avoidance law. Let me say that again for the benefit of the member for Goldstein, who moved the motion. This is a motion based on a lie, a falsehood. The member is misleading the House. Labor never voted against the multinational anti-avoidance law. I know this—

TIM WILSON: Did you support it?

LEIGH: Yes, Labor did support it, remember? I will take that interjection from the member for Goldstein. I refer the member to the Senate Hansard, 9 November 2015. Senator Dastyari said:

'Labor's position is that we support this bill.'

WILSON: What about the House?

LEIGH: The member for Goldstein asks about the House. I will come to the House, Member for Goldstein. There's not a moment in which Labor did not support the bill.

Wilson interjecting—

LEIGH: The problem with the member for Goldstein is he thinks that if a lie is repeated often enough it becomes the truth. He thinks, because he's sat in the House—

Government members interjecting—

DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members will be quite, please.

LEIGH: and he's heard the talking point from the Treasurer and the minister for revenue, that somehow it's okay to continue to mislead the House.

YOUR CAR, YOUR CHOICE

Federation Chamber, 25 June 2018

I move:

That this House:

(1) declares that:

(a) given new cars have multiple onboard computers, real time access to digital files and codes—which vary from car to car—are needed to complete many aspects of a repair or service;

(b) car manufacturers generally own and control this technical information and in many cases are the only sources of re-initialisation codes and software upgrades;

(c) independent car repairers—who comprise the vast majority of Australian mechanics—are at a competitive disadvantage, since most car manufacturers do not supply the same information to independent mechanics that they provide to authorised dealers;

(d) the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s report New car retailing industry market study (14 December 2017) concluded that the industry’s voluntary code has failed to address the problem; and

(e) failure to address this problem is hurting small businesses, increasing prices for consumers, and providing less choice, with the impact being most acute in regional areas; and

(2) calls on the Government to adopt Labor’s policy of mandatory information sharing, which would:

(a) require car manufacturers to share technical information with independent mechanics on commercially fair and reasonable terms;

(b) create safeguards that enable environmental, safety and security related technical information to be shared with the independent sector; and

(c) provide a level playing field, benefiting consumers and independent mechanics alike.

SUPPORTING SAFE ACCESS ZONES

Federation Chamber, 25 June 2018

No woman makes the decision to terminate a baby lightly. It is a decision best made in consultation with a medical practitioner and one which involves significant stress.

This is why safe access zones have been established in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. They reflect the history of women being harassed by anti-abortion protesters as they've sought to enter an abortion clinic.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

TELEVISION INTERVIEW

SKY NEWS

MONDAY, 25 JUNE 2018

SUBJECTS: Malcolm Turnbull’s big business handout; Labor’s plan for a bigger, better and fairer tax cut.

TOM CONNELL: Joining me live right now is the Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh. Thanks for your time today.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Pleasure, Tom.

CONNELL: Interesting turn it took today with this Labor ad attacking Malcolm Turnbull, saying he could benefit by millions. Do you really think that’s his motivation?

LEIGH: I think the Prime Minister has a bit of a glass jaw if he’s getting concerned over this sort of thing. This is a government which had two former Labor Prime Ministers dragged before Royal Commissions. Labor Leader Bill Shorten was called before a Royal Commission for two days. The government was attacking Tanya Plibersek and her husband in parliament last week. They’ve referred to Bill Shorten as being a ‘sycophant’, a ‘hypocrite’, accused him of taking ‘backhanders’. Now they’re unwilling to deal with the basic facts.

LABOR PROTECTS CHARITIES

The bipartisan Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has today handed down its report on the Foreign Interference Transparency Scheme Bill 2017, recommending that charities be excluded.
 
These recommendations reflect Labor’s strong engagement with and commitment to charities.

TAX TRANSPARENCY, COURTESY OF LABOR

Hundreds of Australia’s biggest private companies are one step closer to being forced out of the shadows and into the sunlight, thanks to a Labor bill passed today.
 
The Private Senator’s Bill would ensure that big businesses have their high-level tax information published, which will allow proper scrutiny and help restore the trust in the integrity of the tax system that was brought about when the Gillard Government passed tax transparency reforms in June 2013.
 
In December 2015, the Greens and the Liberals raised the transparency threshold for private companies from $100 million to $200 million. This dodgy deal took two-thirds of the private companies out of the spotlight and back into the darkness.

AUSTRALIA RECONNECTED

KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL VOLUNTEERING CONFERENCE

SYDNEY

22 JUNE 2018

Thank you Adrienne for that generous introduction. I honour the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, on whose lands we meet today, and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues Dan Tehan and Louise Pratt, and thank Adrienne Picone, Vicki Darling, and the Volunteering and Contact ACT team for their organisational work. In taking the lead to organise this Sydney event, my fellow Canberrans have proven that our national capital is also Australia’s social capital. I particularly thank each and every attendee - generous volunteers coming together to discuss about how we can strengthen Australia’s civic fabric.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

RADIO INTERVIEW

ABC RADIO ADELAIDE

THURSDAY, 21 JUNE 2018

SUBJECTS: Labor’s plan for a bigger, better and fairer tax cut.

JULES SCHILLER: Let’s get a response from federal Labor. We have the Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh on the line. Hi, Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: G’day, Jules. Great to be with you.

SCHILLER: Ok. Well, look, a cut to lower and middle class earners – that’s something Labor would support, surely?

LEIGH: Absolutely. That stage one package we actually doubled down on. We said we didn’t just want to give middle Australia a $500 a year tax cut - we wanted to give them nearly $1000 a year tax cut. And extraordinarily, Scott Morrison voted against that. The thing that Scott’s not telling you, Jules, is that about 70 per cent of workers will always be better off under Labor’s plan. He wants to emphasise the total dollar amount but he doesn’t want to tell you where it’s going. And that’s because by the time you get to his stage three, 95 per cent of the benefits are going to the top fifth of income earners. So, that’s not a plan to encourage people into work. That’s not a plan to help most of your listeners. That’s a plan to give the most to those who already have the most.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP

CANBERRA

WEDNESDAY, 20 JUNE 2018
 
SUBJECTS: Turnbull’s comments telling aged workers to get a better job; Labor’s plan for bigger, better, fairer tax cuts for working Australians; Telstra job losses; US leaving Human Rights Council.
 
ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Good morning everyone. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Federal Member for Fenner and I'd like to welcome you to this aged care facility in Ainslie. We've been here meeting today with a range of aged care workers. Among them, Abbie, Kerul, Lorraine and Lise. They're among the thousands of aged care workers across Australia; talented, hardworking and deeply caring. Aged care workers that deserve the respect of every Australian.

I'd like to thank this aged care facility for taking the time to have their staff meet with Bill Shorten and Julie Collins and I today. We greatly admire the work that they do, the support that they provide to the residents here and recognise that all of us need great aged care workers because any of us could well finish up in a facility like this and we would want to be looked after by people of the calibre of Abbi, and Lise and Lorraine and Kerul.

Let me hand over now to Bill Shorten.