Andrew Leigh

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

Stronger Charities, Stronger Communities
Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Governing For Good Forum

Online Address

Friday, 14 August 2026

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people where I am recording this and the Wurundjeri people where you are meeting, and pay respects to all First Nations people present, as well as the many charities that work to close the gap.

One of the best books I’ve read this year is Nicholas Epley’s A Little More Social, which argues that most of us would be happier and healthier if we connected with people more often. Drawing on decades of research in social psychology, he makes a powerful case that we should have more conversations with strangers and deeper chats with friends.

Some of that is about individual actions, but it’s also about institutions. A society with thriving charities is one that provides more chances for us to be a little more social. Community groups are essential to building community, and good governance in the charity sector helps the organisations that connect Australians remain effective, trusted and resilient.

Before turning to that topic, I want to thank Sue Woodward for your leadership of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and for bringing us together for this year’s Governing for Good Forum.

I also acknowledge the members of the ACNC Advisory Board, chaired by Sarah Davies. I thank retiring members Myles McGregor-Lowndes, Rosina Loria, Anna Bacik and David Crosbie for their service over the past three years. I welcome new members Alice Macdougall, Ian Murray, Krystian Seibert and Rosy Walia. I congratulate Sarah Davies, Sara Harrup, Ian Hamm and Nick Maisey for their continuing contribution.

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

Melinda Tynan and Cameron Myers
Constituency Statement 

House of Representatives,
Parliament House, Canberra

Thursday, 13 August 2026

I rise today to recognise two outstanding constituents of Fenner.

Melinda Tynan is retiring after decades of public service. Melinda began her career in the New South Wales police force, where she worked directly with people experiencing domestic violence. She was the chief instigator of the first Australasian Women in Policing Conference, held in Sydney in 1996, which helped lead to the creation of the Australasian Council of Women and Policing. The council was incorporated in 1997; Melinda was a founding member and its secretary. In 1998 the ACT Attorney-General appointed her domestic violence project coordinator and an ex-officio member of the ACT Domestic Violence Prevention Council.

Her 2000 thesis, 'Fatal flaws', examined the policing of violence against women in Australia. She later brought that expertise into the Australian Public Service, working on women's safety and responses to trafficking, forced marriage and family violence. Her daughter, Ophelia, tells me that Melinda was also among the key advisers who helped develop Australia's first National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. Ophelia described her mother to me as a giant in the field and said she was an extremely proud daughter. After a career spent making women and children safer, Melinda has given her plenty to be proud of.

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

Labor is the Party of Competition and Consumers
Matters of Public Importance

House of Representatives,
Parliament House, Canberra

Wednesday, 12 August 2026

Nine years of the former Coalition Government left Australia with too much market power and too little consumer power. I could not be happier than to be debating the Shadow Treasurer on this MPI about which side of this House stands up for consumers against the power of oversized corporations.

I will take the House back to what the situation was in 2022. When we came to office, competition and consumer penalties were too low. They were being treated by firms as a cost of doing business. The maximum dollar penalty was $10 million, a 10th of what that figure is today. When we came to office, the former government had left payday lending reforms on the shelf. They'd accepted recommendations from a review back in 2016 and released exposure draft legislation the next year, but by 2022 they hadn't done a thing on payday lending reforms.

The former government fought the Banking Royal Commission for ages. Throughout 2016 and most of 2017 they were fighting the Banking Royal Commission, and they only agreed to have the Banking Royal Commission when the banks themselves called for it. It was the four major banks that called for a Banking Royal Commission before the then Coalition Government. Of course, that Banking Royal Commission found widespread misconduct across banking, insurance and financial advice, making 76 recommendations.

Under the former government we saw buy now, pay later explode outside credit regulations. Providers didn't need a credit licence or to comply with responsible banking obligations. Under the Coalition it was buy now, regulate later. They didn't stand up for consumers.

Under the former government, when we came to office, unfair contract terms were legal. Courts could declare them invalid, but there was no offence on a firm that put an unfair contract term in a standard form contract, and that meant small business was getting hurt.

The Hon Clare O’Neil MP
Minister for Housing
Minister for Homelessness
Minister for Cities

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Social Services

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

Alicia Payne MP
Member for Canberra

David Smith MP
Member for Bean

Caitlin Tough MLA
ACT Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Member for Brindabella

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
YARRALUMLA, ACT
WEDNESDAY, 12 AUGUST 2026 

SUBJECTS: $300 million investment in crisis accommodation; family and domestic violence crisis; 1.2 million housing target; 2026 Census

ALICIA PAYNE: Today we are announcing that there will be 19 new crisis accommodation homes across the ACT as part of a national investment into crisis accommodation, including around $16 million for the ACT. 

This is just one of the things that we are doing across the board to ensure that Australians have access to the housing that they need, and this is a really important part of it, and I know one that Canberrans will be very pleased to hear about. So I'll hand over to Minister O'Neil. 

CLARE O'NEIL: Actually, when we're going to hear from our ACT colleague first, so Andrew and David, do you want to say a few words? 

ANDREW LEIGH: If we're going to end domestic and family violence, then blokes need to step up. We need to step up and speak out against domestic and family violence, and we also need to support important initiatives like this one: 448 dwellings across the country providing safe, secure places for women and children facing domestic and family violence to go in their moment of peril. 

DAVID SMITH: This is a great announcement today that recognises that FDR happens everywhere right across the country and our responses need to reflect that. So in today's announcement we're providing housing right across the ACT, including my electorate of Bean. 

CLARE O'NEIL: I'll go, Caitlin, and then we'll go to you, and then to you. 

Okay. Good morning, everyone, and I'm really pleased to be with you here today, and I acknowledge my fantastic colleagues behind me who are joining the fight against the crisis of domestic violence that affects us right across Australia. 

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MURAL HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
MONDAY, 10 AUGUST 2026 

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning everyone. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Assistant Minister responsible for the Australian Census. Tomorrow is Census Day, and the government is urging all Australians to fill in their Census. Collecting data through the Census is an important way in which you help not only your own household but also your community. The Census is used by the Australian Government, by state and territory governments and by local councils in order to allocate resources. 

We use the Census for figuring out where to put bus routes and where to deploy new infrastructure. Businesses use the Census in figuring out where to open new stores, and community groups use the Census in seeking to better understand their local neighbourhoods. So filling out the Census is a generous act to those around you. We'd urge all Australians to take part.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ target Census completion rate is 100 per cent. They've been working hard across Australia with a network of some 30,000 Census officers aiming to increase response rates. In the last Census, 80 per cent of Australians filled out the Census online. In this Census, the ABS is anticipating 85 per cent filling out the Census online. If people need more information, they can go to census.gov.au to get more information or phone the helpline, 1800 181 227. 

The ABS is familiar with many of the challenges that emerge. Working with prisons, with aged care centres, with people with disability – they've been distributing forms that are in large print and with braille. They understand the challenge of collecting data from the homeless population and the importance of getting the Census right so our national snapshot, conducted every five years, is as good a portrait of Australia as we can get. Happy to take questions.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MURAL HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
FRIDAY, 7 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: ACCC to probe allegations of food mislabelling; bird flu; fuel; gambling reform; immigration

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks very much for coming everyone. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition. When Australians walk into a supermarket, they should have the confidence of knowing that the claims on the shelf are true. That means if they're paying a premium for a product that's made in Australia or made according to certain conditions, then they should be confident that those claims are accurate. 

Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen some concerning allegations aired on Four Corners suggesting that some of the products in Australia's supermarkets are not being accurately represented. I'm pleased today that the ACCC has announced that it will inquire into those allegations.

The ACCC is an effective enforcer, which has been given additional resources by the Albanese Government. No Australian Government has been more passionate about improving the quality of our consumer laws. We've increased penalties for anti-consumer conduct. We've banned unfair trading practices. We've taken action against shrinkflation. We've cracked down on supermarket price gouging. The ACCC’s inquiry continues a range of actions that the ACCC has taken against misleading statements around food in recent years. That's included actions in which the ACCC has managed to secure infringement notices or penalties against misleading statements to do with the country of origin of fish, the country of origin of lobster, whether milk was fresh, and also whether eggs were free range. 

The ACCC has shown a strong willingness to enforce Australia's consumer laws in the interest of Australian consumers. Australians shouldn't be duped by misleading labels. Australians should be able to walk into a store and know that what it says on the tin is accurate. I commend the ACCC in taking this important action. I’m happy to take questions.

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

What Australian Aid Makes Possible

ACFID State of the Sector Report 2026 Launch,
Online Address

Thursday, 6 August 2026

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I extend that respect to all First Nations people here today.

On the cover of this report are Kilu and Oneidah from Boboe Island in Solomon Islands, harvesting sea grapes.

Sea grapes are a traditional food and an important source of livelihood. In Western Province, four communities have launched a women-led enterprise producing body lotion and soap from sustainably harvested sea grapes. The work draws on traditional practices and helps conserve a food source under pressure from a changing climate. It also creates new sources of income.

The project is supported through Climate Resilient by Nature, an Australian Government initiative delivered in partnership with WWF-Australia.

That cover image captures much of what good development looks like. Local knowledge shapes the work. A trusted partnership supplies support. Environmental care and economic opportunity advance together.

The photograph shows people at work. The pages that follow give us the evidence behind that work.

Good sector data helps organisations see changes and lets funders test assumptions. It also gives the public a clearer view of how the sector uses trust and expertise. This report performs each of those functions.

I am delighted to launch the ACFID State of the Sector Report 2026.

Thank you to ACFID and Monash University, and to Karinda Flavell, Raewyn Lans, Aditri Saikia, Emily Moreton, Samanthi Gunawardana and Sara Niner, with support from Terence Wood. Thank you also to the organisations that contributed data and case studies. A report of this scale depends on a sector willing to examine itself closely and share what it finds.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
FEDERATION MALL, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 6 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: National safety standard for e-bikes; gambling reform

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks very much everyone, for coming along today. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities, and Treasury, and I'm really pleased to be joined by Peter Bourke from Bicycle Industries Australia and Stephen Hodge from We Ride Australia to announce that the Australian Government will be tasking the competition regulator, the ACCC to develop a national safety standard for e-bikes. 

E-bikes can be a really valuable way of helping people to get around, encouraging people to take their first go on a bike or extending the cycling career of someone whose knees might be feeling a little shaky. But the problem we have right now is that there's high-powered e-bikes that are too fast on the Australian roads, causing dangers to riders and to other people. And so, this new safety standard, which is supported by states and territories when we met last week in Darwin as Consumer Affairs Ministers, is going to be an important step forward in ensuring that the bikes that are sold in Australia are compliant with a clear safety standard. 

The ACCC will begin its work with e-bikes, but then will also look at other forms of e-micromobility, such as e-scooters. It follows on the important work that's been done by Transport Ministers in putting in place an international standard that states and territories have agreed to, that governs what can be ridden on Australian roads. And I pay tribute to Minister Catherine King for her leadership of that initiative. 
That work was about what can be ridden. This work is about what can be sold and ensuring that Australians have the confidence that when they buy an e-bike, it's safe and ensuring that people who don't use e-bikes aren't put at risk by bikes that are too fast, overpowered, or easily modified in order to not comply with the Australian rules. I’ll hand over now to Peter and then to Stephen to say a few words about today's announcement.

GENERAL MANAGER, BICYCLE INDUSTRIES AUSTRALIA, PETER BOURKE: Thank you very much. Peter Bourke, General Manager, Bicycle Industries Australia. The industry is delighted to be here with the Assistant Minister today to talk about the new regulations and standards. We believe that compliant e-bikes are fantastic. They're fantastic for transport, they're fantastic for health, they're fantastic for the economy, and they're also fantastic for fun. 

Today's announcement will work towards aligning the states, aligning the federal government regulations so that we have consistency across importation definitions, sales regulations and road laws. So this process will give consumers confidence that the product that they are buying is safe, is high quality and it's also legal and appropriate to be using on roads and paths around Australia. And we look forward to working with the department, with the ACCC, and with the Assistant Minister’s office to ensure that consumers and the community get the best outcomes and the best quality products that we can. Thank you. 

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks Peter. 

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

Why Maths Matters
Launch of the Grand Mathematics Quiz,
Canberra

1 August 2026

[Acknowledgements omitted.]

I want to start with a story.

In 1787, in the German city of Brunswick, a teacher decided he would keep the class quiet by asking the students to add up all the numbers from 1 to 100. He thought it would buy him a few minutes of peace.

What he hadn't counted on was a remarkable student named Carl Friedrich Gauss.

Gauss spotted a pattern. He realised that 1 plus 100 equals 101. So does 2 plus 99. So does 3 plus 98. There were 50 pairs, each adding to 101. Fifty times 101 is 5,050. Before anyone else had really begun, Gauss had the answer.

Instead of doing a hundred separate additions, he found the pattern that made the problem simple.

We do that every day. Maths is all around us. It powers the devices in our pockets. It helps us forecast the weather. It determines when buses should arrive. It helps us understand challenges such as climate change by modelling what different choices mean for our planet. Maths underpins my own discipline of economics, and it is essential to the design of every major structure, including the modernist Belconnen Library we're in today.

Recognising patterns has been the work of mathematicians for centuries.