Andrew Leigh

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.

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

Matters of Public Importance: Labor Government

House of Representatives,
Parliament House

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

When the Leader of the Opposition became leader, getting rid of the first woman to head the Liberal Party, he said that his party needed to ‘change or die’. I don't think many Australians thought that they were going to choose door 2, but that's what's happening right now. The modern Liberal Party won't change, and it's choosing to die. They won't change a system that's locked a generation of young Australians out of homeownership. They won't change their natural inclination, in a choice between opportunity and privilege, to back privilege every time. As the Opposition Leader himself might have said: 'Fantastic. Great move. Well done, Angus.'

The fact is that Labor is today introducing measures which are going to benefit millions of Australians, and so many of these measures have been opposed by the shadow treasurer. We are boosting minimum wages and award wages, benefiting more than three million Australians, and yet the shadow treasurer is on the record criticising the Fair Work Commission's decision to deliver a real wage increase to low-income workers. We're increasing wages for care workers, who'll benefit by around $59 a week. A registered nurse will benefit to the tune of about $86 a week. And yet the Shadow Treasurer has criticised better wages for frontline workers as 'borrowing from future generations'.

From today, workers will see payday super. They'll actually see money coming into their super accounts when it should. But the Shadow Treasurer has criticised universal superannuation, labelling it 'a form of economic social engineering' and 'a form of economic insanity'. 

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

Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026
Second Reading

House of Representatives,
Parliament House

Monday, 29 June 2026

Australia has an unusual aviation market. A population our size is thought by many experts to be able to support about three airlines, and we do have three airlines. The problem is that two of them are owned by the same company: the Qantas group. That means that the Qantas group and Virgin have 98.5 per cent of the market. The top two players having 98.5 per cent of the market means that industries like banking and telecommunications look pretty competitive by comparison.

This is one of the most concentrated industries in Australia. Most regional routes are monopolies and, as work carried out by the competition taskforce in Treasury by Omer Majeed in conjunction with Robert Breunig at the Australian National University has shown, there is a strong relationship between the lack of competition and the prices that flyers pay. When one airline services a route, they find, airfares average 39.6c a kilometre. When two airlines compete, the average fare drops to 28.2c per kilometre. With three competitors, it drops to 19.2c. In other words, if you've got a route where there are three competitors, flyers are paying about half the price per kilometre that they pay over a monopoly route. Even the threat of competition, researchers have found, brings down lower prices.

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

Constituency Statement: Inspirational Runners
House of Representatives

22 June 2026

Yesterday, Pam Muston organised her 10th Kowen trail marathon, an event that raises funds for the Wamboin Rural Fire Brigade, turning hills and kilometres into community strength. Hundreds of runners chose to run the 12-, 21-or 42-kilometre courses through Kowen Forest before returning to a breakfast cooked by the local firies.

I've had the privilege not only of running plenty of Pam's races but also of running alongside her, so I can attest that she's not only a great race director but also a terrific ultramarathoner. Pam has won the Glasshouse Mountains hundred-miler three years in a row, raced the 240-kilometre Coast to Kosci on multiple occasions and runs the Sri Chinmoy Canberra Trail 100 race each year. Her 2025 ACT Local Hero nomination recognised the admiration Canberrans have for Pam.

I also pay tribute to Jennie Kellett of Hawker. At 71, Jennie holds multiple Australian age group records for the half marathon and marathon. Two years ago she ran the Chicago Marathon in three hours, 23 minutes. Last year she completed the Comrades Ultramarathon in nine hours, 29 minutes. Jennie keeps proving that older athletes can produce speedy times. Pam and Jennie both took up serious running in their 50s, and these two remarkable women inspire many to run further than they might have imagined.

Ends

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

Constituency Statement: Housing 
House of Representatives

22 June 2026

Last week I joined the Prime Minister and Housing Minister at the North Canberra suburb of Jacka. Jacka is named after Albert Jacka, the first Australian to receive the Victoria Cross. Before he served in the First World War, he worked as a forester, which raises a question: could a worker on a forester's wage buy a secure home today?

To address that, the Australian Government is boosting housing supply across the country. In Jacka, skilled tradies are building 57 social and affordable homes backed by $50 million in Commonwealth funding through the Housing Australia Future Fund. These homes are due to welcome their first residents within a year. Our $47 billion Homes for Australia agenda will unlock 420,000 homes over the next decade. Through our five per cent deposit scheme, a quarter of a million Australians have already been helped towards their first home. We're changing negative gearing so new investors are encouraged to finance new homes, which means more construction and a fairer contest at auction for first home buyers. In Jacka and across the country, Labor is building that future.

Ends

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

Credit Where It’s Due: Insolvency, Trust and Economic Dynamism

Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association National Conference
Gold Coast

Friday, 19 June 2026

I acknowledge the Yugambeh people, traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. I also acknowledge any First Nations people with us today.

Thank you to the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association for the invitation to join you.

This is a room that sees the economy from a particular angle. Economists tend to see businesses as dots on a chart. Government departments might see them as ABNs, PAYG obligations and line items in national accounts. Consumers see them as the café downstairs, the builder next door or the app that either works beautifully or ruins a Saturday afternoon.

You see them when the numbers no longer add up.

That gives this profession a rare kind of knowledge. You see the spreadsheets, the security interests, the family guarantees and the conversations that begin with someone saying: ‘I thought we had more time’.

You also see what happens when the system works. A viable business can be restructured. A creditor can get a fairer return. A debtor can understand their obligations. A fraud can be stopped before it corrodes confidence. A person whose life has been knocked sideways can regain a place in the economy.

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

From Fine Print to Fair Play

Virtual Address to the National Consumer Congress
Sydney

Friday, 19 June 2026

I acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to their Elders, and all Indigenous people joining today, including those working every day to make markets fairer for First Nations communities.

Thank you to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for convening the National Consumer Congress, and to everyone here from consumer organisations, regulators, community groups, academia, business and government.

Your theme is ‘Making it count: What does it take to achieve real change?’

For consumer policy, that question is trickier than it might seem at first blush.

Announcing a reform is only the first step. It also has to reach the kitchen table, the checkout screen, the call centre and the complaints desk. It’s one thing to have consumer rights. It’s another to be able to exercise your rights without needing the advice of a King’s Counsel and the tenacity of a blue heeler.

Consumer protection counts when it changes what people actually encounter. When a parent buying a child’s toy online can trust that it is safe. When a shopper can see the real price before they pay. When cancelling a subscription is not treated as an endurance sport. When a faulty product is met with a remedy, not a shrug.