Andrew Leigh

CONDOLENCE MOTION – ROBERT JAMES LEE HAWKE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 3 JULY 2019

He drinks like a fish, swears like a trooper, works like a demon, performs like a playboy, talks like a truckie—and acts like a politician. Almost your cliche Aussie. Except in this case it's Bob Hawke, and the only typical thing about him is the way he's larger than average in almost everything. Bob Hawke is your typical Australian, oversize.

If you want to understand Australia's 23rd Prime Minister, you can do no better than to read Craig McGregor's 1977 profile. It's a time when Bob Hawke isn't Prime Minister, he's not even in parliament—he's running the ACTU—but it's an extraordinary insight into the man.

Craig McGregor follows Hawke for a few days, and in part of it he tells the story of Bob popping into a bar in Melbourne for a quick five-minute chat. Two hours and half-a-dozen drinks later, Hawke starts to leave.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 JULY 2019

The debate in this House comes down to one simple proposition. We on this side of the House are arguing for tax cuts for everyone now. The Coalition are arguing for inequitable tax cuts in five years time. And which of those arguments should prevail depends on one simple question: is the Australian economy weak or is it strong?

A few facts. Inflation is now virtually non-existent, new building approvals are drying up, new car sales are falling, unemployment is rising—our unemployment rate is now one percentage point higher than it is in Britain, the United States, Germany and New Zealand—real wages have been flatlining for six years and household savings are low. The Productivity Commission says productivity growth is ‘mediocre’ and notes that in farming, mining, construction, transport and retail labour productivity has been falling.

This year, for the first time on record, the amount of capital per worker went backwards. We have got fewer new start-ups now than we had in the early 2000s. Real GDP per person has been falling for the last nine months. We are in the longest per capita recession since the early 1980s.

E&EO TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB MONEY NEWS
TUESDAY, 2 JULY 2019

SUBJECTS: Interest rate cut; tax cuts.

ROSS GREENWOOD: Great to have your company here on Money News, going right around Australia. Of course this interest rate decision we've heard about today from the Reserve Bank, cutting interest rates to these record lows, just 1 per cent for the cash rate. And tonight a series of lenders bringing out variable interest rates for mortgage borrowers at two point something per cent - some 2.89 per cent I’ve seen today. Then you've got some of our big banks - the ANZ, for example, clearly learned a lesson from the last time rates were cut. It didn't pass it on in full and gained the full wrath of our politicians and the community. Today said they would pass these rate cuts on in full. But what does it say about Australia's economy and indeed what more needs to be done? Let's now go to the Shadow Assistant Finance Minister or Minister for Treasury. That man is always great with his time and that is Andrew Leigh, who was on the line right now. Andrew, many thanks for your time.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: Pleasure, Ross. Glad to be with you again.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS
MONDAY, 1 JULY 2019

Subjects: Tax cuts, penalty rate cuts, the government’s bold economic forecasts, Christopher Pyne’s newfound camera shyness.

LAURA JAYES: Joining me now is Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh. He's always in town because this is your hometown. Where is Labor at? What is your position on the tax cut package at the moment?

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: Laura, we want to make sure that more Australians get a bigger tax cut sooner. The economy needs that additional stimulus and Australians need some support after years in which wages have been flatlining. Labor is encouraging the government to bring forward the stage two tax cuts and we want to get those stage one tax cuts done as quickly as possible.

E&EO TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
MONDAY, 1 JULY 2019

Subjects: Tax cuts, penalty rate cuts, the government’s heroic economic forecasts.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: My name is Andrew Leigh, the Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury. Today's the day when many Australians were meant to be seeing more money in their pockets. Instead they're getting less. Scott Morrison promised that on the 1st of July his tax cut would begin to flow. He lied. Many Australians will not get the tax cut today they were promised by Scott Morrison, because he ineptly failed to get the legislation through Parliament when Labor offered bipartisan support. But instead today we’re going to see 700,000 Australians on penalty rates getting less money in their pockets. As a result of the Coalition's cuts to penalty rates, these 700,000 Australians will lose up to $2000 a year through lower penalty rates.

E&EO TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC NEWS RADIO
MONDAY, 1 JULY 2019

Subject: Tax cuts.

SANDY ALOISI: Let's speak now to Labor MP Andrew Leigh, who joins us from Parliament House in Canberra. Mr Leigh, good morning. Thank you for your time.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: Pleasure, Sandy. Great to be with you.

ALOISI: The Prime Minister says Labor's threats to block the package are an act of belligerent arrogance. Will you accept the election mandate and backed the Government's plans in full?

LEIGH: Our proposal is to ensure that more Australians get bigger tax cuts sooner. That's what the economy needs and that's what Australians need. It’s the 1st of July today and that’s a day that marks 700,000 Australians beginning to lose penalty rates under a Morrison Government. Some will lose up to $2,000. We know that the economy is having all sorts of problems. Forecasts out today show that twenty leading Australian economists universally disbelieve the government's household spending forecasts. You've got gold prices at record highs, bond prices at record lows, and you’ve got unemployment higher than it should be. The Australian economy needs stimulus now. Australians need tax cuts now, not off in 2024.

FOUR REASONS FOR TARGETING FOUR PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT

KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO THE INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY CONFERENCE, CO-HOSTED BY GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

BRISBANE

28 JUNE 2019

My thanks to the organisers of this important conference for the chance to speak with you today.

I acknowledge the traditional Indigenous owners of the lands on which we meet today, and pay respects to their elders. Achieving equality of opportunity relies crucially on Closing the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Over the past generation, inequality in Australia has risen markedly. Whether measured by wealth, income, earnings or consumption, the gap has widened. As many of the presentations in this conference have highlighted, more inequality has meant more social immobility. I think of this using the analogy of a ladder: when the rungs are spaced a long way apart, it’s harder to climb up and down.

There’s also an issue of misperceptions. Many Australians think that the distribution of incomes is fairer than it really is. Surveyed on their perceived level of wealth inequality, the typical Australian thinks that we have a more equal distribution of wealth than in Scandinavia. In reality, Australian inequality is closer to inequality in the United States.

E&EO TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2019

Subjects: Territory rights, assisted dying, Cory Bernardi.

ROD HENSHAW: Australian states and territories are looking closely at how Victoria's voluntary euthanasia laws play out, following that state's introduction of the legislation which came into effect yesterday as we all know. Here in the ACT, a number of rights advocates are hoping the Victorian model will lead to the federal government relaxing its legislative hold on the ACT and the Northern Territory, which has so far prevented the introduction of similar assisted dying legislation. Now Dr Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner here in Canberra, has undertaken to have talks with his Labor colleagues at federal level to see if there's a way forward. Andrew Leigh’s on the line with me now. Andrew, good afternoon.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: Good afternoon, Rod. Great to be with you.

HENSHAW: Thanks so much for joining us. Just before we get into this very important subject, I've got some breaking news this afternoon that Senator Cory Bernardi rather is deregistering his Australian conservatives.

LEIGH: Well, it's a decision from a man who took top spot on his party's Senate ticket, got elected for a six year term and then immediately quit and set up his own party. I'm not sure what his plan is for getting re-elected under his own name, but I imagine that he's staring down the barrel of his last term in office if he is to stay a member of the Australian conservatives.

E&EO TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB MONEY NEWS
THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2019

Subjects: Income tax cuts; the macroeconomy.

ROSS GREENWOOD: So let's now pick up a bit of where this goes to with the Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury. Always good to have him on the program. From the Labor Party of course, Andrew Leigh is on the line. Andrew, as always, many thanks for your time.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY: Pleasure, Ross. Great to be with you.

GREENWOOD: All right. Okay, let's go through some of these bits and pieces. Number one, Mathias Cormann is going to put enormous pressure on your side of politics when Parliament resumes to try and pass his tax cut bill in its entirety. Of course, he's also been through the crossbenchers, some of whom are horse trading trying to get it through. Why now is it that the Labor Party would resist this? Surely it's a case whereby the Reserve Bank says we need tax cuts, many Australians understand the need for tax cuts. Why is it that the Labor Party would even resist on the whole package of tax cuts that are to come over the next four years?

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TELEVISION INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AM AGENDA
MONDAY, 17 JUNE 2019

Subjects: Hong Kong protests, tax cuts, Paladin, medevac.

LAURA JAYES: Joining me now from Canberra is Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh. Before we get to the economic, the economic policies and those tax cuts passing or not passing through Parliament, I want to ask you first Dr Leigh about your view of what's happened in Hong Kong in the last week and whether the Australian Government has done enough to support these protesters or has there been this fear of a China backlash perhaps.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TREASURY AND CHARITIES: Good morning, Laura. Great to be with you. I really take my hat off to the bravery of those two million Hong Kongers who've taken to the streets to demand their fundamental liberties. Under the 50 year handover that was agreed in 1997, it is important that Hong Kong maintain that separate system and I’ve been surprised frankly that the Australian Government hasn't been speaking out in support of those protesters who've been arguing against the fugitive extradition laws.