Andrew Leigh

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

Address to staff at the Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics
Canberra

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Good morning everyone,

It’s a pleasure to be here with you – the kind of people who quietly judge those who say “data is,” who experience mild distress at exploded pie charts, and who’ve been known to correct a dinner guest on the difference between mean, median and mode.

People after my own heart.

As someone with a long-standing affection for statistics – bordering on the statistically significant – I feel very much among kindred spirits. While others unwind with reality TV, I’ve been known to relax by running a fixed-effects model and checking for heteroskedasticity. I find a well-behaved residual plot oddly soothing. And I’ll admit: I’ve lost more than one afternoon to a debate about instrument validity.

I know I’m among people who’ve said the phrase “conditional on observables” in casual conversation – and meant it.

That’s why I’m proud to serve as the Assistant Minister responsible for the ABS – an institution that proves, day after day, that good government begins with good data.

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

More To Give: New Giving Fund Rules Aim To Boost Charity Support

10 June 2025             

The Australian Government is strengthening philanthropy by consulting on new rules to ensure more money flows from charitable trusts to Australian charities.

As part of these changes, public and private ancillary funds will be renamed ‘giving funds’ – a clearer term that better reflects their role in supporting charitable giving.

Giving funds are philanthropic trusts that distribute money to Australian charities. The government is seeking feedback on two proposed changes:

• Increasing the minimum annual distribution rate, so more funds reach charities sooner, and
• Allowing distributions to be averaged over three years, helping funds plan their giving more effectively.

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

Consultation on cost recovery fees for new merger system

5 June 2025

The Albanese Labor Government has today released a consultation paper on proposed cost recovery fees under the new merger system – as part of the biggest reforms to Australia’s merger system in 50 years.

This reform will make our merger approval system faster, simpler, more targeted and more transparent.

Under the new merger system, a mandatory notification system will apply for mergers above certain thresholds, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to be the decision maker on approvals.

The new system will make it easier for most mergers to be approved quickly, so the ACCC can focus its resources on the minority that could pose a threat to competition.

This change recognises that most mergers have genuine economic benefits and are an important feature of any healthy, open financial system.

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

National Police Legacy Day Launch

Parliament House
Canberra 

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

I begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet, and extend that respect to all First Nations people here today.

We gather this morning to launch National Police Legacy Day – a new national tradition, built on more than half a century of compassion, commitment, and care.

Police Legacy was founded in 1971 – born from tragedy, but sustained by generosity. Over the past five decades, it has grown into one of the most enduring support networks for policing families in Australia.

Its guiding message is simple, but powerful: those who serve – and their families – should never stand alone.

Australians rightly expect a great deal from our police. We ask them to be brave in dangerous situations, fair in high-pressure moments, and calm amid the unpredictable. But we should also recognise that behind every officer is a network: of family, colleagues, and community.

When tragedy strikes, Police Legacy is there – not just in the immediate aftermath, but in the months and years that follow. It provides emotional support, financial assistance, and – just as importantly – a deep sense of ongoing connection. These organisations check in, stay close, and remind families that they remain part of something larger.

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

Opening address at the inaugural Grant Impact Forum

Video Address
Melbourne 

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

It’s a real pleasure to open the inaugural Grant Impact Forum.

Now, let’s be honest. “Grantmaking” is not the kind of word that lights up a dinner party. It’s never going to rival football or crime podcasts in national popularity. But what it lacks in glamour, it more than makes up for in significance.

At its best, grantmaking is about much more than money. It’s about belief. It’s about backing people and communities to solve tough problems with smart, grounded solutions. A well-placed grant is an act of trust - a quiet vote of confidence in a vision for a better world.

But belief alone isn’t enough. At some point, we have to ask what happened next. The money went out the door. The program ran. People turned up. What changed?

That’s the central question behind Shifting to Outcomes-Oriented Grantmaking, the report being launched today at the inaugural Grant Impact Forum.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO MELBOURNE, MORNINGS WITH RAFAEL EPSTEIN

TUESDAY, 3 JUNE 2025

SUBJECTS: Greens WA Senator Dorinda Cox joins Labor, ‘The Abundance Agenda in Australia’

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: He's part of the federal government. I'll dub him the Minister for Living Standards. He is giving a speech today at the Chifley Research Centre here in Melbourne. Andrew Leigh, good morning.

ANDREW LEIGH: G’day, Raf how are you?

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: I'll get to your speech in a moment. But Dorinda Cox switching parties, does it erode people's faith in politicians?

ANDREW LEIGH: We're really pleased that Dorinda has made the decision to join the Labor Party. You know, I think back to the decision I made when I was at university as to whether I wanted to be part of a party of protest or a party of government. And in my case, I chose the party of government. I'm really pleased Dorinda has made the same choice yesterday.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: But would you acknowledge it makes voters angry?

ANDREW LEIGH: Oh look, I'm sure there's there'd be some who would be frustrated by it. But I think it does reflect the fact that the Greens have to take a serious look at themselves and how they've positioned themselves in the last few years: holding up affordable housing, the role they've played in sowing community discontent.

RAFAEL EPSTEIN: You don’t like it when it happens the other way I presume, if a member of the party left, and Labor didn’t like that?

ANDREW LEIGH: Every party wants more members Raf. I don't think anyone would be surprised by that. But if you look at the results in the last election with the Greens losing most of their House seats. I think that does reflect the fact that people want a party like the Greens to support getting things done.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY

TUESDAY, 3 JUNE 2025

SUBJECTS: Boosting productivity, ‘The Abundance Agenda for Australia’, Labor’s superannuation reforms

ROSS SOLLY: Dr. Leigh joins us on the Breakfast Show. Good morning to you Andrew Leigh.

ANDREW LEIGH: Morning Ross, great to be with you.

ROSS SOLLY: And you two look, I'm sure for many people listening this morning and maybe even a lot of public servants listening, they'll be cheering on, saying ‘for goodness’ sake, yes! Can you release, can you actually untie some of the red tape that is holding us back at the moment?’

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Ross, I'm not anti-regulation, but I think what we need to do is to think carefully about how regulations interact with one another. And I worry that with areas like housing and infrastructure and maybe even clean energy, the thicket of regulations has made it too hard to build. And it’s one of the reasons why from the 1960s to the 1980s the typical house cost four years of earnings, and now the typical house costs 11 years of earnings.

ROSS SOLLY: Yeah, so why have we managed to get ourselves into this difficult situation where, we are actually making things harder when we should be trying to make it easier?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, part of the answer is that the development applications have gotten a whole lot more complex. So, if you go back to 1967, if you wanted to build a three-storey block of apartments in Sydney, it was a 12-page development application. Now it's hundreds, if not thousands of pages. What we have is a whole lot of opportunities for third party appeal, and the result of that is we don't get enough built. The ACT Government has acknowledged this. ACT Planning Minister Chris Steel has acknowledged that it's too hard to build medium density in many parts of Canberra, they’ve got a ‘Missing Middle’ report. So, they're looking at ways in which they can work on this problem, because housing affordability is a central challenge to Australia, and building more homes is the central answer.

‘The Abundance Agenda for Australia’

Chifley Research Centre

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

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
Melbourne

3 June 2025

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people and pay respect to all First Nations people present. My thanks to Emma Dawson, the talented new Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, for the invitation to speak with you today, and to Maurice Blackburn for hosting us.

1. Introduction

For nearly two decades, my wife Gweneth and I have lived in the Canberra suburb of Hackett, where we’ve raised our three boys. The suburb backs onto Mount Majura bush reserve. It has a modest but functional shopping strip: a supermarket, a café, a bike store. The houses are sturdy, unflashy, and uniform – typical of the mid-century Australian public housing aesthetic. They weren’t designed to win awards. They were designed to meet need.

Hackett’s growth was rapid (Mobbs 2019). In 1963, the suburb had just 156 residents. By the end of 1964, it had grown to over 2,000. Builders such as Clayton Homes, ACT Builders, JJ Marr and AV Jennings worked under contracts that required homes to be delivered in six to nine months. The Canberra Times described the pace as ‘breathtaking.’ In the 1963-64 financial year alone, 604 homes and flats were built in Hackett. By the mid-1960s, the broader Canberra region was delivering over 2,400 dwellings annually – impressive for a city whose population was then under 100,000 (Canberra Times 1966).

These homes weren’t architectural masterpieces. But they were delivered fast, built to last, and priced within reach. Many are still standing, still lived in, still serving the purpose they were built for. That was abundance in practice – not abundance in opulence, but in accessibility.

'Molten Ambitions: Building a Low-Carbon Future, One Tonne at a Time

Launch of the Superpower Institute’s report A Green Iron Plan for Australia

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

Old Parliament House, Canberra

26 May 2025

Thank you all for being here. I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, and all First Nations people present. Thank you to Superpower Institute Chair Rod Sims for the invitation. I acknowledge senior officials Meghan Quinn, Nadine Williams, Alex Heath, Shane Gaddes and Bryan Moroney; and Fiona Simon, CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council.

It’s a pleasure to join you for the launch of the Superpower Institute’s new report, A Green Iron Plan for Australia. Despite the Institute’s ambitious name, the report contains no capes, no invisibility, no flying. Just decarbonisation, hydrogen, and comparative advantage. The Superpower Institute really knows how to speak to a Canberra crowd.

The report underscores a central point: done right, climate policy can deliver both environmental and economic benefits. It’s not about choosing between values and value. As economists might say, it’s a Pareto improvement with some serious decarbonisation upside.

Australia faces a clear strategic question. As global demand for high-emissions products declines, what replaces them in our export mix? The answer, in part, lies in whether we can develop new low-emissions industries that play to our comparative strengths.

The Superpower Institute’s report outlines the potential for a green iron industry in Australia – both as a way to reduce emissions and to diversify our industrial base.

Of course, establishing a new industry is never costless. There are infrastructure gaps, technology risks, and commercial uncertainties. That’s why it makes sense to consider targeted public support – not as a substitute for private investment, but as a way of helping markets overcome early-stage coordination challenges. As any economist will tell you, when the benefits of investment spill over beyond the firm that bears the cost, there may be a case for government to tilt the playing field ever so slightly.

Let me set out how the government is approaching this.

Royal Australian Mint – Reflection: 50 Years of the Australian Honours System

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

Royal Australian Mint, Canberra

26 May 2025 

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today — the Ngunnawal people, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

We have a number of distinguished guests present today - Your Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, Ms Emily Martin, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint, Dr Suzette Searle, President of the Wattle Day Association, Meredith Trinko, Exhibition Curator, Kiri Northam, Exhibition Designer, Adam Ball & Matt Frawley, the Honours Coin design team, invited guests and our beloved Mint staff - the minties. Not to be confused with the chewy kind, though both are known for sticking around.

I’m chuffed to be reappointed as Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and to continue responsibility for the Royal Australian Mint. In that capacity, it’s my pleasure to welcome you here to the Royal Australian Mint for the opening of this new exhibition – Reflection: 50 Years of the Australian Honours System.

This exhibition is a celebration — of national pride, remarkable individuals, and the enduring partnership between the Royal Australian Mint and Government House.

For half a century, the Australian Honours System has recognised courage, service and achievement across our wide and diverse nation.

And today, through coins, medals and stories, we reflect on the history and craftsmanship behind these honours — and those who wear them.

Reflection brings together extraordinary objects from the National Coin Collection, many never before displayed to the public.