Andrew Leigh

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
SKY PM AGENDA WITH DAVID SPEERS
THURSDAY, 2 JUNE 2016

DAVID SPEERS: As to the substance of the Treasurer's attack today on Labor, let's bring in Andrew Leigh, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer. Thank you very much for joining us this afternoon. 

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER & SHADOW MINISTER FOR COMPETITION: Pleasure, David.

SPEERS: Now, putting that war-like rhetoric to one side, let's go through what the Treasurer is saying. You are proposing higher taxes than the Coalition is, on businesses small, medium and large, on capital gains, on negative gearing and on high-income earners. That's true isn’t it?

LEIGH: David, we’re with the Coalition on the small business tax cut. Bill Shorten actually led this debate in his budget reply last year. We believe small businesses should get a tax cut, but we don't believe that big businesses should be reclassified as small business. 

ARRIVEDERCI, ALDO

It's a long way from reconstructing Rome out of the rubble of World War II to earning a Masters in Architecture from New York's Columbia University.

It's further still to go from studying in New York to designing Parliament House in the heart of Canberra.

Romaldo Giurgola, who left us last month aged 95, made both those journeys, and many more.

The man universally known as "Aldo" said that his most important work should rise out of the Australian landscape, as true democracy rises from the state of things.

To visit his Parliament House (now that it's 28 years old, we can stop calling it "new") is to experience great design.

Aldo's story speaks of a maturing nation. In the past, Australia did not make the most of overseas talent. The story of Canberra designers Walter and Marion Griffin is one of angry architects and bruised bureaucrats. So too the tale of Sydney Opera House creator Jorn Utzon.

With Aldo, it was different. He worked carefully with the design team.

He fell in love with Canberra and settled here permanently after Parliament House was completed.

He made an enduring contribution to this city, which he loved for its unique relationship with nature. Like many Canberrans, he wasn't born here, but he made this city his home.

Aldo, thank you for everything. You will be missed.

Andrew Leigh is the shadow assistant treasurer and Member for Fraser. 

This piece was originally published in The Chronicle.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
MELBOURNE
WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2016

SUBJECT/S: Royal Commission into the financial sector

CARL KATTER, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR HIGGINS: We are very excited to have Andrew Leigh here today in the heart of Higgins. We will be talking today about the inquiry into the banking sector. I have spoken to a lot of members in Higgins who would like to see some action. Over to you. 

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Thanks so much, Carl. Carl has been out there telling the Labor story in Higgins – a seat which is tiger territory for the Labor party, and that is why we have got a tiger of a candidate in Carl Katter. 

Carl is today launching a petition calling for a Royal Commission into the Australian banks. Labor believes this is a Royal Commission whose time has come. The list of scandals is as long as your arm. It goes through Storm, Trio, Opes Prime, the bank bills swap rates, the scandal involving the Australian Bureau of Statistics and a NAB employee, and a whole suite of scandals that have seen people lose not only their life savings, but sometimes end up with debt.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SKY AM AGENDA
MONDAY, 30 MAY 2016

SUBJECT/S: Company tax cuts; Labor’s positive plans for the economy.

KIERAN GILBERT: With me now on the program we've got Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh, coming up the Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, but first the Labor perspective on last night's debate. It's good to have you in this morning, Andrew Leigh. I want to ask you about this core message from Labor. You're obviously strong on the education funding, that's one thing, but what about on the economic growth message? What's the core of Labor's plan to manage a transitioning economy?

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: The first place to start is to recognise that as technology advances, worker skills have to improve. We know that Australia is being hit with a range of different technologies. If you're looking at the transport sector you've got big changes from Uber and driverless cars. If you're looking at the retail sector you've got the huge rise of apps for ordering. Any office job is already being hit with different changes in technology. In the face of all of that you've got to have a better-skilled workforce. We know that each individual year of education raises earnings by about 10 per cent, so it's not surprising to know that increasing the total pool of education in the economy has a big payoff. 

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
MELBOURNE
TUESDAY, 24 MAY 2016

SUBJECT/S: Labor’s positive plans for local sporting infrastructure

PETA MURPHY, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR DUNKLEY: It is excellent to be here today with the Shadow Assistant Treasurer, Andrew Leigh, to make a really exciting announcement for the Karingal sporting community and more broadly. We are here at the Karingal Bulls Football Netball Club Pavilion. Anyone who has been here knows it is a pretty old and decrepit site and it’s a great community club that has been talking for a long-time about needing to get these facilities re-developed.

I’m stoked to announce today that a Shorten Labor Government will put forward $1 million for an integrated approach towards facilities for this area. What that means is this redevelopment of this pavilion will be able to go ahead and $650,000 will match the Frankston City Council’s commitment next year for this development. It also means that the Karingal Bull’s senior team, junior team and netball team will be able to put $160,000 that was going to be put towards this development towards working with schools and the community in order to facilitate and promote junior support, particularly for girls. Anyone who knows me knows I’m very excited about promoting girls and women in sport.

Andrew Leigh & Peta Dunkley, Labor Candidate for Bruce

A Shorten Labor Government will contribute $1 million towards an integrated package that

upgrades facilities for local sporting clubs to deliver for the Karingal community.

These are great clubs and Karingal is a great community. These clubs embrace their role

in the community, including working with local schools to give kids a positive outlook and

embracing greater female participation in sport.

This community deserves great facilities. Labor will ensure that these facilities are

delivered.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP
DANDENONG MARKETS
TUESDAY, 24 MAY 2016

SUBJECT/S: Labor’s positive plans to address inequality

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: I am pleased to be here at Dandenong Market supporting Julian Hill, someone I have known for the best part of 20 years, and someone whom I believe will make a fabulous contribution to the Australian Parliament as the Labor member for Bruce. He comes to federal politics with a wealth of experience in local politics and policy making. And he is passionate about inequality, one of the central issues for Australia. The gap between the richest and poorest has been rising for a generation. That's why Jenny Macklin's Growing Together report focuses on inequality. It's why Brendan O'Connor is fighting to protect penalty rates. It's why Kate Ellis is campaigning for needs-based school funding. It's why Catherine King is championing Medicare. Bill Shorten's team want to tackle inequality - Malcolm Turnbull wants to give a tax cut to the top 1 per cent, and let multinationals exploit loopholes in our tax code. 

Andrew Leigh, Senator Katy Gallagher & Gai Brodtmann

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Romaldo ‘Aldo’ Giurgola, the renowned architect who designed Australia’s new Parliament House.

In so doing he made a profound contribution to our national identity. 

How hard is it to deliver a tax cut, SloMo?

  Chris Bowen & Andrew Leigh

No wonder Scott Morrison was nowhere to be seen after PEFO was released yesterday…

Scott Morrison talked a big game about the evils of bracket creep and the need for urgent action.

Alas, you have to do your homework before taking action.

In January, Scott Morrison said:

“There's no compensation for them if we leave the tax rates where they are…”(Sky News Australian Agenda, January 24 2016).

MARKETS, MONOPOLIES AND MOGULS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INEQUALITY AND COMPETITION

JOHN FREEBAIRN LECTURE IN PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

THURSDAY, 19 MAY 2016

***CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY***

It’s a pleasure to be delivering this year’s John Freebairn Lecture in Public Policy. Usually, public lectures like these are named for people who have died. Personally, I think it’s much nicer to do things this way. As Woody Allen once noted, ‘I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying. I don’t want to live on in the hearts of my countrymen; I want to live on in my apartment.’

John Freebairn is not only very much alive, he’s doing excellent research on topics of first-order importance, continuing to publish regularly in refereed journals. Pretty impressive for someone who is in his fifth decade of research.

When I was a visiting academic at the Melbourne University economics department, John was a terrific colleague – generous with his time, and insightful with his comments. He’s one of the people I draw on as a parliamentarian when I want to test theories or look for new ideas. Australian public finance is better for John’s careful insights, and it’s an honour to be delivering the Freebairn lecture tonight.

My topic tonight is the relationship between competition policy and inequality. If I were still an economics professor, I’d probably kick off with a PowerPoint slide. And yes, I have a few graphs to share with you tonight. But because I’m a parliamentarian, let me start with the story.