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.
JOURNALIST: Talking about eggs as a specific example where this is quite easy to measure free range or cage – any of those sort of standards. Looking at the bird flu epidemic as that hasn't reached poultry industries yet, are there going to be carve-outs and considerations for how industries are going to be affected by that, and to change their practices and having to change – is there going to be a bit of leeway in this?
ANDREW LEIGH: Well, that'll be a matter for the Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins. As you say, bird flu is yet to reach the poultry population. Certainly, it’s an active threat and we're working closely with the industry on a range of issues, including this one.
JOURNALIST: So what will the probe involve?
ANDREW LEIGH: This will involve the ACCC using their appropriate resources to inquire into some of the claims that have been made around misleading labelling. That misleading labelling is certainly of concern to any Australian who pays a bit extra to get an Australian-made product or who wants to be able to trust that a particular country of origin label is accurate. Australians deserve accuracy on their shelves and should know that what supermarkets and retailers are saying is accurate.
JOURNALIST: As you say, this probe has been prompted by the reporting on Four Corners. How come it took a Four Corners report for the government and the ACCC to take some action on this?
ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the ACCC continues its investigations on an ongoing basis. It responds to inquiries that are put in. This is a significant inquiry, as demonstrated by the fact that the ACCC has put out a media statement about it. So, it certainly indicates the ACCC are devoting significant resources towards this.
JOURNALIST: The release outlines the government's $100 million in funding for the ACCC. Is that existing funding, and do you think that they have enough to be able to fulfill this probe on top of their existing expectations?
ANDREW LEIGH: We've provided significant additional resources to the ACCC, and I think what you're referring to there in the release is also the increase in the maximum penalties. When Labor came to office, the maximum penalty for anti-competitive and anti-consumer conduct was $10 million – the dollar penalty. Now we've increased that to $100 million, which means that firms that do the wrong thing by consumers face a maximum dollar fine that is 10 times as large as when we had an office.
JOURNALIST: And if I can just ask on price gouging for petrol?
ANDREW LEIGH: Sure.
JOURNALIST: That's something that we've been told the ACCC is taking a good look at the moment, especially with the fuel excise cut ending this week – or in the past few days. Have we had any reports on certain outlets taking advantage of customers? What have you heard from the ACCC?
ANDREW LEIGH: The Treasurer has directed the ACCC to pay particular attention to its petrol price monitoring program. That's an ongoing program that the ACCC does but it's especially vigilant at times like these when the fuel excise cut was taking effect and when it's coming off. Monday saw that 16 cents a litre fuel excise cut come off and it also saw another one cent a litre in scheduled indexation.
The ACCC monitors closely, and it's aware that this should only be passed through when the [petrol station] tanks are filled up. That will occur more regularly in urban centres than in regional centres. So the pass-through may be more immediate in cities than in the bush, where the wholesale fill-up is happening more regularly. The ACCC has significant resources in its fuel monitoring program, and it's watching closely to make sure Australian motorists don't get gouged.
JOURNALIST: And on another matter altogether. Gambling reforms have been a topic of conversation this week. And your Canberra colleague, Alicia Payne has come forward and said that she would welcome if these reforms were stronger if they include such things as inducements within a ban if that was to be introduced in amendments. Where do you stand with this? Do you think that there is enough of a movement within Labor for perceived shift?
ANDREW LEIGH: Alicia Payne is a terrific friend and colleague, and a strong contributor to the policy conversation. All Labor MPs are united around the notion that we need to do something to get gambling ads off TV. Right now, we've got the Coalition and the Greens suggesting the status quo is better than the biggest package cracking down on gambling ads. We want fewer gambling ads on Australian screens. We want fewer gambling promotions at Australian sporting games, and that's what this package delivers.
JOURNALIST: Do you feel any threat from the community independents movement that's campaigned for a full gambling ad ban, including now in seats like yours?
ANDREW LEIGH: I always welcome people putting their hands up to run in our great democracy. If people want to get engaged in politics, that's a great thing. We need fewer people sitting on the sidelines, angrily fighting one another on social media and more people getting involved in elected politics and in arguing about the issues that matter. So I think that's a really healthy sign for our democracy if we're seeing more people getting involved in politics in the ACT and across the country.
JOURNALIST: If I could just ask on migration. Do you think it's reasonable for temporary migrants to have their work rights revoked once their claim for asylum has been denied? The ABC is reporting that's something that's been considered by cabinet.
ANDREW LEIGH: It's a matter for the Immigration Minister to respond to. I'm sure he'll go to those questions in detail in his portfolio.
No other questions? Thanks everyone.
ENDS