Andrew Leigh

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

Testing What Works: Randomised Trials and Real Change

Relationships Australia SA Strategic Thinking Day

Online Address

Friday 24 October 2025

Thank you for the invitation to be part of your Strategic Thinking Day. I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but I’m delighted to join you virtually from Ngunnawal country in Canberra to contribute to your conversation about Outcomes That Count: Accountability, Impact and Opportunity.

Let me start by acknowledging Relationships Australia South Australia, and of course the leadership of your CEO, Dr Claire Ralfs. Your organisation has spent decades helping families navigate life’s hardest moments. Your work changes lives every day, often quietly, always profoundly.

I also want to acknowledge Professor John Lynch, whose Thriving Families initiative demonstrates the power of combining data, systems thinking and compassion. And Nick Tebbey, whose leadership across the Relationships Australia Federation ensures that the voice of community services is heard clearly in the national policy debate.

Your work captures the essence of today’s theme: measuring what matters, learning what works, and building trust through accountability and transparency.

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

OktoberTest: Science on Tap

German-Australian Science and Innovation Day 

University of Canberra

Online Address

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Guten Tag, and warm greetings to everyone gathered for German-Australian Science and Innovation Day, at the University of Canberra, on the lands of the Ngunnawal people.

I’m sorry not to be with you in person today, but I’m delighted to join you by video to celebrate this terrific initiative. Events like this are a reminder of the deep bonds between Australia and the German-speaking world — Germany, Austria and Switzerland — when it comes to research, innovation and education.

As Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, I spend a good deal of my time thinking about how new ideas can drive prosperity and fairness in our society. But I also come to you today wearing another hat — as someone with long-standing research connections to German institutions. I’m a fellow of CESifo in Munich, IZA in Bonn, and the Research Foundation in Berlin. Over the years, these affiliations have provided me with countless opportunities to collaborate, exchange ideas, and learn from outstanding German scholars.

In fact, this exchange of ideas helped shape my most recent book, The Shortest History of Economics. I was delighted when it was translated into German earlier this year. German-speakers have made an outsize contribution to economics – from historical greats such as Joseph Schumpeter and Friedrich Hayek to contemporary economists such as Ulrike Malmendier and the University of Canberra’s own Uwe Dulleck. To contribute back, even in a modest way, to that rich conversation has been deeply rewarding.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, WITH LEON DELANEY
TUESDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Housing, Albanese Government cracking down on supermarket price gouging, Right to Repair, PM visit to the US

LEON DELANEY: The federal Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, not to mention our local member right here in the federal seat of Fenner, Dr Andrew Leigh has issued a number of proclamations in recent days. Yesterday the proclamation was headed, ‘We filled the lake; now let's build the homes’. Andrew, good afternoon.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon Leon, it's great to be with you.

LEON DELANEY: Thanks for joining us today. You've certainly been very busy, but let's start with filling the lake and building the houses because here in Canberra you've drawn this comparison to the obstacles that had to be overcome in order to create Lake Burley Griffin, and the obstacles that we have to overcome in order to build more houses. What's the connection?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well back in the late 1950s, the blockers to filling the lake were the Royal Canberra Golf Club. We love our golfers, but they fought tooth and nail in order to stop Lake Burley Griffin being filled in, and the move to the current location of the golf club in Westbourne Woods. That obstruction by a single organisation is somewhat different from what we face today with housing. It's not a single organisation that's opposing housing Leon, but a thicket of regulations which have acted together to stymie development. So, we're talking about what the ACT Government is doing and what the federal Government can collaborate with them on to put in place more medium density housing around our transport nodes.

LEON DELANEY: Now of course, we're primarily concerned with Canberra but this is not just an ACT problem, this is a problem right across Australia isn't it? Where state and territory level administration has resulted in a tangle of regulation that does stymie progress when it comes to constructing new housing. Now obviously we need regulation to make sure things are done properly and safely, but have we gone too far?

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

The Measure of a Good Life

Launch of the latest Australian Unity Wellbeing Index

Parliament House, Canberra

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Thank you for the invitation to join you for the launch of Survey 42 of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index.

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. It’s a pleasure to speak alongside lead researcher Kate Lycett of Deakin University and the retiring (but never shy) Australian Unity CEO Rohan Mead.

For a quarter of a century, the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has taken the pulse of our nation’s happiness. Long before governments began talking about dashboards and frameworks, this project quietly asked Australians the most important question of all: how satisfied are you with your life?

The Index reminds us that progress is not only what we produce, but how we feel. It is not just the quarterly accounts; it is whether people believe they are living lives of purpose and connection.

National wellbeing: a steady pulse with warning lights

The 2025 survey captures both optimism and strain. Personal wellbeing has held steady, with a small rise to a score of 68. National wellbeing has lifted more strongly, up three points to 55, reflecting improved satisfaction with government and the economy.

It is striking that these gains come despite a testing year of cost-of-living pressures, natural disasters, and international turmoil. Australians seem to be separating their sense of national direction from their private anxieties, perhaps seeing signs that the country is on a better path even as personal budgets remain tight.

The Index also maps wellbeing down to the level of federal electorates, an innovation that mirrors the granularity of our Measuring What Matters dashboard. Seven electorates stand out for high wellbeing across both personal and national measures: Canberra, Berowra, Bradfield, Mitchell, Goldstein, Curtin and Tangney. My own electorate of Fenner is hot on their heels.

These are largely urban and relatively affluent areas. At the other end are electorates such as Blair, Forde and Spence, where wellbeing is lower on both fronts. The report reminds us that geography and inequality intertwine. Income, housing tenure and age all shape how people rate their lives. Renters, younger Australians and the unemployed consistently report lower wellbeing.

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

Opinion Piece

‘It’s not nostalgia. It’s economics’ – how right-to-repair laws empower consumers

Published in The New Daily

20 October 2025

Australians have always valued fairness and choice. We like knowing that when something breaks, we can shop around for the best price and service. But in recent decades, too many of us have found that choice taken away.

When our government came to office, independent mechanics often couldn’t get the data or software needed to fix modern cars. Diagnostic tools were encrypted or withheld, forcing drivers back to dealerships and driving up prices. The Productivity Commission found that these restrictions limited competition, wasted skilled labour and raised costs across a $27 billion industry employing more than 130,000 Australians.

That’s why our government introduced Australia’s first legislated right to repair, the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme. Since then, car manufacturers have been required to share diagnostic information with independent mechanics on fair terms. For consumers, it means real choice about where to take their vehicle. For local garages, it means a fair chance to compete. And for the economy, it means stronger productivity through competition.

Early signs are promising. Treasury’s review shows that 65 per cent of independent repairers report higher productivity, and the number of vehicles being turned away has fallen by around 40 per cent. Turnover in the sector is up 6.7 per cent, or about $1.8 billion a year. That’s the power of open markets: when information flows freely, productivity follows.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO MELBOURNE, DRIVE WITH ALI MOORE
MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on supermarket price gouging, PM visit to the US

ALI MOORE: If you have noticed or experienced even a bit of price gouging - a bit of shrinkflation at the supermarket, you know that thing where you pay the same or maybe more, but the actual size of what you're buying is less? I really want to hear what you have experienced, and so does the federal government. The government is moving to make supermarket price gouging illegal, and they're releasing their draft legislations so we can get an idea of how it works and we can give some feedback. Dr Andrew Leigh is Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Dr Leigh, hello. So tell me Dr Leigh, how do you stop price gouging? What's in the bill?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the bill will have a broad prohibition against charging excessive prices, and it'll be up to the courts to determine whether the supermarkets are charging excessive prices. They might look at things like the cost of the goods plus a reasonable rate of return for the seller, or else they might compare what's being charged in the supermarket to what's being charged in other markets. Our big two supermarkets have two-thirds market share, which is big by international standards. And so Labor believes that they need to face appropriate scrutiny on the prices they're charging Australians.

ALI MOORE: But for that to be anything other than just good intentions, won't you actually have to have an enforceable cap on a rate of return?

ANDREW LEIGH: What we've got is multi-million-dollar penalties, which will apply if the supermarkets do the wrong thing.

ALI MOORE: But what's the wrong thing? I guess my point is, what is a reasonable rate of return? If a piece of legislation doesn't dictate, you know, what the highest rate of return should be, who's to judge 'reasonable'?

ANDREW LEIGH: They'll take account of what's being done in the UK and European Union where these sorts of prohibitions have existed for a while, and also regulatory guidance from the competition watchdog - the ACCC. We want to make this a broad power which is future-focused rather than locked into the particular circumstances we find ourselves in today. It's a broad power with big penalties. If supermarkets do the wrong thing, up to 10 per cent of their turnover.

ALI MOORE: And will those powers go very specifically to things like unit pricing so that you can tackle things like shrinkflation?

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MURAL HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
MONDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on supermarket price gouging, Sussan Ley speech, Barnaby Joyce, PM visit to the US, Healthscope charitable status

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning, my name is Andrew Leigh – the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. The Albanese Government wants Australians to get a fair go at the checkout, and our big supermarket duopoly has significant market power. Coles and Woolworths between them control about two-thirds of our supermarket market in Australia. The Australian Government wants to ensure fairness from paddock to pantry. Last year, we put in place a mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct to ensure the big supermarkets do the right things when they're dealing with suppliers. Over the objections of the Coalition, we put in place a system which has multi-million-dollar penalties for those who don't do the right thing by suppliers. And now we're using that same instrument - the Food and Grocery code, to crack down on price gouging at the checkout. Australians don't want to be paying too much for their groceries and the Albanese Government has their back. Excessive pricing rules exist in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the European Union. Our approach will draw on what has been done in other countries, and we will put in place a backstop of fairness. These new rules will apply to supermarkets with more than $30 billion of turnover, which currently means it'll capture Coles and Woolworths. This duopoly has significant market share, and it's important to ensure that they are doing the right thing by Australians. If the supermarket duopoly do the right thing, they have nothing to fear from transparency and enforcement. Excessive pricing rules will be judged by courts using information such as the cost of supply plus what is a reasonable mark up, or comparisons with prices in competitive markets. This will ensure Australians get a fair deal. That the system is fairer for farmers and fairer for families. We know many Australians are feeling under pressure from the cost of the weekly shop, and our price gouging laws which are out for consultation today will ensure that we look after consumers. We're looking to hear from people, whether that's shoppers, supermarkets or suppliers. The consultation period will close on November 3, with the aim of having these rules in place by the end of the year and ensuring that Australians get a better deal at the checkout. Happy to take your questions.

JOURNALIST: Sussan Ley is about to give a speech on her plans for tax cuts. What have you seen? What do you think? And is it enough to sort of detract from the distraction that is Barnaby Joyce?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the Coalition at the last election went to the Australian people promising to raise their taxes. So, the first thing Sussan Ley could say would be that they got it wrong when they went to the Australian people as the party of higher taxes. But if all you're going to do is simply say you're in favour of lower taxes as a principle - well, that's a thought bubble, not a plan. Australians want to know what the Coalition would actually do, so unless Sussan Ley’s proposal comes with specific tax cut proposals, unless it's actually properly costed, then all it is just another broad statement of intent. We need an apology from the Coalition for what they did and a precise plan as to what they would do if they came back to office. Right now, we've got a Coalition that is looking more like a bad soap opera than a good Opposition that the country needs.

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

Opinion Piece

We Filled the Lake. Now Let’s Build the Homes.

Published in The Canberra Times

20 October 2025

When Lake Burley Griffin was finally filled in 1964, Prime Minister Robert Menzies could not resist a wry smile. Speaking at the lake’s inauguration, he recalled how the project had been delayed for decades, not only by Depression-era austerity and wartime distraction, but by what he called ‘passive or active resistance by the golfers and their committee men’. The Royal Canberra Golf Club occupied much of the Molonglo River flats earmarked for the lake, and its well-connected members were in no hurry to see their fairways submerged. The lake was part of Walter Burley Griffin’s original 1912 design for the capital. But for years, the body of water that now helps define our city was held back by a few well-connected golfers.

Eventually, reason won out. The golf course moved to Westbourne Woods, bulldozers cut channels, and the capital at last gained its shimmering heart. But the story still resonates, because a similar effort is needed to overcome barriers to build the most basic infrastructure our city needs to call ourselves a ‘liveable’ place: more homes.

To address the housing supply crisis, all levels of government and industry established the National Housing Accord, which set an ambitious target of 1.2 million new homes over five years, including 21,000 in the ACT. The ACT Government has gone further and committed to 30,000 new homes.

This is more than just a target. Governments have recognised that supply doesn’t just happen; it must be enabled. That means aligning incentives, clearing blockages and measuring outcomes.

The key blockage has been restrictive zoning which has been shutting out families from living in well-located areas in our cities. As ACT Planning Minister Chris Steel has publicly stated, ‘Townhouses, terraces, walk-up apartments are effectively prohibited in most residential zones in Canberra.’ The ACT Government’s draft Missing Middle Housing Reforms aim to change that by promoting ‘gentle density’ that fits within existing streets while easing the housing squeeze.

Well intentioned, but restrictive planning and environment rules are adding a layered merry go round of process and uncertainty, producing delay and dispute instead of homes. Around the country, local objections, however heartfelt, can veto projects that meet broader goals.

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

Consultation On Making Supermarket Price Gouging Illegal

20 October 2025

Australians can now have their say on supermarket price gouging, with the Government today releasing exposure draft legislation to prohibit excessive pricing by supermarkets.

It’s part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to crack down on supermarket price gouging and ensure Australians get a better deal at the checkout. 

This reform aims to address a core finding by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in its Supermarkets inquiry that there are significant barriers to entry in the supermarkets sector and that Coles and Woolworths have limited incentive to compete on price. The ACCC further found Australia’s major supermarkets to be among the most profitable supermarket businesses globally.

The new law will help safeguard consumers against the risk that major supermarkets charge excessive prices, enabled by their entrenched positions in the market. Supermarkets that breach these new laws can face up to multi-million-dollar penalties.

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

Franchising: Fair and Flourishing

Speech to Franchise Council of Australia Conference

Online Address

Sunday, 19 October 2025

I’m Dr Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury.

It’s a pleasure to open the Franchising Convention this morning.

Franchising’s roots go back to the 1850s, when the Singer Sewing Machine Company began licensing local agents – proof that a good business model never goes out of style. From a tyre shop in Townsville to a chicken shop in Chadstone, franchising shows that good ideas can travel fast – sometimes faster than a hot chip on a seagull beach.

At its best, franchising lets people go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. You don’t have to invent the wheel, the logo or the jingle – just add hard work and a bit of local flair.

Of course, the secret to a strong sector isn’t just brand consistency, it’s fairness. The best franchises aren’t built on fine print, but on trust – the kind that makes sure everyone, from the head office to the shopfront, shares in the success.

That’s why the Albanese Government is keen to keep working with the Franchise Council of Australia – to ensure the system stays fair, transparent and future-ready.

I wish you a great convention – one filled with good conversations, smart ideas, and perhaps even the next world-dominating business that starts right here in Australia.

ENDS