Andrew Leigh

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

Strengthening oversight of Australia’s insolvency system

16 April 2026

The Albanese Government has strengthened oversight of Australia’s insolvency system by approving a pool of 10 highly qualified experts that the Australian Financial Security Authority can appoint as part‑time members of Bankruptcy Trustee Registration and Disciplinary Committees.

The candidates will bolster the system that scrutinises bankruptcy trustees, with committees convened as needed to assess registration, conditions, suspension and disciplinary matters. The pool is designed to ensure cases are handled with deep expertise, faster turnaround, and robust independence.

The candidates bring extensive experience across insolvency and bankruptcy law, corporate and commercial law, taxation, accounting, public policy and consumer finance, drawn from academia, legal practice and regulatory roles.

The Hon Kristy McBain MP
Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories
Minister for Emergency Management

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fenner 

New pipeline secures water future for Jervis Bay Territory

09 April 2026

Residents of the Jervis Bay Territory, including members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community, will benefit from a more reliable and secure drinking water supply, with construction of the new water pipeline connecting the Territory to the Shoalhaven water network complete.

The milestone marks the completion of a major Albanese Government infrastructure project designed to strengthen essential services and improve long-term water security for the community.

The new pipeline links the reservoir at Vincentia with the Stone Creek Reservoir in the neighbouring Jervis Bay Territory, providing residents and visitors with a modern and dependable source of drinking water.

Funded through a $15.8 million Albanese Government investment, the project included the installation of about 11 kilometres of pipeline as well as upgrades to supporting infrastructure at both reservoirs.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, WITH ROD HENSHAW
WEDNESDAY, 8 APRIL 2026

SUBJECTS: Fuel supply; ACCC

ROD HENSHAW: Well, the price of oil looks like it’s falling. In fact, it has fallen today. How long that takes to get to the bowsers is anybody's answer – or anybody's question. But as that price does come down, some questions have been raised about how we can be sure the savings will be passed on to the consumer. Andrew Leigh is Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Andrew, good afternoon. Thanks so much for your time.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon Rod, great to be with you.

ROD HENSHAW: Why do, or how do we make sure the petrol prices fall as the price of oil does? Because we're told by your colleague, Chris Bowen, that we've got about 39 days in reserve, or whatever it is, around about 30. Now, that would give plenty of time for a shipment to come from through the Strait of Hormuz, to Australia. So, we shouldn't run out if everything goes hunky dory with the ceasefire. So, we really shouldn't be paying too much more should we?

ANDREW LEIGH: So, what we've done is cut the fuel excise and then consult with the states and territories. We've also allowed them to pass on the savings from the GST, so that…

ROD HENSHAW: Which is all good.

ANDREW LEIGH: Yes, absolutely. And so that's direct relief being provided primarily by the federal government, but also with the assistance of the ACT Government. We've been tasking the ACCC with… sorry Rod, I'm just getting quite a bit of feedback on your line.

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

Clicking ‘no, thanks’ on dodgy web subscription traps

Published in The Daily Telegraph

7 April 2026

Australians know the feeling.

You spot a ticket at a decent price. By the final screen, extra charges have multiplied like rabbits in a veggie patch. You sign up for a free trial in under a minute, then spend your lunch break hunting for the cancel button. You shop online and a flashing countdown clock acts as though civilisation will collapse unless you click “buy now”.

It is annoying. It is exhausting. And it is becoming far too common.

That is why the Australian Government is acting on unfair trading practices.

The idea is simple. When consumers buy something, we deserve a fair shot at making a clear choice.

This is about fairness. It is also about competition.

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

Towards a New Architecture for First Nations Philanthropy

The Inaugural Blak Loungeroom National Philanthropy Conference,
Online Address

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which you are meeting, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, and I pay my respects to Elders past and present.

My thanks to the Barmal Bijiril Foundation, and especially to John Harding and Tara Newen, for bringing this gathering together.

The Blak Loungeroom is a landmark event for the Barmal Bijiril Foundation. It brings together more than 100 participants from, philanthropy, business, the Arts, academia and the student community. A meaningful occasion for the sector and for Indigenous-led philanthropy.

This conference has also been shaped by a clear national conversation. The Productivity Commission’s Future Foundations for Giving report recognised the value of stronger pathways between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the philanthropic sector. It recommended an independent body, controlled by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, to improve access to philanthropic capital and support economic empowerment for First Nations communities.

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

Gas, Climate Change and Multinational Taxation

Matters of Public Importance 

House of Representatives

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

At the outset, I'd like to thank the Member for Mackellar for bringing this important debate in the matter of public importance. Gas constitutes about a quarter of Australia's energy needs, according to the Future Gas Strategy, and it has an important role as a bridging fuel in the carbon transition. It's heavily used in manufacturing; cement, bricks, glass products, fertiliser and EV batteries all depend on a reliable and affordable supply of gas. Australia exports around three quarters of our gas, which plays a role in the energy transition and in countries to our north.

As the Future Gas Strategy notes, Australia can't reach our 2050 net zero targets without reducing and decarbonising our consumption of natural gas. The Future Gas Strategy notes that that will occur through increased electrification of processes that currently use natural gas, replacing natural gas with low-emissions gases and converting remaining emissions from natural gas to be fully offset.

But the Future Gas Strategy also notes the role that gas plays in supporting our economy through the transition to net zero. Gas operates as a backstop for renewables, it's fast ramping and dispatchable, and it can complement variable renewable sources of power. California and Germany are just two examples of economies which have seen coal exiting, renewables expanding and gas supporting that transition. Gas does emit CO2, but 40 to 60 per cent less per unit of electricity than coal. Gas also supports hard-to-abate industries, like steel, cement, chemicals, and ammonia and hydrogen production. It can help households and firms as we make that clean energy transition. While batteries and pumped hydro, the so-called wet batteries, are increasing, they are still costlier, and gas has a bridging role to play.

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

Bulk-Billing

Constituency Statements 

Federation Chamber

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

Bulk-billing is at the very heart of Medicare. Labor created Medicare, and Labor stands by the principle that when you go to the doctor, you should only need your Medicare card, not your credit card. And that is why, after seeing bulk-billing rates in freefall under the former government, with Peter Dutton as health minister, we have made a record investment in Medicare. Labor has increased the bulk-billing rebates for individuals and the bulk-billing rebates for practices. We have made a historic investment in bulk-billing, with the target of seeing nine out of 10 doctor's visits bulk-billed by 2030.

In the ACT, which, historically, has had a lower rate of bulk-billing than every state and territory, we have put in place additional incentives. I was really pleased to join my ACT colleagues, Senator Katy Gallagher and the Members for Bean and Canberra, Dave Smith and Alicia Payne, in Tuggeranong last week for the announcement of the opening of a new clinic, Next Practice Deakin, putting in place a purely bulk-billing practice. This is part of three new bulk-billing clinics which the federal government is funding with $10.5 million in bulk-billing GP attraction initiatives.

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

Banning Unfair Trading Practices - Second Reading Speech

Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026

House of Representatives

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026 amends the Australian Consumer Law and implements the government's commitment to protect consumers from unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing.

Australians know exactly what this bill is about because they have lived it. Trying to decide on an online purchase, they suddenly find themselves pressured with a countdown timer or a warning that there are 'only two left in stock', despite the fact that the retailer has plenty available. They subscribe to a gym and manage the payment online, but, when they try to unsubscribe, they are told they have to make a phone call. They spot a bargain online, but when they get to the check-out they discover a compulsory 'service fee' added to their basket. This isn't vigorous competition. It is friction by design.

The way Australians buy and subscribe has changed profoundly. Today, people make decisions about goods and services in many different ways: by strolling the aisles of their local stores, by searching online for the best price or by entering subscription arrangements that renew automatically. Some transactions take place entirely in person, while others occur entirely online, but the experience of choosing and managing services now spans a wide range of channels.

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

Honouring former Chief Justice Anthony Mason

Statements on Significant Matters

House of Representatives

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

It is a pleasure to rise to pay tribute to Sir Anthony Mason, one of the most distinguished jurists Australia has ever produced. As an associate on the High Court of Australia to Justice Michael Kirby, I had the privilege of coming to know Sir Anthony Mason somewhat. He turned up as a surprise guest to a book launch we did in 2004 and was as gracious then as he was throughout his career.

Sir Anthony Mason served as an aircraftman in World War II, and his career began in the black-letter realm of the Sydney bar. Many at that stage would not have expected him to be the innovative jurist that he became later in his career. He served on the Supreme Court until 1972, when he was appointed to the bench of the High Court of Australia and was one of the last Australians to receive a knighthood. He served for 15 years as a puisne judge and then in 1987 was appointed Chief Justice. He retired in 1995 after reaching the constitutionally mandatory retirement age of 70.

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

Encouraging Round-Up for Charity

Treasury Laws Amendment (Delivering an Efficient and Trusted Tax System) Bill 2026 - Second Reading

House of Representatives

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

I'm speaking today in my capacity as Assistant Minister for Charities about schedule 1 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Delivering an Efficient and Trusted Tax System) Bill 2026. It is a measure which removes the $2 threshold for deductions of gifts or contributions. This threshold has a long and strange history. It goes back to 1915, when a minimum income tax deduction for giving was introduced. It was at that time relatively high - £5 for donations to the war effort and £20 for other charitable donations. In 2022 dollars, those figures are $578 and $2,313, respectively. In 1927, the threshold was reduced to £1, which is $100 in today's money, and it hasn't changed in nominal terms since then. In 1966, of course, £1 became $2, and the $2 deduction threshold remained. But even in 1966 it was worth $30 in today's money, and today, of course, it has been eroded.

Entities with deductible gift recipient status are not required to provide receipts for donations, which means that there is a challenge for people who are claiming small-threshold donations. The Future foundations for giving report from the Productivity Commission notes that there have been past recommendations. The 2010 Henry tax review thought the threshold should be taken up from $2 to $25, and the 2013 Not-for-profit Sector Tax Concession Working Group recommended removing it for simplicity, as did the Industry Commission report in 1995. Consultations by the Productivity Commission produced varied responses, with many supporting the removal of the $2 donation threshold.