Andrew Leigh

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

Delivery vs Disorder – Matters of Public Importance (Economy)

House of Representatives

Thursday, 30 October 2025

To call those opposite a clown show would be an insult to the hardworking clowns of Australia.

After going to the last election promising Australians they would have higher taxes, lower wages and bigger deficits, those opposite have proceeded to tear themselves apart over the last few months. As one of their most senior women, Fiona Scott has said, 'You don't win elections by threatening to sack the bloke next door.' Whether it's their internal climate wars, their immigration wars or their t-shirt wars, those opposite are less a Coalition than a chook shed in a thunderstorm.

We had the Coalition split after the election - the comical break-up which led, briefly to the Opposition Leader saying that it would be a frontbench drawn exclusively from the Liberal party room. As one backgrounded a newspaper outlet, they were ‘acting like kids’. For a while, the entire 15-member National Party cohort was to be moved away from the Speaker's chair towards the backbench seats, when suddenly they realised that they were making a decision that might affect their hip pockets and decided to reunite.

Then we had Senator Price defecting to the Liberal Party, nearly leaving the Nationals as a non-party in the Senate. Shortly after, Senator Price was dumped from the Coalition shadow ministry, not only because she couldn't back the leader but also for her highly offensive comments about Indian migrants. But she isn't the only one that seems to want to go back on Australia's multicultural success story - a multiculturalism that, as Tim Watts often reminds me, is supported by 9 out of 10 Australians.

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 Water Pipeline For Jervis Bay Territory

30 October 2025

Construction is underway on a major water infrastructure project to deliver a new water source to the Jervis Bay Territory.

The project will deliver a water pipeline connecting the Shoalhaven City Council-owned Vincentia Reservoir to the Stoney Creek Reservoir in the Jervis Bay Territory.

This project is part of a $15.8 million investment by the Australian Government in the long-term water security of the Jervis Bay Territory, ensuring the community has access to high-quality drinking water and modern infrastructure that meets current and future demand. 

Delivered in partnership with Shoalhaven City Council, the project is installing approximately 11 kilometres of new pipeline between the two reservoirs to secure a more sustainable and reliable potable water supply for the Jervis Bay Territory community.

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

The Power of Proximity

Committee For Cities Event – Future Cities: From Ambition To Action

Parliament House, Canberra

Thursday, 30 October 2025

Introduction

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their elders past and present. I extend that respect to all First Nations people joining us today.

It’s a pleasure to join you in the Great Hall, a space that celebrates our democracy and, today, the beating hearts of our economy: Australia’s cities.

To the members of the Committee for Capital Cities – Melbourne, Hobart, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney – thank you for your work to champion liveable, dynamic and productive urban centres. As you know better than anyone, cities don’t just happen. They are built, economically, socially and institutionally, through the choices we make together.

Today I want to talk about those choices. I’ll start by exploring why cities matter for productivity, then look at what makes some cities perform better than others, and finally set out how we can move from ambition to action, building cities that are productive, sustainable and fair.

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

Opening Doors: How Non-Compete Reform Will Unlock Australia’s Talent

Address to the Recruitment and Staffing Industry Summit 
Parliament House, Canberra

Tuesday, 28 October 2025

Opening the Conversation

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and extend that respect to all First Nations people here today.

Thank you to the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association for hosting this Summit and for your leadership across Australia’s labour market. The recruitment and staffing industry helps connect Australians to opportunity. You know the pulse of the workforce. You see the frustration of people who feel stuck and the satisfaction when the right person finds the right job.

The work you do matters. When people find meaningful work, they not only improve their own lives, they strengthen their communities and our economy. You help make that happen every day.

You know better than anyone that timing is everything. A good recruiter can smell a resignation before the manager has even noticed the new haircut.

Today, I want to talk about how we can make your job a little easier by tackling a quiet but powerful barrier to mobility: non-compete clauses.

When People Move, the Economy Moves

A dynamic economy relies on movement. Every thriving business depends on the steady flow of ideas and experience between firms. Job mobility spreads innovation, raises productivity and keeps wages growing.

When a worker changes jobs, they take with them knowledge about better systems, more efficient methods or creative approaches to old problems. When a nurse moves to a new hospital, the techniques she learned in her old ward can improve patient care in her new one. When a software engineer joins a rival firm, she might bring with her a smarter way to code or a better understanding of user behaviour.

Economists have a fancy term for this: allocative efficiency. Most people just call it getting a better job.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING WITH PATRICIA KARVELAS
MONDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Coalition dysfunction, CFMEU, AI, federal environmental law reforms, critical minerals

PATRICIA KARVELAS: The return of Parliament today hasn't brought resolution to Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce's political identity. Barnaby Joyce chose not to sit in the Nationals party room today despite remaining a Nationals MP. Now, the party leader David Littleproud says the offer for Barnaby to return to the party room remains.

[Excerpt plays]

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: This isn't unusual. In fact, since I've been here there's probably been two or three that have sat outside the room that felt aggrieved with some of the policy positions and the National Party more broadly. But ultimately, the offer is always there to come back and to be part of the room. They are elected as the National Party Members. That offer remains. I have no personal vendetta and encourage Barnaby to come back and make a contribution.

[Excerpt ends]

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Now I was meant to bring in my political panel for today, but that political panel is a singular interview now with Andrew Leigh, who is the Assistant Minister of Productivity, Competition and Charities. Matt Canavan was meant to join us, but now he can't. So, I was going to grill him on that, but I'm just going to have to grill you alone. Can you manage that?

ANDREW LEIGH: I'm happy to channel Matt Canavan if you like PK. I can be the…

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Oh no, I think people should represent themselves.

ANDREW LEIGH: …I can be the many faces of the Liberal Party if you need it, but frankly as a member of the Government I'd rather focus on the Australian people rather than on my own political party.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Well, well said. I think generally speaking, on behalf of the Australian people that is the right thing to do. I want to start, if I can, because of your sort of economic head just to talk about, the Coalition is really pursuing the Government and the integrity of the clean-up of the CFMEU and looking at issues of conflicts of interest. It seems that the architecture that you've set up to try and deal with the CFMEU is now under serious question. Isn't it wise to look at all of that and put sunlight on all of this? Because if you don't have a parliament that is certain that you're doing the right thing. You can't really clean up this union, can you?

Constituency Statement
The Book Capital

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

House of Representatives

Monday 27 October

In the words of Groucho Marx: 'Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.' In the past five days, Canberrans have been enjoying the Canberra Writers Festival. The biggest program yet featured the likes of Andy Griffiths, Elizabeth Finkel, Trent Dalton, Virginia Haussegger, Jack Heath and Chris Hammer. My congratulations to festival Chair Jane O'Dwyer and the volunteers for their hard work in pulling the event together.

Many people work to fuel an active book scene in the bush capital. Colin Steele's 'Meet the Author' series, run in collaboration with the Canberra Times and the Australian National University is perhaps the best-attended book-launch series anywhere in Australia. The Indigenous Reading Project founded by Daniel Billing, is a non-profit company that works to improve the reading ability of First Nations children. At Cafe Stepping Stone Strathnairn, founded by Australian local heroes Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello, a monthly silent reading group invites people to come along and read quietly with fellow book lovers.

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.