Andrew Leigh

‘The Abundance Agenda for Australia’

Chifley Research Centre

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

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
Melbourne

3 June 2025

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people and pay respect to all First Nations people present. My thanks to Emma Dawson, the talented new Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, for the invitation to speak with you today, and to Maurice Blackburn for hosting us.

1. Introduction

For nearly two decades, my wife Gweneth and I have lived in the Canberra suburb of Hackett, where we’ve raised our three boys. The suburb backs onto Mount Majura bush reserve. It has a modest but functional shopping strip: a supermarket, a café, a bike store. The houses are sturdy, unflashy, and uniform – typical of the mid-century Australian public housing aesthetic. They weren’t designed to win awards. They were designed to meet need.

Hackett’s growth was rapid (Mobbs 2019). In 1963, the suburb had just 156 residents. By the end of 1964, it had grown to over 2,000. Builders such as Clayton Homes, ACT Builders, JJ Marr and AV Jennings worked under contracts that required homes to be delivered in six to nine months. The Canberra Times described the pace as ‘breathtaking.’ In the 1963-64 financial year alone, 604 homes and flats were built in Hackett. By the mid-1960s, the broader Canberra region was delivering over 2,400 dwellings annually – impressive for a city whose population was then under 100,000 (Canberra Times 1966).

These homes weren’t architectural masterpieces. But they were delivered fast, built to last, and priced within reach. Many are still standing, still lived in, still serving the purpose they were built for. That was abundance in practice – not abundance in opulence, but in accessibility.

'Molten Ambitions: Building a Low-Carbon Future, One Tonne at a Time

Launch of the Superpower Institute’s report A Green Iron Plan for Australia

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

Old Parliament House, Canberra

26 May 2025

Thank you all for being here. I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, and all First Nations people present. Thank you to Superpower Institute Chair Rod Sims for the invitation. I acknowledge senior officials Meghan Quinn, Nadine Williams, Alex Heath, Shane Gaddes and Bryan Moroney; and Fiona Simon, CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council.

It’s a pleasure to join you for the launch of the Superpower Institute’s new report, A Green Iron Plan for Australia. Despite the Institute’s ambitious name, the report contains no capes, no invisibility, no flying. Just decarbonisation, hydrogen, and comparative advantage. The Superpower Institute really knows how to speak to a Canberra crowd.

The report underscores a central point: done right, climate policy can deliver both environmental and economic benefits. It’s not about choosing between values and value. As economists might say, it’s a Pareto improvement with some serious decarbonisation upside.

Australia faces a clear strategic question. As global demand for high-emissions products declines, what replaces them in our export mix? The answer, in part, lies in whether we can develop new low-emissions industries that play to our comparative strengths.

The Superpower Institute’s report outlines the potential for a green iron industry in Australia – both as a way to reduce emissions and to diversify our industrial base.

Of course, establishing a new industry is never costless. There are infrastructure gaps, technology risks, and commercial uncertainties. That’s why it makes sense to consider targeted public support – not as a substitute for private investment, but as a way of helping markets overcome early-stage coordination challenges. As any economist will tell you, when the benefits of investment spill over beyond the firm that bears the cost, there may be a case for government to tilt the playing field ever so slightly.

Let me set out how the government is approaching this.

Royal Australian Mint – Reflection: 50 Years of the Australian Honours System

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

Royal Australian Mint, Canberra

26 May 2025 

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today — the Ngunnawal people, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

We have a number of distinguished guests present today - Your Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, Ms Emily Martin, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint, Dr Suzette Searle, President of the Wattle Day Association, Meredith Trinko, Exhibition Curator, Kiri Northam, Exhibition Designer, Adam Ball & Matt Frawley, the Honours Coin design team, invited guests and our beloved Mint staff - the minties. Not to be confused with the chewy kind, though both are known for sticking around.

I’m chuffed to be reappointed as Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and to continue responsibility for the Royal Australian Mint. In that capacity, it’s my pleasure to welcome you here to the Royal Australian Mint for the opening of this new exhibition – Reflection: 50 Years of the Australian Honours System.

This exhibition is a celebration — of national pride, remarkable individuals, and the enduring partnership between the Royal Australian Mint and Government House.

For half a century, the Australian Honours System has recognised courage, service and achievement across our wide and diverse nation.

And today, through coins, medals and stories, we reflect on the history and craftsmanship behind these honours — and those who wear them.

Reflection brings together extraordinary objects from the National Coin Collection, many never before displayed to the public.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO BRISBANE

FRIDAY, 23 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Inequality, Albanese Labor Government’s productivity agenda, keeping unemployment low, Fee-Free TAFE, housing supply, construction sector productivity

ELLEN FANNING: We're sort of at a crossroads in Australia, aren't we? Economically, Australia could fall into US style inequality within a generation. That's a warning from Andrew Leigh. He's a former Economics Professor. He's now the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. He actually went to Harvard University, which is interesting because we see in the news now that that might be impossible for foreigners in future. Well, not only is he a former Economics Professor - as I say, he's right now in the front benches of the Albanese Government. He wrote his doctoral thesis at Harvard on the topic of poverty and inequality. I spoke to him yesterday, and I wanted to talk about this concept he's got about the risk of US style inequality. It's to do with housing, training and access to opportunity, and he talked about Australia having to be engaged in a race to the top to become a more productive economy. Have a listen. 

ANDREW LEIGH: If we look at Australia and the US - since the 1980 both countries have doubled their top 1% share, and we've ended up where they started off. So, if you fast forward that movie another 50 years, then we could have the same level of inequality as the United States. That would sit fundamentally at odds with a country where we don't have private areas in the beaches, we prefer the word ‘mate’ to ‘sir’ and many of us sit in the front seat of a taxi. That egalitarian character is really important to Australia, and I think it's one reason why we've tended to be more equal than the United States. It's been good for our growth trajectory, because we've worked together in times of challenge.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC, THE BUSINESS

THURSDAY, 22 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Labor Government’s competition reforms, boosting productivity

ALICIA BARRY: Retail and industrial conglomerate Wesfarmers has held its investor day, spruiking growth opportunities in its big brands like Kmart, OfficeWorks and Bunnings. CEO Rob Scott had a long-standing commitment to appear on this program, but when we indicated we would include questions about Bunnings and its market dominance, the interview was cancelled. The hardware giant was recently the subject of the ABC's ‘Four Corners’ program, which aired allegations of anti-competitive behaviour and unfair treatment of suppliers. Competition is a key part of Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh's portfolio. He joined me earlier. Andrew Leigh, welcome to ‘The Business’.

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks, Alicia. Great to be with you.

ALICIA BARRY: Bunnings says it has 17% market share. Experts say it's much more. How concerned is the government about Bunnings market dominance?

ANDREW LEIGH: Bunnings is clearly the big kahuna in the hardware market, and that's happened through a steady process of growth and acquisition. It started off with just one store 30 years ago and now has hundreds of stores and billions in turnover and employs tens of thousands of people. So, Australians will see Bunnings in a whole lot of communities in a way that I guess in decades gone past, you'd see more Mitre 10s and Nock & Kirbys and the like.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO

TUESDAY, 20 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Labor’s ambitious productivity agenda, making superannuation fairer

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Alright, time to talk federal politics with the Member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Dr Andrew Leigh. Andrew, good morning.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Stephen, great to be with you.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: You too. Productivity is a new one in your title, is that right?

ANDREW LEIGH: It is indeed. It’s a big priority for the government. I'm really pleased to have that title and to be helping out Jim Chalmers and the economic team on turning around Australia's big productivity challenge. That decade to 2020 was the worst productivity decade in 60 years and we know that productivity is at the heart of living standards, so we've got to do better.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: But it hasn't been a focus over the last three years, and one of the criticisms that a lot of industry groups have made of this government is the focus on increasing wages without focusing on productivity. And nobody begrudges lower paid workers getting you few more quid here, but there's got to be some quid pro quo, pardon the pun.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY

MONDAY, 19 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Gender quotas, Labor’s productivity agenda, renewable energy

ROSS SOLLY: Well Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner has hung on to his portfolio of Competition, Charities and Treasury, and he's also added Productivity to his workload in this term of the Parliament. Dr Andrew Leigh joins us on the Breakfast Show - Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Morning Ross, great to be with you. Those numbers you were asking about…

ROSS SOLLY: Yes please!

ANDREW LEIGH: We're expecting that the House of Representatives will be 46 per cent women, and the Senate will be 60 per cent women. Obviously not every seat is nailed down, but I think they’re the figures we’ll go into.

ROSS SOLLY: Okay.

ANDREW LEIGH: And the Labor caucus overall will be 57 per cent women, up from 53 per cent women in the last term.

Launching 'A Retiree’s Odyssey - from the MCG to the SCG', by Prabodh Malhotra and Anand Kulkarni

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

Bradman Pavilion, Manuka Oval,
Canberra

8 May 2025

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people on whose lands we meet on today.

I want to acknowledge too at the outset, the terrorist attacks that have taken place recently in India, and offer my condolences and those of the Australian Government.

We have a range of VIPs here today, His Excellency the Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, Chennupati Jagdish, Sam Murthi, Arun Venkatesha OAM, Adrienne Francis – our wonderful MC, and representatives from the McGrath Foundation.

Then of course, we have the authors Dr Prabodh Malhotra and Dr Anand Kulkarni on ‘A Retiree’s Odyssey - from the MCG to Manuka Oval’ – whoops - from the MCG to the SCG, although he did come via Manuka Oval the first time.

This is a book which tells the story of an extraordinary bloke. You get the story of Prabodh growing up in Punjab in a family of eight children, from a father who ran a grocery store and was also, we find out, a politician.

We read in the book, stories of generosity on Indian busses and local community. Stories that very much reminded me of my experiences of the generosity of everyday people when I backpacked for a month in India in the year 2000 - an experience that I'm really looking forward to sharing with my children when we visit India in December. It will be their first visit to India, and I’m really looking forward to introducing them to the grace and the decency of Indian hospitality.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO

TUESDAY, 6 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: Labor’s election win, ACT bulk-billing, Climate 200 spending, Liberal Party extremism, delivering on Labor’s election promises

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: The Member for Fenner, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Dr Andrew Leigh. Good morning Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Stephen, good to be with you.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: The factional situation in the Labor Party is a lot more formalised and a lot more disciplined, but you fall outside of that. How do you negotiate that?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the ACT has always had a tradition of having non-factional members, going back to people like Bob McMullan. Alicia Payne and I are outside the factional system, and it just means you need to have more friends, hang out with more people and get to know a broad cross section of the party. Now, I've got a lot of respect for many people within the left and the right, but the pre-selectors that chose me wanted someone who's non-aligned, and that's the way I chose.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: From the perspective of Cabinet – because there’s reports around this morning suggesting that the left faction have now got more members in the Caucus than they previously had, so that will entitle them to more seats at the Cabinet table, and I understand that system but if you're non-factional how do you get to the Cabinet table?

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fenner

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY

MONDAY, 5 MAY 2025

SUBJECTS: ACT Labor campaign, Climate 200 spending

ROSS SOLLY: Dr Andrew Leigh also got a nice little boost on the weekend - a positive swing. He didn't need it. He was comfortable enough already, but he got even more of a swing on the weekend. Andrew Leigh, I guess when you wake up on a Sunday morning, it's better to have that than the opposite, and what do you take away from that? Good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Ross. Yes, just a sense of being really grateful to the people of Canberra for the support that we received. Really humbled by the chance to get back into the job of making life better for Australians and for Canberrans, and also just really relieved that those attacks on Canberra were so resoundingly rejected at the ballot box.

ROSS SOLLY: Yeah, I want to talk a little bit more about what we can read into some of the Canberra results in a moment. But Andrew Leigh nationally, it was such a rejection of what the Liberal Party stood for in this election. What was it in the end? I mean when you were out and about, when you were listening to people what was it that people hated about what the Liberal Party was offering?

ANDREW LEIGH: I think there really was a sense that the Liberal Party was too much echoing what was going on elsewhere.

ROSS SOLLY: Too Trumpian? Too Trumpian do you think?

ANDREW LEIGH: That sort of imported right wing culture war. I think the attacks on Welcome to Country ceremonies that Peter Dutton engaged in just contrasted with Anthony Albanese focusing on bulk-billing, on the energy transition, on the important resourcing of our schools, and on the work we're doing around competition reform. All of that is practical work that people can see in their everyday lives. I think people didn't want that sort of the nasty punching down that was being offered by the Liberal Party.