Andrew Leigh

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

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

TUESDAY, 22 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: Supporting more bulk billing GPs for Canberra, preferencing, pre-polling open today

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: Well, unfortunately after that we do need to talk politics as we are in the midst of an election campaign. The Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Member for Fenner Andrew Leigh is with us. Andrew, don't take that personally.

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Not at all.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: What are we, a week and a half out or nearly two weeks out from the election. Now, there's been a commitment from the Labor Government that if you re-elected, you're going to support more bulk billing GPs here in the ACT. Nobody would dispute the need for that. But the question that never gets answered is where do these GPs come from?

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: We're getting GPs firstly by training them, and that's obviously the best way we can do things and then also some are coming in from interstate and overseas. But Canberra at the moment has 20 per cent fewer GPs per person than Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, so we do need to attract more GPs here. One of the announcements that we made yesterday is that we'll have the first ever metropolitan trial of what's called the ‘single employer model’, which means that GPs are able to do some of their training at through ACT Health, and then go out into general practice while keeping all of their entitlements. And that'll make Canberra a more attractive place to train as a GP.

Senator The Hon Katy Gallagher 
Minister for Finance
Senator for the ACT

The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care

The Hon Andrew Leigh MP
Member for Fenner

Alicia Payne MP
Member for Canberra

David Smith MP
Member for Bean

Albanese Labor Government to support more bulk billing GPs and respite care in Canberra 

21 April 2025

A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will deliver $24.3 million to boost access to bulk billing GPs and build more aged care respite beds across the ACT to ensure Canberrans have access to high quality, free healthcare when they need it.

Part of this funding will guarantee three new fully bulk billed GP clinics in the areas that need them most.

This investment is on top of Labor’s record investment in Medicare to triple the bulk billing incentive and support practices that bulk bill all of their patients.

This significant investment is the result of months of work to ensure that Canberrans can access a GP where and when they need to.

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

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

THURSDAY, 17 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: One-person Fenner election debate, Albanese Government investments in Canberra, Peter Dutton’s plan for public service cuts, Robodebt, AUKUS, independents, Labor’s competition policy reforms, community engagement in Fenner

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: Time for the fight for Fenner - our candidate debate, which is now going to take on a very different feel. We were going to have a debate between the sitting member Andrew Leigh, the Labor Member for Fenner, and the Liberal candidate for Fenner, Bola Olatunbosun who has just had a family emergency and has had to leave us, so Andrew Leigh is with us. Andrew, I guess it's just you and me debating like we do on a Tuesday?

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: I think that's right Stephen, and if I lose this debate I'm in real trouble.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: Yeah, well especially considering that I'm not running against you. So, look the way we usually do this is I give the candidate a one minute opening statement. So, I'll do that as well. I’ll give you a minute to, you know, state your piece and then we'll talk about some various issues.

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Well, Stephen, as we talk about in our regular chats, Labor is making a case for a stronger Canberra, one in which we're making strong local investments. We've invested in Margaret Timpson Park, invested in keeping bulk-billing at the Interchange Practice in Tuggeranong, we've invested in local roads and rail, and we've also invested in a strong public service. The public service can't be the size it was two decades ago with the National Disability Insurance Scheme that serves half a million people, with complex defence procurements and with all of the challenges we face around the world. And so, the real choice for Canberra is over a Labor Government with a Prime Minister who lives here and loves the city, and an Opposition with 41,000 public service jobs to go. They say all in Canberra, which would mean you'd be cutting almost two thirds the public servants who work in this town. That would not only gut the public service jobs, but also local businesses as well.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, DRIVE WITH JAMES FINDLAY
CANBERRA

TUESDAY, 15 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: Liberals’ plan to cut Free TAFE.

JAMES FINDLAY, ABC CANBERRA: Dr Andrew Leigh is the Member for Fenner, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Assistant Minister for Employment. Good afternoon to you Dr Leigh.

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Good afternoon James, how are you?

JAMES FINDLAY, ABC CANBERRA: Good thanks. Thanks for being here. Look, apparently free TAFE isn't working - is that true Dr Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: I don't think that's what the half of a million Australians who signed up for free TAFE places have been saying James. I mean, if you've got somebody who's training up to be a nurse, that's saving them up to $15,000. If it's someone doing a Cert IV in IT, they can be saving over $4,000. Someone doing school-based education support, they can be saving over $3,000. So, these are important savings for people who are furthering themselves. Here in the ACT we've got thousands of people enrolled in free TAFE places doing courses such as construction, aged care, technology, early childhood - all the areas where we know we've got skill shortages in the economy.

JAMES FINDLAY, ABC CANBERRA: How many of these students are completing their levels though?

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Well the longer the course you’re signed up to, the longer it's going to take to complete. It's important to remember this program only started in 2023, so if you're doing a three year course then the number of people of people who have completed that course in two years’ time is going to be fairly low. And many of the people who are doing Fee Free TAFE courses are doing those longer courses where the qualifications mean that they are currently enrolled doing their studies and they will be coming out being productive members of society as they graduate. We've already seen over 100,000 graduate through the program. It's really critical. You know, you think about construction, where we’ve got a whole lot of skill shortages. We really need to be building more homes and Fee Free TAFE is one way of making that happen. I don't know why Peter Dutton wants Australians to be less educated. We ought to be boosting education levels and making it easier for people to get vocational education.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING, WITH PATRICIA KARVELAS

THURSDAY, 10 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: US tariffs, the Coalition’s Regional Australia Future Fund, AUKUS; housing and negative gearing.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Well, let's bring in someone from the government to get a response to lots of these broader issues. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition and joins me now. Welcome to the program.

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks Patricia, great to be with you.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: The Chinese Government has asked Australia to join hands with China to defend global trade in response to American trade barriers. Should we be building a stronger relationship on trade with China at this point?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Patricia, it's not in Australia's interest to be imposing tariffs. Tariffs are basically a consumption tax on imports, and so that's why we haven't gone down the path of retaliatory tariffs. Indeed, the story of Australian trade liberalisation going back to Gough Whitlam in 1973 is largely one of unilateral trade liberalisation. We decided to take the rocks out of our harbours to benefit our consumers, and we encourage other countries to do the same to benefit their consumers.

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

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

TUESDAY, 8 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government’s investment in Margaret Timpson Park, Peter Dutton’s public service cuts, Peter Dutton’s vendetta against Canberra.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: Time to catch up with the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Member for Fenner Leigh. Andrew, good morning.

ASSISTANT MINISTER LEIGH: Morning Stephen.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: Now you've announced, if you're re-elected, or if the government's re-elected, $1.5 million for upgrades at Margaret Timpson Park in Belconnen. Look, I don’t spend a lot of time in Margaret Timpson Park, but it does look pretty good to me from what I've seen, and I’ve got no problem with this. But are you confident that the ACT Government's actually going to stump up and do the work?

ASSISTANT MINISTER LEIGH: Absolutely Stephen. Margaret Timpson Park is right in the heart of Belconnen, and if you go to the Westfield Shopping Centre there, it's the park looking straight out from the Westfield. A lovely little space, very heavily used now that you've got so many of those apartment towers going up, and our $1.5 million upgrade will see toilets, a barbecue area and a play area put in place there. It's going to be well used as Belconnen continues to gentrify and we get more and more people using that space. And it was great yesterday - you really would have enjoyed this Stephen, we had Chris Timpson, who is Margaret's widower. She passed away way back in 1993 and he's still with us and was telling us the stories of what she did in that early period of self-government. The first ACT Woman of the Year; just a remarkable woman. So, it was great to honour her legacy and also to be investing in that park.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, 2CC: The question is though, why is it a federal government responsibility? Isn't this the kind of thing that local governments would normally do?

ASSISTANT MINISTER LEIGH: Well, the federal government is making investments right across the country. In Canberra, we announced investment in the National Convention Centre over the weekend and we’re investing in a range of roads, such as the Monaro and Barton Highway. And we’re making some of these smaller investments, including in parks. We understand that this is an important priority for people in Canberra, getting a good leisure facility. This isn't something that's going to send GDP through the roof, but certainly will do an awful lot for happiness in the Belconnen community.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
CANBERRA

MONDAY, 7 APRIL 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government’s $1.5 million funding commitment for Margaret Timpson Park, Labor’s cost of living relief, Peter Dutton’s public service cuts and work from home ban, international students and migration, ACT Senators recommendation.

ANDREW LEIGH, MEMBER FOR FENNER: Well thanks everyone for coming along today. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Federal Member for Fenner and I'm joined by Tara Cheyne MLA and Lachlan Butler who will say a few words on behalf of the Belconnen Community Council. We are also really privileged to have here Chris Timpson, Margaret Timpson’s widow, who has just been telling me a little bit more about Margaret. Margaret Timpson was the first ACT Woman of the Year - somebody who was a real pioneer for the women's movement and who helped shape Canberra through her work at the Australian Bureau of Statistics and her work in the Canberra community. It was Rosemary Follett who made the decision for this park to be named Margaret Timpson Park in 1994 - the year after Margaret Timpson’s untimely death as a result of cancer.

A lot of time has passed since 1994 of course, and the park is due for a revamp. That's why I'm really pleased to announce that a re-elected Albanese Government would invest $1.5 million in Margaret Timpson Park. This new investment will go to improved play spaces, to toilets, to a barbecue area. It will ensure that Margaret Timpson Park is a better space for the many office workers to come to use it, the shoppers who spill out of Westfield, the young parents who are looking for a place for their kids to play and the seniors who are looking for a spot to relax. Margaret Timpson Park really is a great part of the Belconnen community.

Some investments are measured in GDP, others are measured in giggles and shared lunches. This is the latter. It will be a great investment, and it will ensure that a terrific Park honouring an extraordinary Canberran becomes an even better place to play into the future. I am pleased now to hand over to Tara Cheyne and then to Lachlan Butler.

TARA CHEYNE MLA: Good morning, it’s terrific to be here with our local federal Member for Fenner, Andrew Leigh to announce this $1.5 million investment here in Margaret Timpson Park. This aligns with an ACT Labor election commitment last year, which we have been in the process of pulling together ahead of the budget. And so, this announcement that a re-elected Albanese Government will invest in Margaret Timpson Park is both welcome and fitting, particularly because Margaret Timpson not only was the first ACT Woman of the Year, but she worked just down the road at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and she's still revered. People still talk to me about the impact that she had as a female leader, and to have done that at the federal public service and for this park here in the heart of Belconnen to be named after her, and then to have this investment from a federal Albanese Government is very, very welcome.

This is a park that's seeing more and more people enjoy it, especially as the town centre expands. I’m not only a local member, I'm the Minister for City and Government Services, and I live just up there. I've seen firsthand every single day, this park being used. We've got so many more residents than we had ten years ago, and many people use this as their green space - this as their backyard. There have been calls for a long time for a public toilet. The nearest one is at Westfield, and the other nearest one is at the skate park. So, both of those are quite a way away, especially for people who live here using some of the services, especially like the Access Canberra service centre. There's also Medicare behind me, and so being able to have that sort of investment means the playground, not just for people who are visiting the town centre, but for our residents as well. Again, the nearest playground is about two kilometres away, and when you've got young kids in some of these towers around us, two kilometres is just a little bit too far. So that's why we're very proud to make this investment. We're very proud to hear that the Albanese Labor Government if re-elected, would be making this investment with the ACT Government for Margaret Timpson Park.

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

$1.5 Million For Upgrades For Upgrades At Margaret Timpson Park

7 April 2025

Member for Fenner Dr Andrew Leigh has today announced that a re-elected Albanese Labor Government will deliver $1.5 million for upgrades at Margaret Timpson Park in Belconnen.

This election commitment would go towards providing a new playground, public toilets, picnic tables, a barbecue area, an accessible ramp on the northern edge of the park and landscaping works.

Located in the heart of Belconnen’s town centre, the beloved park is named after Margaret Timpson, who was an influential figure in the women’s movement.

These improvements will ensure that residents, businesses, workers and visitors can continue to enjoy the hub for recreation activities such as picnics, walks and social gatherings.

A Fair Go, Not a Throwback

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

ACT Federal Labor Campaign Launch Address
Albert Hall,
Yarralumla, ACT

Sunday 6 April 2025

Thank you very much for all giving up your Sunday to be part of this great festival of democracy. Can I acknowledge my extraordinary federal colleagues, the great ACT MLAs, Aunty Violet Sheridan and our wonderful Labor red members. Particularly two of our newest branch members, Clementine and Bill Shorten - thank you for being here this morning.

Three years ago, we promised a fairer Australia. In that time, we've gotten wages moving, we've expanded renewable energy, we've strengthened Medicare, we've begun to rebuild public housing. In fact, the only thing we haven't been able to make any progress on is fixing up Scott Morrison's LinkedIn page. Apparently, it still says he held five jobs.

Make no mistake, we have done an extraordinary amount over these last three years. We have created a more dynamic and competitive economy, the biggest merger shakeup in fifty years, and we've worked to invest in Australia's schools, bringing home the promise of the Gonski agreement.

We have stood up to vested interests in making medicines cheaper and ensuring that those who are living on fixed incomes are able to afford those essential medicines – building on a legacy that goes back to Chifley’s creation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

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

The Hon Luke Gosling MP
Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans’ Affairs &
Northern Australia
Member for Solomon

OPINION PIECE

You can't build a great nation by subtraction

Published in The NT News

6 April 2025  

In challenging times, Australians don't retreat. We build.

From the Snowy Hydro Scheme to Medicare, superannuation to the global financial crisis response, we've always chosen to meet economic pressure with purpose.

That's what Labor has done over the past three years and what this year's Budget sets us up to continue.

We are delivering cost-of-living relief for today and nation-building reform for tomorrow: universal tax cuts, cheaper energy, more social housing, stronger Medicare, and investment in education and skills.

Underpinning it all is investment in our public service and a belief in Australians' capability to solve problems and to help each other.

It's part of a broader philosophy: when Australians face pressure, a responsible government turns up and creates public value.

Peter Dutton offers a very different path.

In his budget reply, he promised to repeal Labor's tax cuts - which means clawing back $536 from every taxpayer - and to cut 41,000 public service jobs.

Cutting everything but your taxes is not a plan to relieve pressure in the short or long-term. It's a formula for making it worse. It's subtraction disguised as reform, and it doesn't add up. To put it in perspective: 41,000 jobs is more than three packed TIO Stadiums.