Andrew Leigh

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO
TUESDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Australians encouraged to support charities, Albanese Government warning retailers dodgy tactics and unsafe products will not be tolerated this festive season

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Time to talk federal politics with the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh. Andrew, good morning.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning, Stephen.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: I want to touch on your charities portfolio for a moment. Charities are obviously doing it tough at the moment but have a greater demand on them than they've ever had. As a politician, particularly in a Treasury portfolio, what do you think when you look at this because I mean this sort of highlights why it's so important to get fiscal policy right?

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, we've had a big increase in demands for the services of charities. Many Australians face cost‑of‑living pressures and many charities are out there doing great work.

We've given record support to them as a government and we're also calling on Australians, if you can, to support a trusted charity this season. If you're not sure whether a charity is trusted, the best way to find out is to go to the charity commission register at acnc.gov.au.

And we've got a target Stephen, as you know, of doubling philanthropy by 2030 and as part of that we're seeking to make it easier for charities to get deductible gift recipient status, making things more transparent and boosting trust in the sector.

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

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TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING, WITH STEPHANIE BORYS
MONDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Energy rebate, Albanese Government’s cost of living relief, MYEFO, Ministerial travel, Barnaby Joyce and One Nation, National Reconstruction Fund

STEPHANIE BORYS: Now, the biggest policy news of the day was that the federal government's subsidy for electricity bills will not be extended into the new year. The subsidy began in 2023 and was twice extended amid cost-of-living pressures. Treasurer Jim Chalmers made the announcement while previewing the mid-year budget update expected later this month.

[EXCERPT]

TREASURER CHALMERS: The Commonwealth has spent almost $7 billion on these three rounds of energy bill rebates. The states and territories have kicked in another one and a half billion or so. These were a really important way that we provide help with the cost of living, but they're not the only way that we're providing that cost of living relief for people who are still doing it tough.

[EXCERPT ENDS]

STEPHANIE BORYS: Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Productivity Minister and joins me now. Thanks for coming into the studio.

ANDREW LEIGH: Pleasure Stephanie.

STEPHANIE BORYS: Now, the government's made this announcement today. Why? Why can't it go on any longer?

ANDREW LEIGH: These were temporary measures, as the Treasurer has said, put in place at a time when inflation was around 8 per cent and before we'd announced our rejigging of the stage three tax cuts and the additional two tax cuts we've delivered to households. We've always said they were going to be temporary assistance. As the Treasurer has said, it's been quite substantial - some $7 billion. But these have always been a temporary measure and we've decided, given the fiscal circumstances, it's appropriate to bring them to an end.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY
MONDAY, 8 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Ministerial travel, Australia’s under-16 social media ban

ROSS SOLLY: So we've been running this poll this morning on the Anika Wells expense account and I've been asking you, does it pass the kitchen table test? It certainly seems that it's within the guidelines, but does that make it okay? I mean, is this the sort of thing that we're comfortable with? And obviously, overwhelmingly many of you think, well, it's time to revisit the guidelines. More than 80 per cent of you though, are also saying that you don't think this passes the kitchen table test.

Well, I wonder what Andrew Leigh thinks. He's the Member for Fenner and he's a man who's been renowned for his frugality over the years. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Ross, great to be with you

ROSS SOLLY: And good to be with you as well. Obviously, this is a huge distraction in the week when we've got this big social media ban coming in. But let's talk about it. First of all, the listeners this morning overwhelmingly do not feel that this passes the kitchen table test. Are you comfortable with it Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: Ross, I think it's important to recognise what we're dealing with here. This is a social media ban which is about saving kids’ lives. Since smartphones emerged, we have seen a significant increase in suicide deaths of young men and young women.

ROSS SOLLY: I get all this. Can we circle back to that? I know we know all of that and I'm going to come back to that because that is important. But I just wanted to know first of all, with regard to the expense accounts - the charges that we're getting here, the $100,000 for flights to New York for three people. The flying your family to Thredbo for a skiing trip. The flying your husband to Melbourne for the Grand Prix. The flying of your husband to cricket match. The bloody expensive dinners in Paris. I mean, do these all pass the kitchen table test Andrew Leigh?

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

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DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MARBLE FOYER, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
SATURDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government warning retailers dodgy tactics and unsafe products will not be tolerated this festive season, banning unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing, Ministerial travel, Blayney gold mine

ANDREW LEIGH: Well good morning. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for, Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury.

Today, the Albanese Government is putting dodgy retailers on notice that they need to do the right thing by Australian consumers. Australians are going to be doing a lot of shopping over the course of the next few weeks, and Australians have a right to know that whether they're shopping in-store or online, they're getting goods that are safe.

Since coming to office, the Albanese Government has stood up for Australian consumers and we've increased the penalties for anti-consumer conduct to $50 million. We've provided tens of millions of dollars to the competition watchdog so they can crack down on bad behaviour. And we've worked with states and territories to make product safety a priority for consumer ministers around the country.

If you go into a store, you have certain rights. It's important to recognise that those rights apply, whether or not the retailer says that they do. You have a right if you purchase a product that doesn't work to receive a replacement or a refund.

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

Retailers On Notice: Dodgy Tactics Won't Be Tolerated This Festive Season

6 December 2025

As Australians hang the stockings and start ticking off their shopping lists, the Albanese Government is warning retailers dodgy tactics and unsafe products will not be tolerated.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) – Australia’s consumer watchdog – is checking its list twice and will be keeping a close eye on retailers, both online and in-store, to make sure Australians get a fair go at the checkout.

Labor strengthened the law to ensure serious breaches of the Australian Consumer Law come with serious consequences. Retailers who make false or misleading representations or fail to meet their obligations now face penalties of up to $50 million per breach.

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

Taking the Pulse of Australia’s Startups

Launch of Startup Muster 2025, Sydney

Online Address

Friday, 5 December 2025

It is my pleasure to join you virtually at the launch of the Startup Muster 2025 results – the annual X-ray of Australia’s startup ecosystem.

When this survey began in 2013, the iPhone 5 was cutting-edge, Slack hadn’t launched, and Bitcoin was still hovering around a hundred dollars. The fact that Startup Muster is still going strong tells you two things: founders love data, and Murray Hurps is very good at gentle persistence. If sainthood were awarded for data cleaning, Murray would already have the halo.

Covering hundreds of people and thousands of answers, this year’s survey tells a lively story. It shows that the average startup founder is 46. One-third of founders are women. Half have founded a previous firm. One in ten are from a low-SES background, and one in ten are neurodiverse. Founders are more likely than the general population to be born overseas, but less likely to be Indigenous.

We also see an ecosystem that is both ambitious and stretched. Fifty-nine percent of startups now have revenue, which is excellent, but many are still hunting for capital, customers or talent – sometimes all at once. In a week when our government has just released our national AI plan, it’s notable that AI shows up everywhere in the Startup Muster survey. Over half of startups are using it for core functions, and about half are building AI products themselves.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, MORNINGS WITH JAMES FINDLAY
WEDNESDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Banning unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing

JAMES FINDLAY: Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition and the Member for Fenner. Very good morning to you Assistant Minister. What are you trying to legislate?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well James, we're cracking down on subscription traps among other things. Too many Australians have found themselves unable to quit a subscription - whether that's being signed up to a gym that allows you to join online but then says you've got to phone if you want to cancel, or whether it's a subscription which runs you through all sorts of unreasonable ‘confirmshaming’ tricks in order to try and keep your business. Subscriptions can be a handy way of managing modern life, but we're asking people to play fair. And if you're providing a subscription, it should be as easy to quit the subscription as it was to start it.

JAMES FINDLAY: What feedback are you getting from people?

ANDREW LEIGH: Uniformly positive. I think Australians like their subscriptions, but they also like being in control of them. And too many Australians have had stories of being unable to quit a subscription. It's good for business too, because currently there's firms out there that are playing fair, that are allowing people to quit subscriptions when they want to, who are up against competitors that aren't doing the right thing and that drives a race to the bottom. So by setting these standards, by banning unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing it's also good for the competitive economy where firms are then encouraged to compete on high-quality services.

JAMES FINDLAY: What are you hearing from the business community about these proposed changes? Not that you've said what the changes are yet, but what are you hearing from the business community?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, many firms do the right thing. I mean, we've had a beef with Apple on various scores but certainly when it comes to subscriptions, Apple does it well. A monthly email says how much you pay for your subscriptions and all the subscriptions are in one place on your iPhone or iPad if you want to cancel them. That's a good model for other people to follow. And we're encouraging other firms to be transparent and upfront with their customers. Don't set up a kind of Hotel California situation where people can check out, but they can never leave.

The Hon Julie Collins MP
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

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

Farmers Back Historic Right To Repair Reform

3 December 2025             

Farmers have thrown their support behind the Federal Albanese Labor Government’s decision to extend Right to Repair reforms to agricultural machinery, a practical change that will deliver fairness, competition and productivity gains across the farm sector. 

For too long, farmers have faced costly delays because critical repair information was locked away by manufacturers. When a tractor breaks down in the middle of harvest, every hour counts. This reform means farmers will have real choice about who repairs their machinery, and independent repairers will have the information they need to compete. 

The Productivity Commission estimates that extending Right to Repair to agriculture could lift annual GDP by $97 million through increased grain outputs alone, simply by reducing downtime during harvest.     

This is on top of new figures released this week showing the agriculture industry is on track to reach a record value of almost $100 billion this financial year under the Albanese Labor Government. 

Here’s my annual round-up of books that made the biggest impression on me this year. Some are fresh off the press, others have been waiting patiently on the shelves. The 53 books are organised by theme, and within each group I’ve listed them in the rough order of how much they resonated with me. I’d welcome your own recommendations.

Stories to Escape Into

Erica Bauermeister, No Two Persons – The title comes from the saying that ‘no two persons ever read the same book’. In this delightful book, we see how nine different readers are affected by reading the same novel.

Sally Rooney, Intermezzo – ‘Like a stage fight where it turns out the knives are real’. A delightful exploration of romantic entanglements, family dynamics, and chess, set in modern-day Ireland.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB, SYDNEY NOW WITH CLINTON MAYNARD
MONDAY, 1 DECEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Banning unfair trading practices, subscription traps and drip pricing

CLINTON MAYNARD: You might be one of the many, many Australians who signs up to a subscription of some sort, or you buy something online only to find out there are a lot of associated costs down the track that you weren't aware of. The federal government's going to be introducing new laws next year. These have been unveiled today by the Assistant Competition Minister Andrew Leigh, and the Assistant Minister joins me on the program. Hello Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH: G’day Clinton, great to be with you.

CLINTON MAYNARD: Good raising this one. I know this will be an issue before Parliament next year. What are you trying to achieve through these laws?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, subscriptions can be a good thing but not being able to get out of them can be a pretty bad thing. And right now, many Australians are finding it frustrating to cancel online subscriptions. Sometimes you'll be able to sign up with a couple of clicks, but then they tell you to pick up the phone to cancel, or else they'll tell you that you have to pay all your back payments before you can cancel a subscription, potentially throwing people into debt.

We’re cracking down on drip pricing too which is where you go to buy something and then right at the end, you discover there's some mandatory handling fee that you weren't told about up front. We're making things fairer for consumers and better for decent competitors.

CLINTON MAYNARD: So with the subscriptions - does the way it works at the moment, I would assume there is something in the fine print that maybe a lot of us don't read. Something in the fine print that would alert you to these ongoing costs?

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, there might be something in the fine print, or else, sometimes they're just relying on inattention, on the fact that many of us live busy lives. We don't have hours to spend on cancelling subscriptions. I've even heard of stories where people have cancelled a credit card because it was easier than trying to battle their way out of a subscription they didn’t want.

CLINTON MAYNARD: Yes, yes. I mean, there are also issues the way scams watch and scams work, and that can infiltrate that area as well?

ANDREW LEIGH: That's right. And there's existing laws that take care of some of this, that deal with scam and deal with some of these sort of really egregious practices. But often they're just sort of relying on putting a whole lot of extra friction into the system. Companies are automatically renewing you where you hadn't expected to be auto renewed or telling you that you've got to cancel through painfully onerous processes. Over in the US, there's been a case brought by their competition regulator that's seen one and a half billion dollars paid back by Amazon for engaging in subscription trap behaviour. We don't want it to go that far in Australia, we just want to see the firms do the right thing.