Andrew Leigh

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

AI helping shape a better future

Published in The Canberra Times

10 September 2025

Artificial intelligence is often described in apocalyptic tones. Depending on who you listen to, it is either about to take every job, or end work as we know it. But there’s a less dramatic, and more useful, way of looking at the future. Across advanced economies, the real problem isn’t too few jobs, but too few workers. Populations are ageing, birth rates are falling, and shortages are widespread. From hospitals to construction sites, demand for human expertise is growing. AI can help meet it – if we get the choices right.

The Productivity Commission has found that AI could underpin a new wave of productivity growth in Australia. That’s not an abstract number on a spreadsheet. It’s a reminder that technology, used wisely, can lift living standards. MIT economist David Autor argues that AI isn’t just about rules and routines. Done well, it helps workers combine knowledge, judgment and data to make better decisions. Imagine nurses using AI to interpret scans more quickly. Or technicians overseeing complex manufacturing processes. Or caseworkers solving problems that once needed a lawyer. These are not examples of robots replacing people. They are examples of workers becoming more effective, and better paid, because machines help them do more. Autor calls it restoring the “middle-skill, middle-class heart” of the labour market. That should be our national ambition.

This isn’t the first time new technology has disrupted the world of work. During the Industrial Revolution, artisanal trades gave way to mass production. At first, the consequences were grim: 12-hour days, unsafe factories, child labour. But over time, unions and reformers fought for safety laws, reasonable hours and fair pay. The result was a new era of skilled machinists, typists and operators, and the growth of a thriving middle class. The computer age shifted things again. Computers raised the productivity of professionals, but eroded middle-skill roles. Wages at the top grew faster than those in the middle, and inequality widened. The lesson is obvious: technology alone does not guarantee fair outcomes. Fairness comes from strong institutions and a labour movement willing to insist that workers share in the gains.

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
FRIDAY, 5 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Canberra talkback, covering Australia War Memorial display, CSIRO funding, aged care, Robodebt, NACC, energy, charities guidelines, ACT infrastructure funding

ROSS SOLLY: Dr Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner joins us this morning. Dr Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Ross. Great to be with you on this exciting new experiment.

ROSS SOLLY: Isn’t it? It is an exciting new experiment, and it will be interesting to see whether people want to take up the opportunity to throw questions at you. I have got some great questions…

ANDREW LEIGH: It might just be me and you if not.

ROSS SOLLY: Well, it might be. But, well, I’ve already great some great questions, and not all of them are political. Some people actually wanting to know a little bit about the private life of Andrew Leigh. And I might throw a couple of those at you in just a sec. Could I just ask you though, and I don’t know whether you’ve had time to think about it, but how we recognise Ben Roberts-Smith and his shortcomings and what he’s done on the battlefield? Do you have a view on that Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: The War Memorial makes an independent decision as to how they’re going to handle the display for Ben Roberts-Smith. Following the defamation case, they made a decision to put a plaque next to Ben Roberts-Smith’s display outlining what had happened in the defamation case. I still feel somewhat uncomfortable with that. Given the findings out of the defamation case I would feel more comfortable if that display were removed.

ROSS SOLLY: Removed altogether?

ANDREW LEIGH: That’s my view. That’s a personal view and recognising the independence of the War Memorial, I’ve certainly shared that view with them. They’re aware of that view. But the findings that came out of the defamation case I thought were of a nature that suggests that there are many others that would be more appropriately recognised by the War Memorial.

ROSS SOLLY: All right. Those views have been supported by quite a few listeners this morning, but a lot of others are saying keep the display on there but then give an explanation. As you’ve just said, it’s already there but a more detailed explanation of what went on and what he got up to on the battlefield. But anyway, we are hoping to get a response from the Australian War Memorial. They’ve obviously now have got a decision they need to make. All right, let’s go to some questions. Matt asks on the text line, ‘Andrew Leigh, what is the thinking behind the $90 million cut to the CSIRO in the Federal Budget?’

Stronger markets, stronger charities, stronger transparency
Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025
First Reading

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

House of Representatives

Thursday 4 September

I move that this bill be now read a second time.

This bill consists of measures designed to strengthen confidence in our markets, improve the way regulators operate, and support long-term economic growth. Its provisions span areas as diverse as corporate disclosure, the regulation of charities, oversight of financial regulators, energy market protections, and taxation.

One measure of particular significance for productivity is the continuation of the $20,000 instant asset write-off until mid-2026. Its value lies in encouraging businesses to invest in new equipment and technology. Productivity is not only about working smarter, but also about working with better tools. When firms are able to expand and upgrade their capital stock, they achieve what's known as capital deepening - more capital per worker - which is one of the surest routes to higher productivity.

By allowing immediate deductions, this measure reduces the barrier to making those investments and helps ensure that Australian workers are equipped to do their job more efficiently. Boosting productivity is a central focus of our government - reflected in the Treasurer's recent Economic Reform Roundtable, a valuable national conversation aimed at delivering higher living standards for all Australians.

The bill also recognises that strong markets depend on transparency. In our corporate sector, greater clarity about who holds influence over listed companies supports fairer and more efficient decision-making and ensures that directors and investors can respond on the basis of accurate information.

For the wider community, improved access to ownership information means that journalists, academics and others are better placed to shine light on potential concentrations of power.

In civil society, too, openness matters. Allowing the charities regulator to speak more directly to the public where there are concerns of misconduct ensures that trust in the sector is not eroded by silence or uncertainty. In both domains - business and the non-profit sector - transparency provides the oxygen that accountability requires.

Other provisions of the bill ensure that reviews of our financial regulators are conducted with sufficient depth, that consumer safeguards in the energy market remain in place during the transition, and that the law continues to operate as intended through a set of technical amendments.

Together, these measures promote investment, transparency and accountability - the conditions on which stronger productivity and public confidence ultimately rest.

I turn now to each of the seven schedules in the bill.

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

OPINION PIECE

Shrinkflation: Less for the Same, and Harder to Spot

Published in The New Daily

3 September 2025

Have you noticed your shopping basket feeling lighter, even though the bill at the checkout hasn’t changed? A packet of chips that once stretched across a movie now disappears before the credits roll. A box of cereal that used to last the school week runs out sooner. An ice cream tub looks the same size on the outside, but inside it holds fewer scoops than it once did.

This quiet trend has a name: shrinkflation. The size of the product shrinks, the price stays the same, and it’s only when you get home that you realise you’ve paid more for less.

Shrinkflation isn’t new, but with household budgets tight, it feels sharper than ever. Few shoppers carefully weigh packets or check the fine print on labels. Most of us just reach for the same product we’ve always bought. When the contents go down but the packaging looks the same, it’s easy to miss the change.

That’s why the Albanese Government is consulting on changes to the Unit Pricing Code. The aim is straightforward: to make it easier for Australians to see what they’re paying for and to compare value between products.

Unit pricing tells you the cost per litre, per kilo or per 100 grams. It helps you work out whether the larger pack is really better value, or whether a different brand gives you more for your money. Done well, it’s one of the simplest tools to keep supermarkets competitive. But it doesn’t always work as it should. Sometimes the unit price is too small to read. Sometimes the measure varies between products, making comparisons confusing. And some retailers aren’t covered by the rules at all.

Our government’s consultation, which opens this week, will look at a range of ideas. One is a notification regime that would require supermarkets to let shoppers know when a product gets smaller. Another is ensuring that unit prices are more visible and easier to read, so people don’t need a magnifying glass at the shelf. We’re also looking at expanding the code so that more retailers, including those online, are covered. And we’re considering how to standardise the measures used for things like toilet paper or pet food, so shoppers can compare more easily.

Constituency Statement
Open Australia

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

House of Representatives

Wednesday 3 September 

Last weekend, a handful of speakers stood on the steps of our cities and shouted slogans against immigration. Their words weren't new. Some echoed the racist cries that have haunted Australia since the days when the White Australia policy was law. But their vision of a closed, fearful country isn't the Australia we live in today, because modern Australia is a multicultural success story. Nearly one in two Australians either was born overseas or had a parent who was. My wife was born overseas, so that includes our three children. Australia is home to hundreds of ancestries, and we speak hundreds of languages in our homes.

Surveys show that nine out of ten Australians believe multiculturalism is good for Australia. Think of Frank Lowy who arrived as a refugee from Hungary and went on to co-found Westfield, Tan Le, who came as a Vietnamese boat person at age four and is today a global leader in neurotechnology, Anh Do, who fled war-torn Vietnam and became one of Australia's best-loved writers or astrophysicist Brian Schmidt, who built a global team to win a Nobel prize.

Consider sport. At the very moment anti-immigration rallies were taking place, the Sydney Marathon was being won by Ethiopia's Hailemaryam Kiros, who ran the fastest marathon ever on Australian soil, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands. As we waited in the starting pen, I chatted with athletes from India, Spain and the UK. The biggest cheer was for Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge. My friend Arsenio Balisacan, a senior official in the Philippines Government was one of the many international runners who joined the race. That's what it means to be a World Marathon Major - you welcome people from around the world.

This weekend also saw the Canberra Raiders become NRL minor premiers for the first time in 35 years. The Raiders' line-up includes New-Zealand-born Josh Papalii, English-born Morgan Smithies and Samoan-born Ata Mariota. The Green Machine are stronger because they draw on migrant talent. Across the economy migrants are on average younger and more likely to start a business than Australian-born people are. They pay more in taxes than they draw in benefits. Migrants aren't just mouths to feed but muscles to build and minds to inspire. Our universities thrive because international researchers bring ideas and energy. Our hospitals and aged care centres depend on migrant workers who care for our most vulnerable.

So, when the voices of hate call for exclusion, we must answer with evidence and with pride: pride for an Australia where people from around the world come together to build something bigger than themselves, pride in a multicultural nation that's more open, more dynamic and more generous than those who peddle fear will ever understand. That's the real story of Australian immigration - not division but unity, not weakness but strength.

ENDS

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

Fair Work in the Age of AI
Symposium: ‘Seizing the Opportunities of AI While Protecting the Fair Go’
Parliament House, Canberra

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

Introduction

It’s a pleasure to join you at this symposium on Seizing the Opportunities of AI While Protecting the Fair Go. I want to begin by acknowledging the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Centre for Future Work, and the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law for bringing us together today.

The Opportunity of AI

Some voices tell us AI means the end of work. We hear that robots will take every job, that plumbers and carers will be replaced by circuits and code. But the truth is more hopeful. Across advanced economies, the challenge is not too few jobs, it is too few workers. With ageing populations, shrinking birth rates and labour shortages, the demand for human expertise will remain strong.

The Productivity Commission has found that AI could underpin a wave of productivity growth in Australia. That is not just a number on a page, it is a reminder that with the right choices AI can help us lift living standards and sustain the fair go.

MIT economist David Autor has argued that AI is not just about rules and routines, it is about weaving information with tacit knowledge to support decision-making. If used well, AI can empower more workers, not just elite experts, to take on higher-stakes tasks. Nurses could handle more complex diagnoses. Technicians could supervise advanced manufacturing processes. Case workers could resolve problems that once demanded a lawyer.

This is what Autor calls restoring the “middle-skill, middle-class heart” of the labour market. In plain terms: AI can help rebuild good jobs that pay fair wages and demand genuine expertise.

Lessons from History

We have seen this before. During the Industrial Revolution, artisanal expertise gave way to mass production. At first, conditions were grim: long hours, dangerous factories, children pressed into labour. But with the rise of unions and social reforms, new forms of “mass expertise” such as machinists, typists and operators built a thriving middle class.

Later, in the computer age, expertise was reshuffled again. Computers empowered professionals but displaced middle-skill workers. The benefits went disproportionately to the top, while inequality grew.

The lesson is clear: technology alone does not guarantee fair outcomes. It takes strong institutions, above all unions, to ensure that workers are not left behind. Just as the labour movement fought for safety laws in factories and fairness in offices, unions today must help shape the AI age.

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, 2 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout, renewable energy, March for Australia protests, immigration

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Member for Fenner. Andrew, good morning.

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

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: I want to talk to you about - I've seen some media around this week about a crackdown on shrinkflation. Look, we know why shrinkflation happens because things are more expensive to produce, and you can either put the price up or reduce the quantities. How do you crack down on this?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, a number of ways, Stephen. As you've said, shrinkflation is when you discover that the packet size has shrunk but the price has stayed the same. And right now, there's no obligation to tell customers when that happens. We're consulting on changes to the Unit Pricing Code of Conduct, one of which would require supermarkets to tell shoppers if that's happened, if there's been a package size change that's adverse to them - where the packet has shrunk but the price hasn't shrunk. Some of the other changes…

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: But Andrew, let me just stop you there for a moment. The size of - the weight or the contents of the packet is clearly part of our - it's already law that you've got to print that on the packet, isn't?

ANDREW LEIGH: It is. But not all of us are staring at every price, every time, at every shop. And what happens with shrinkflation is the sneaky shrinking down of the pack size, the confectionery that shrinks, the chips that shrink. We've even seen instances of toilet paper squares getting smaller and detergent getting less concentrated. And so, when that happens, one of the proposals we're consulting on is whether you'd be required for some period of time to tell shoppers that that's happened, and so they can potentially make a decision to switch to a different product. We're also looking at whether we might extend the Unit Pricing Code to other retailers, whether we might want to increase the penalties that are in place for breaches of the Unit Pricing Code, and whether we can do better in ensuring that there's consistent labelling.

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, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: March for Australia protests, Nauru MOU with Australia, aged care

PATRICIA KARVELAS: I want to bring in my political panel for today. Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition and Charities. Zali Steggall is the Independent MP for Warringah. Welcome to both of you. Zali Steggall, do you think it's an equivalent hijacking by extremists on both sides?

ZALI STEGGALL: No, not at all. We know the march last weekend was a racist march organised by Neo-Nazis, overtly. There's no comparison to the hundreds of thousands, millions, I think, when you add up all the different protests. The March for Humanity that are concerned about the purposeful starvation of innocent civilians and children. I attended the Sydney March across the Harbour Bridge and it was overwhelmingly families…

PATRICIA KARVELAS: But there were signs, a couple. I saw the Ayatollah, like there were some extremist elements?

ZALI STEGGALL: There may have. And I should say the media has overwhelmingly focused on that one sign. I certainly did not see it. And there was an overwhelming amount of people of all cultural backgrounds from our communities, from many communities around Sydney. Because that's where I was. Overwhelmingly families with children who felt so distressed for humanity that children are being starved to death.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Do you think there's an equivalence in the extremism that have hijacked both movements?

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO PERTH, MORNINGS WITH NADIA MITSOPOULOS
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Well, we talk a lot on this program about shrinkflation. Now, you know what it is - you all experience it. That’s when the size or the quantity or the contents of a product suddenly reduces, but the price stays the same, and you are not told about it. And I know you notice this. I certainly do. I think I measured 16 Pringles. I weighed – when the size of a Pringles carton was reduced, I measured it and that was the equivalent to 16 Pringles. So, what have you noticed? And how do you feel about it? Because I know it annoys a lot of you. Get in touch on 1300 222 720 because it seems the government is finally going to try and do something about this. So, let’s get more from Dr Andrew Leigh, who is the Assistant Minister. Good morning, and thank you for talking to me.

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

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: You’re starting a consultation process today. What are you consulting the public on?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, we need to crack down on shrinkflation. As you said, sometimes it’s happening with confectionery, sometimes it’s happening with drinks - beers that used to be 375ml now dropping down to 330ml. I’ve even heard of stories of it happening with the size of toilet paper squares and the concentration of detergent. And so, we’re doing a consultation now about some big changes to the Unit Pricing Code which regulates shrinkflation. That will include extending its scope to more retailers, getting better price comparisons and putting some penalties behind the Unit Pricing Code.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: So how does the code of conduct actually handle this at the moment or deal with it, or does it?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, it requires comparisons on unit pricing as the name suggests. But sometimes those comparisons aren’t as clear as they should be, and sometimes you’ve got the same supermarket line which is showing some products per 100 grams and other products per kilogram. You also have the problem that there can be a bit of a sneaky drop in size of a product while the price stays the same.

NADIA MITSOPOULOS: Sixteen Pringles Assistant Minister. Sixteen Pringles.

ANDREW LEIGH: Wars have been fought over less. So one of the things that we’re looking at is whether it’s appropriate then to have shoppers notified if there’s an instance of shrinkflation that’s adverse to them.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
3AW MELBOURNE, MORNINGS WITH TOM ELLIOTT
MONDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government cracking down on shrinkflation at the checkout, housing

TOM ELLIOTT: Okay, Shrinkflation. Now, we all know what it is. You know, you buy a block of Cadbury's Dairy Milk every week. It costs $5. It used to have 240 grams of chocolate. One day it's 220 grams, but it still costs $5. Or a packet of chips used to be 50 grams; suddenly it’s 45 grams. You know, 10 per cent less, same price. The federal government is not happy and wants to do something about it. And our next guest, the Assistant Minister for Productivity and Competition, Andrew Leigh. Good morning.

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

TOM ELLIOTT: Well, we know it when we see it but what can we actually do about it?

ANDREW LEIGH: We're seeing shrinkflation all over the place. I mean, you mentioned the chocolate example, but it’s happening with chips, it's happening with confectionery, it's happening even with toilet paper and detergents. We're getting on top of it through strengthening the Unit Pricing Code, which is the code that basically tells the big supermarkets what they've got to do in order to provide us the right information. So, we're looking at extending it across more retailers, making sure that the shelf labels compare apples with apples and putting some penalties behind that code.

TOM ELLIOTT: Yeah. Because I mean, if I have the time, I do look at, you know, the price per 100 grams and weirdly with dishwasher tablets is the price per tablet. Because they're sold in so many different packet sizes and whatever, it's very hard to compare them. But I mean, I suppose the issue is most people, and I put myself in this category, you know, we go to the supermarket for quickness and convenience. We want to go and get our stuff and get out, and we probably don't have the time or the inclination to cross check all the different prices.

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, that's right. And one of the recommendations that the competition watchdog gave us at the start of this year when we got them to do a deep dive into supermarket competition, is that if the size of the packet changes in a way that's adverse to the consumer, then there should be a requirement to notify shoppers about that change. So, that's one of the changes we're consulting on today.