Andrew Leigh

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
THURSDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Scrapping card surcharges; Labor’s fiscal discipline; Productivity

ROSS SOLLY: It’s new world today regarding credit card charges as well. Dr Andrew Leigh is the federal Member for Fenner. Of course, he's also the Assistant Minister for Productivity and Competition. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

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

ROSS SOLLY: Yeah. And good to have you on the show as well. So, just remind people from today what changes should they see Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, they should see no more credit card surcharges. So, credit card and debit card surcharges have been banned. And we're also bringing down the interchange fee. So, that'll save businesses, particularly small businesses about $910 million. This means that people find it easier to comparison shop. You won't have a sneaky charge added on at the register. If you see a price on the shelf or on the menu, then that'll be the price at the checkout.

ROSS SOLLY: I know consumers are going to love this, but what about businesses, Andrew Leigh? Because I have heard and there's been reports in the news this morning, you know, for them, they still have to in many situations still have to pay a fee to the banks. So, they have to recoup this somehow?

The Hon Jim Chalmers MP
Treasurer

The Hon Daniel Mulino MP
Assistant Treasurer
Minister for Financial Services

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

Credit and Debit Card Surcharges End Today

Thursday, 1 October 2026

Consumers will no longer pay around $1.6 billion in card surcharges when debit and credit surcharging ends today.

These changes are all about taking pressure off consumers and businesses and helping with the cost of living.

Australians will be able to use debit and credit cards without being penalised or surprised at the checkout thanks to these reforms.

The ban on credit and debit card surcharges is one part of broader reforms to make the payments system fairer, more efficient and more transparent.

These changes will help millions of small businesses reduce costs and get a better deal and save businesses $910 million each year. 

The Hon Dr Daniel Mulino MP
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services

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

Share of Large Companies Paying Income Tax Reaches Record High

Thursday, 1 October 2026

A record share of Australia’s large companies are paying income tax, according to the latest ATO corporate tax transparency report.

Australians expect big business to pay their fair share of tax, just like Australian workers do.

The proportion of large corporates paying no income tax has dropped to 27 per cent, the lowest level since corporate tax transparency reporting began.

Large corporates paid a combined $87.5 billion in income tax during the 2024–25 financial year.

Corporate tax paid by oil and gas companies reached $10.6 billion, the second highest contribution since CTT reporting began, and the amount of petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) payable rose by 26 per cent.

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

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TV INTERVIEW
NEWS24 POLITICS NOW, WITH TOM CONNELL
WEDNESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Labor’s fiscal discipline; Inflation; Scrapping card surcharges

TOM CONNELL: Alright, let's go to my guest, Andrew Leigh, who's been patiently waiting over here. I know you like looking at your numbers. So, what do you make of that? This is a much bigger spending government than the Coalition was. This is an economy that has heat contributed towards it on those figures, isn't it?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Tom, it's strange that some of our free-market critics aren't able to recognise that four in five dollars of demand is coming from the private sector rather than the public sector. If you look at Michele Bullock's statement yesterday from the Reserve Bank, they begin talking about the inflationary pressures from the war in Iran and then go on to talk about the impact on prices of the AI-driven data centre boom. 
So, they're the principal pressures that the Reserve Bank is looking at. Obviously, public demand plays a part which is why we've been so focused on making cost savings, including $38 billion over four years off the NDIS, savings from ending Inland Rail at Parkes – $4 billion there, another $3 billion saving on ensuring the private health insurance rebate is based only on income rather than age, and a whole other series of savings that our government has made.

TOM CONNELL: And they've been totalled up. And this is sort of why I alluded to, you can always mention different figures but that spending as a percentage of GDP – that is a huge increase from pre-COVID. That can't just be explained by saying, ‘Oh, well there's a bit more we're spending on defence’. We're talking $65 or $70 billion dollars per year now. That's a lot more money, isn't it? 

ANDREW LEIGH: There's very clear pressures in the budget, including the defence spending pressure, including the NDIS where we've made significant decisions, and also including areas where the Coalition have opposed savings measures that Labor has put forward. So, the private health insurance changes that I mentioned before – opposed by the Coalition. They've announced a whole lot of new spending, but haven't said where that would come from. And of course, they went to the last election promising Australians higher taxes and higher deficits.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO QUEENSLAND, MORNINGS WITH SUSAN GRAHAM-RYAN
WEDNESDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government ending card surcharges to help with the cost of living; banning unfair trading practices, artificial intelligence

SUSAN GRAHAM-RYAN: Well, starting tomorrow, businesses will no longer be able to charge a surcharge when customers pay by card. The Reserve Bank says the current system has become too complicated and difficult for customers to avoid, while separate changes will also reduce some of the fees businesses pay to accept cards. But with small businesses already under pressure, some are warning those costs could simply end up added to their prices instead. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury and spoke with the ABC's Emma Jones.

ANDREW LEIGH: In the old days, only a few people were using credit cards or debit cards. These days, they're the normal way of paying for things, and yet the surcharges are still being applied to consumers. What this does is it allows people to ensure that the price you see is the price you pay. That facilitates more comparison shopping across sites and ensures that people don't get stung at the checkout with an additional fee.

EMMA JONES: The government says Australians will no longer pay around $1.6 billion a year in card surcharges. But if some businesses are simply building those costs into their prices, should customers actually expect to pay less?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well this is about transparency. People should be able to trust that the price you see is the price you pay. For retailers, any form of payment has a cost. Cash has a cost. Credit card processing has a cost. So, it'll be up to businesses as to how they set their prices. What this reform ensures is that people are able to compare fairly across businesses and they don't have sneaky charges added at the last minute.

EMMA JONES: As you said, businesses will still have to accept card payments and they will still have to be paying these fees. So, for a small cafe or retailer that finds these changes leave them worse off, what support is the government actually putting in place to help them adjust?

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

Simplifying Australia's eight bureaucratic barriers

Published in The Daily Telegraph

30 September 2026

Australia is one country but businesses and workers still often deal with eight different regulatory systems.

These differences can waste time, make it harder for firms to expand across state borders, and slow the spread of new technology.

That's why Australian governments are revitalising National Competition Policy, making it easier for workers and firms to operate across the country, while keeping the protections Australians rightly expect.

Take bike helmets. Australia imports around 1.2 million bicycle helmets each year. The national product safety standard recognises six routes to compliance.

But until recently, state rules did not all line up with the national standard. So a helmet could be legal to sell but illegal on the road.

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

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TV INTERVIEW
NEWS24 NEWSDAY, WITH TOM CONNELL
FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Intergenerational Report; Productivity; Industrial Relations; Industrial Action; Housing; One Nation; Members of Parliament Act

TOM CONNELL: The intergenerational report has been released and there’s a huge reliance on productivity to continue our standard of living increases. But recent years of productivity have been in the doldrums. Joining me now is Assistant Minister for that very thing; productivity – a few other things as well but I'll just stick with that title today. So, it's going backwards and it's four years into Labor’s term. Clearly that hasn't been the plan. If you're going to identify how you're going to improve something, you need to diagnose where it's going wrong. Where has it gone wrong on Labor's watch; productivity? 

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Tom, productivity has been a big challenge in our economy, not just for a couple of years but for over the course of a full decade. That’s why we've got such a strong focus on productivity. From next year, non-compete clauses will be banned for anyone earning under $190,100. That'll make it easier for people to move to a better job and that'll be great for productivity. If you're starting a new firm looking to hire workers from existing enterprises, then getting rid of non-compete clauses is going to be good for you. And our competition package – the National Competition Policy, working with states and territories has productivity at its heart. That was one of the secrets to the 1990s surge in productivity and we're looking to revamp that.

TOM CONNELL: There have been huge changes in industrial relations. There was a lot of business warnings from business groups that would hurt productivity. They have a fair case to say they were right now don't they – four years in?

ANDREW LEIGH: Look, I don't think you can diagnose that from changes made in Australia given that productivity has been sluggish around the world…

TOM CONNELL: But we're below other OECD nations, aren't we? We're basically at the bottom of the pile.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO SYDNEY, MORNINGS WITH HAMISH MACDONALD
FRIDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: AI cyber incident; Labor ensuring tradies can get free access to mandatory standards; Stronger product safety standards for e-bikes; Rebuilding trust: the future of Australia’s charities and community life

HAMISH MACDONALD: Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Treasury. Good morning to you.

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

HAMISH MACDONALD: When you discovered that this had happened, and the way in which OpenAI had notified the Australian Government via Services Australia was through a public email address, what was your reaction?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, it's clearly inadequate and they should have been notifying the Australian Signals Directorate. This is a company with significant revenue, one of the largest organisations in the world – they should be notifying the Australian Government through the Australian Signals Directorate. They also had meetings with senior Australian officials at which they didn't raise this. So, we're very concerned about the poor way in which it was conveyed and the delay of the breach appears to have occurred in June and the notification took place in September. 

HAMISH MACDONALD: Is there also a dimension of this which would indicate that actually Australia's Government standards are not clear or are not up-to-scratch?

ANDREW LEIGH: We've got very clear standards, and of course we've got the Australian AI Safety Institute, the National Cyber Security Co-ordinator, and the Australian Signals Directorate, all of which have responsibility in these areas. We've established a task force to look into this incident. This is, as we understand it, the first incident of this kind in the world and so clearly there will be other countries also watching Australia's response. 

HAMISH MACDONALD: Has the law been broken?

ANDREW LEIGH: That's one of the things that the taskforce is going to inquire into. There's, as I understand it, some aspect of intent that's required and so it may be the taskforce makes recommendations about that as well. 

HAMISH MACDONALD: Okay, so what, if there was not an intention to break into a government website, then it wouldn't be a crime?

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

Tradies To Get Free Access To Mandatory Standards

Friday, 25 September 2026

The Albanese Government is delivering on ensuring workers such as electricians, plumbers and builders can access mandatory Australian Standards online for free. 

We are putting an end to a system which can force Australian workers to pay to read rules they are legally required to follow by providing $42.7 million over four years to Standards Australia to give free online access to Australian Standards contained in Commonwealth, State and Territory laws.

For too long, mandatory Australian Standards have sat behind a paid access system, leaving electricians, plumbers, builders, manufacturers, safety officers and small business owners paying to see what they are required to do.

Today, the Government completed the legislative process to make funding available for this program. The Government will now work through the final steps with Standards Australia to get the program up-and-running. 

When a standard becomes part of the law, people should have clear access to it.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, LIVE WITH LEON DELANEY 
WEDNESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Fuel prices in the ACT; Fuel excise; Middle East conflict; UN Security Council; AI; Digital Duty of Care; Social Media Age Ban; Net Zero; Renewables; Intergenerational Report; Productivity 

LEON DELANEY: It's no secret that we're all paying more for petrol and diesel at the pump. Of course, the conflict in the Middle East has caused fuel prices to spiral across Australia. What's less clear is why is it that motorists in Canberra consistently pay more than any other capital city? The federal Member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, Dr Andrew Leigh. Good afternoon. 

ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon Leon, great to be with you. 

LEON DELANEY: Thanks for joining us today. This is a question for which it's apparently very difficult to get a straight answer. But tell me, if you can, why is it motorists in Canberra have to pay more? 

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the competition watchdog looked carefully into this couple of years back and their conclusion was less competition. We have fewer independent retailers than you see in Sydney and Melbourne. The big players have a larger share of the market, and that leads to higher prices for consumers. We also have a lot of people using fuel cards who aren't as price sensitive and that again takes away another source of competition from the market. Of course, the main thing going on with fuel prices right now is the war in Iran but it doesn't help that we have these challenges in the market structure here in the ACT. 

LEON DELANEY: Exactly. So, but as the Assistant Minister for Competition, isn't there something you can do about that lack of competition? 

ANDREW LEIGH: We boosted resources to the competition watchdog and we've got them doing more fuel price monitoring than ever before. They've already instituted an inquiry into diesel price arrangements between a couple of the regional retailers and they are putting more scrutiny on fuel prices than they ever have before.