Andrew Leigh

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

What Should AI Love?

National Press Club of Australia,
Canberra

Wednesday, 7 October 2026

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we meet. My thanks to the Italian Embassy and the National Press Club for organising and hosting this event. It is a pleasure to share the stage with Father Paolo Benanti and our moderator Corrie McLeod.

Today’s discussion matches the arc of how many Australians have been thinking about AI. After ChatGPT launched in 2022, most of us were focused on how it could make us more productive – summarising documents, checking our work or planning holidays.

Since then, progress has been rapid. One measure of AI agents’ ability to carry out complex tasks has doubled roughly every seven months. As the technology has become more capable, the talk has turned to its impact on humanity. 

In these short opening remarks, I want to ask two questions. What can AI do for human wellbeing? And what values should guide our AI systems?

Start with a man with ALS who had largely lost the ability to speak.

In 2025, researchers implanted 256 electrodes in the part of his brain involved in speech. AI decoded his neural signals and turned them into speech almost instantly.

The synthetic voice resembled his own voice from before ALS. He could change his intonation, emphasise particular words and even sing short melodies.

Now let’s move to a more vexed use of AI.

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

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TV INTERVIEW
ABC AFTERNOON BRIEFING, WITH PATRICIA KARVELAS 
TUESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Pre-COP; Pacific Engagement; Immigration Policies. 

PATRICIA KARVELAS: For more on the news of the day, Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Welcome to the program.

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

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Isn't that rude? I mean, that's like a traditional offering and the Prime Minister snubs them?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Patricia, it's the first I've seen it. The Prime Minister is engaging in the Pacific as no previous Australian Prime Minister has done. This is really important work that he is doing, which comes on the back of dozens and dozens of visits by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister into the Pacific. This is contested territory and the work that we're doing with our Pacific neighbours and the work that we will be championing as part of our bid for a UN Security Council seat really is unprecedented and vitally important for Australian national interests. 

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Okay. I want to take you to hearing from the government on what you make of the Coalition's immigration policy. Their policy is to reduce net overseas migration to 100,000 for the first two years, then it goes up a little. It is a big, big shift in the policy approach. 25 per cent reduction in foreign students. There are other changes too. There's a real focus on just skills. Is the policy what Australians want? Senator Matt Canavan told me earlier that across the country, people are saying they want lower immigration, and this is what they're delivering, and they've done it through the Parliamentary Budget Office. 

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, 6 OCTOBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Scrapping card surcharges; Illicit tobacco 

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

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

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Before we start, I do want to talk about the illegal tobacco market, but, you know, you were one of the ones that put one of these videos out last week about these card surcharges. I hope in the interim you've gone and spoken to some local businesses about how bad this is and how it is actually bringing small business to its knees here in Canberra?

ANDREW LEIGH: Look, Stephen I've spoken to a lot of small businesses and they recognise that there's a great value in having a competitive market. Most small businesses weren't charging card surcharges, and they welcome the fact that they don't have competitors who are now throwing on an additional charge at the checkout. This is about price transparency and…

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Hang on a minute, hang on – let me stop you there, because that makes no sense at all. If there are businesses not charging it, why are they worried about businesses that are charging it? Aren't they already in the box seat?

ANDREW LEIGH: Because they're competing against a business which is advertising one price and then charging most customers a higher price. Card surcharges mean that the price you see on the shelf, the price you see in the menu, isn't the price you pay at the checkout. More than 80 per cent of Australian businesses don’t charge card surcharges…

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
FRIDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2026

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

LEON DELANEY: First up today, the federal Member for the seat of Fenner and also by sheer chance the 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: Although I suspect chance has nothing to do with it – you’re very qualified for the job. Let’s start with the abolition of those surcharges for credit and debit card transactions. It came into effect yesterday. My simple question is this: in light of the fact that many businesses now are saying, ‘We will offer you a discount for cash’, how is that any different from simply charging a fee for using your card? Instead of charging the fee that’s no longer legal, they’ll just give you a discount for anything that’s not on the card. But for all practical intents and purposes, it’s exactly the same thing, isn’t it?

ANDREW LEIGH: Here’s the big difference, Leon. When you’re getting a discount, you’re getting a better price than what you see on the menu or on the shelf. When you’re getting a surcharge, you’re getting the worst price. So what really frustrates people is when you see one price on the menu and then you pay a higher price at the checkout. No one minds getting to the checkout and discovering they’ve gotten a bargain. But people get pretty frustrated when you’re told that there’s one price, whether you’re shopping online or shopping in-store and then that price goes up at the checkout when you choose to pay by tap. That’s gone as of 1 October. A big reform helping consumers but also helping competition. Because most businesses aren’t charging these additional fees. About 84 per cent of businesses don’t have card surcharges. And now this is asking the other 16 per cent to come in line too.

LEON DELANEY: Okay. But for all effective purposes, if a business has previously been charging the surcharge to cover the cost of the transaction, they’re more likely now to increase their price anyway in order to cover that and then offer the discount for the cash transaction, ending up exactly back where we started?

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO SYDNEY, DRIVE WITH SARAH DINGLE
THURSDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2026

SUBJECTS: Latest ATO corporate tax transparency report; Scrapping card surcharges

SARAH DINGLE: Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. He advocated for better transparency in corporate tax and saw through the passing of new tax disclosure laws. He joins us now. Welcome to Drive, Dr Leigh.

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

SARAH DINGLE: So, what were your thoughts on this latest report from the ATO?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, there's legitimate reasons for a business not paying tax but there's no reason for failing to pay tax that's due. We've made big changes – significant reforms to legislate a 15 per cent global and domestic minimum tax, world-leading transparency requirements and tightening the rules around debt deductions, which is one way that big corporates were reducing their tax bill. And so, we've now had the lowest level of corporates paying zero tax since transparency reporting began, an initiative which began under a Labor Government.

SARAH DINGLE: But why would almost 30 per cent of large companies not be paying tax? It includes names like the Microsoft Data Centre Operations, Singtel – which is of course the parent company of Optus, Sony Australia, Starbucks I believe, and many more. Why aren't they paying tax?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, the standard reason is they're not making a profit. So, the tax is paid on profit rather than being on revenue. And we've sought to make sure that firms are transparently reporting other jurisdictions where they've got tax paid. That…

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?