Andrew Leigh

BUILDING A MORE CONNECTED COMMUNITY

Address at opening of Salesforce ‘Ohana Floors
Thursday, 29 August 2024

Thanks very much, Andrew. Like Uncle Charles, I'd like to acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation on whose lands we meet today, to pay respects to all First Nations people present, and to acknowledge so much that the not-for-profits in the room do for supporting First Nations communities.

I started the day watching the sun rise on Maroubra beach this morning with a group called WNOW, founded by Tadgh Kennelly and David Eccles. It's a group that gets a bunch of blokes together on beaches to do a bit of exercise. We did our push ups and our burpees, and then circled up to talk about our mental wellbeing. Tadgh and Dave founded WNOW because they were worried about the epidemic of loneliness in Australia. They now have chapters spreading not only across Australia, but now around the world. It's just one example of the many extraordinary charities and not-for-profits helping shape Australia for the better.

When I took on the competition portfolio for Labor, a friend issued me a challenge: how many Australian industries can you name that are not dominated by a few big firms?

It’s a tough ask, and the problem has only gotten worse. The last couple of decades has seen a rise in market concentrated. There’s been an increase in price markups – the gap between firms’ costs and what they charge consumers. The lousy productivity growth of the 2010s is likely a key reason why real wage growth was so sluggish under the former federal government.

So what can we do about it? One of the key pillars of competition policy is merger law. It acts as the ‘preventive medicine’ of competition, analysing whether mergers will help or harm the economy.

I’m inviting applications for a Canberra-based media / communications assistant.

I have a broad range of ways I engage on policy issues, from op-eds and interviews to social media, tele townhalls, podcasts, and public events.

My media person helps draft and coordinate those ideas. This involves drafting media releases, and op-eds, liaising with journalists, feeding social media and working with the wider Labor team. The hours can exceed a nine to five workday and can be unpredictable, so the position includes an allowance to compensate for those additional hours.

As Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury & Employment, as well as Member for Fenner, the issues that I engage on range from economic inequality to building community. An appreciation for economics, a love of words and a passion for Canberra are definite pluses.

Some travelling, with an occasional overnight stay, may be required.

In the late-1990s, prior to entering politics, I worked as a policy and media adviser for Senator Peter Cook. So I am open to applicants with a range of skills. If you’ve worked in the media or in the parliamentary environment, great. But if you’ve simply got a keen interest in the media and good policy, then please don’t hesitate to apply.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

Matter of Public Importance
Tuesday, 20 August 2024

My grandfather Roly Stebbins was born in a tent in 1922. At age 14, in the middle of the Great Depression, he left school to provide for his family. He worked as a boilermaker. Then, after World War II, he and my grandmother Jean Stebbins, a teacher, set about building their first home. They got a cheap block of land in Seaholme near Williamstown and fired the bricks by hand. Roly would get help from his mates, building the house bit by bit when they could.

My grandfather's story was the story of Australia in those postwar decades. Through the interwar period, the homeownership rate in Australia was about half. By 1966, it had risen to nearly three-quarters. This was a huge surge in the homeownership rate spurred initially by the Curtin and Chifley governments and, to their credit, continued by the Menzies government. But it's a very different situation today. Under the former Coalition government, the homeownership rate hit a 60-year low and their policies only made the problems worse. We had the HomeBuilder program, which blew out to five times the expected budget and which, according to the former Governor of the Reserve Bank, Philip Lowe, increased construction prices. We had the former government's policy of raiding your superannuation to pay for a home, which Malcolm Turnbull referred to as the 'craziest idea I've ever heard'. We had the government walk away from social housing and from investing in tackling the problem.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC BREAKFAST WITH STEPHEN CENATIEMPO
TUESDAY, 20 AUGUST 2024

SUBJECTS: Peter Dutton’s hypocrisy on visas, humanitarian impact of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, helping Australians avoid being scammed

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO, HOST: Time to talk Federal Politics with Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner, and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. Andrew, good morning.

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Morning Stephen. Great to be with you.

CENATIEMPO: Now, I want to ‑ I'm interested in talking to you about this telecommunications amendment, but first, I'm surprised that you want to talk about Peter Dutton's remarks on Gazan refugees here, because I'm sure the government thinks that they're on a winner here, but you're not.

LEIGH: Well, Stephen I'm happy to talk about anything that's on your mind, but certainly what Peter Dutton's doing seems to me extraordinarily divisive, and something that I think would trouble many Canberrans…

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC CANBERRA DRIVE WITH ROSS SOLLY
THURSDAY, 15 AUGUST 2024

SUBJECTS: Peter Dutton’s remarks on visas for Palestinians, ongoing conflict in the Middle East, CFMEU Bill, AIS support for Olympians.

ROSS SOLLY, HOST: Watching it all unfold on the hill today. Maybe he even took part in some of the discussions, some of the debate, Local Member Andrew Leigh. Good afternoon to you, Andrew Leigh.

ASSISTANT TREASURER ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon, Ross. Great to be with you and your listeners.

SOLLY: Yes, I watched a bit of Question Time today. I've been, for my sins, I have been listening to some of the argy-bargy that's been going on. A couple of people texting earlier on said it's a bit of a dark day in Australian politics when the debate sort of centres on how we treat refugees, etcetera. What's your take on it? Zali Steggall used the 'r' word, the 'racist' word. Was that going too far?

SIMPLIFYING GENEROSITY: HARMONISING CHARITABLE FUNDRAISING LAWS

Address at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Regulator’s Day
Thursday, 15 August 2024

Thank you to Commissioner Sue Woodward AM and to the staff of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission for the invitation to speak to you today.

And thank you to all of you who are joining the event, for the contributions you’ve made to develop and improve the regulatory environment of Australia’s charities and not-for-profits.

Seven years ago, I joined representatives of the charity sector to launch the #fixfundraising campaign to harmonise Australia’s fundraising laws.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SKY NEWSDAY WITH KIERAN GILBERT
WEDNESDAY, 14 AUGUST 2024

SUBJECTS: CFMEU, Middle East conflict, AIS support for our Olympians.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Joining me live in the studio as the Assistant Employment and Competition Minister, along with the responsibility for Charities and Treasury too, Andrew Leigh. Thanks for your time. Looks like there will be a deal on this legislation to put in administrators for the CFMEU. Many in the construction sector say it's not a day too soon.

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Absolutely, Kieran. We've moved quickly on this as the allegations came to light. We understand that there is no place for bullying and thuggery in the construction sector. These issues have been particularly concerning to people who believe in the power of unions, who've been shocked to see what's gone on within the construction division of the CFMEU. So, the sooner that the Coalition and the Greens work to pass this important legislation, the better.

Celebrating the Australian Institute of Sport's support for our Paris Olympians
Constituency Statements, Federation Chamber
Wednesday 14 August 2024

Most of our Olympians are coming home today and with them 53 medals—the best medal tally for Australia since the Sydney games. There have been some remarkable stories over in Paris: 43-year-old basketballer Lauren Jackson earning her fifth Olympic medal; cyclist Matthew Glaetzer, who lost four bronze medal races in the past four Olympics, beating thyroid cancer and finally getting an Olympic medal in Paris; and Jessica Hull becoming the first Australian woman to claim a medal in the 1,500m and propelling the athletics team to its best result since Melbourne in 1956. We saw Saya Sakakibara, the BMX gold medal winner, with an emotional tribute to her brother Kai. We saw Jess Fox taking home six individual medals in total over her various games, and we've now seen her sister Noemie win in the first-ever kayak cross event. The Fox family in itself would have ranked 29th on the medal table. Kayak cross was supported by the Albanese government's $20 million Paris preparation fund. Then we had 14-year-old skateboarding gold medallist, Arisa Trew, who said to her parents that she would now like a pet duck.