Andrew Leigh

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

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DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MURAL HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
MONDAY, 10 AUGUST 2026 

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning everyone. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Assistant Minister responsible for the Australian Census. Tomorrow is Census Day, and the government is urging all Australians to fill in their Census. Collecting data through the Census is an important way in which you help not only your own household but also your community. The Census is used by the Australian Government, by state and territory governments and by local councils in order to allocate resources. 

We use the Census for figuring out where to put bus routes and where to deploy new infrastructure. Businesses use the Census in figuring out where to open new stores, and community groups use the Census in seeking to better understand their local neighbourhoods. So filling out the Census is a generous act to those around you. We'd urge all Australians to take part.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ target Census completion rate is 100 per cent. They've been working hard across Australia with a network of some 30,000 Census officers aiming to increase response rates. In the last Census, 80 per cent of Australians filled out the Census online. In this Census, the ABS is anticipating 85 per cent filling out the Census online. If people need more information, they can go to census.gov.au to get more information or phone the helpline, 1800 181 227. 

The ABS is familiar with many of the challenges that emerge. Working with prisons, with aged care centres, with people with disability – they've been distributing forms that are in large print and with braille. They understand the challenge of collecting data from the homeless population and the importance of getting the Census right so our national snapshot, conducted every five years, is as good a portrait of Australia as we can get. Happy to take questions.

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

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DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
MURAL HALL, PARLIAMENT HOUSE
FRIDAY, 7 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: ACCC to probe allegations of food mislabelling; bird flu; fuel; gambling reform; immigration

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks very much for coming everyone. My name is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition. When Australians walk into a supermarket, they should have the confidence of knowing that the claims on the shelf are true. That means if they're paying a premium for a product that's made in Australia or made according to certain conditions, then they should be confident that those claims are accurate. 

Over the last couple of weeks, we've seen some concerning allegations aired on Four Corners suggesting that some of the products in Australia's supermarkets are not being accurately represented. I'm pleased today that the ACCC has announced that it will inquire into those allegations.

The ACCC is an effective enforcer, which has been given additional resources by the Albanese Government. No Australian Government has been more passionate about improving the quality of our consumer laws. We've increased penalties for anti-consumer conduct. We've banned unfair trading practices. We've taken action against shrinkflation. We've cracked down on supermarket price gouging. The ACCC’s inquiry continues a range of actions that the ACCC has taken against misleading statements around food in recent years. That's included actions in which the ACCC has managed to secure infringement notices or penalties against misleading statements to do with the country of origin of fish, the country of origin of lobster, whether milk was fresh, and also whether eggs were free range. 

The ACCC has shown a strong willingness to enforce Australia's consumer laws in the interest of Australian consumers. Australians shouldn't be duped by misleading labels. Australians should be able to walk into a store and know that what it says on the tin is accurate. I commend the ACCC in taking this important action. I’m happy to take questions.

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

Freeing the standards rule book backs the people who build, wire, plumb, manufacture and repair

Published in The New Daily

5 August 2026

Imagine being told you have to obey a rule, then being asked to pay to read it.

For too long, that has been the bizarre position facing many tradies when it comes to mandatory Australian Standards. The rules they are required to follow have often sat behind a paid access system.

Under Federal Government changes, it will soon be free to access mandatory Australian Standards.

The reform is a no-brainer. When a standard becomes part of the law, people should have clear access to it.

Standards are the instruction manuals that help modern life hum along. They describe how products should be made, how systems should perform and how work should be carried out. They help keep homes and workplaces safe.

You might only notice standards when something goes wrong. In actual fact, they’re working around us every day.

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

Why Maths Matters
Launch of the Grand Mathematics Quiz,
Canberra

1 August 2026

[Acknowledgements omitted.]

I want to start with a story.

In 1787, in the German city of Brunswick, a teacher decided he would keep the class quiet by asking the students to add up all the numbers from 1 to 100. He thought it would buy him a few minutes of peace.

What he hadn't counted on was a remarkable student named Carl Friedrich Gauss.

Gauss spotted a pattern. He realised that 1 plus 100 equals 101. So does 2 plus 99. So does 3 plus 98. There were 50 pairs, each adding to 101. Fifty times 101 is 5,050. Before anyone else had really begun, Gauss had the answer.

Instead of doing a hundred separate additions, he found the pattern that made the problem simple.

We do that every day. Maths is all around us. It powers the devices in our pockets. It helps us forecast the weather. It determines when buses should arrive. It helps us understand challenges such as climate change by modelling what different choices mean for our planet. Maths underpins my own discipline of economics, and it is essential to the design of every major structure, including the modernist Belconnen Library we're in today.

Recognising patterns has been the work of mathematicians for centuries.

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

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TV INTERVIEW
NEWS24, WEEKEND FIRST EDITION WITH ALEX THOMAS
SATURDAY, 1 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: Luke Gosling; Angus Taylor; ABC; Australia’s world leading social media minimum age laws; inflation; fuel; Labor’s cost of living relief

ALEX THOMAS: Let's speak to Assistant Minister for Productivity Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh. He joins us live now. Good morning to you. 

ANDREW LEIGH: G’day Alex.

ALEX THOMAS: We've got lots to get through, but let's just deal with that Luke Gosling issue. As we heard from Matt Cunningham's report there, there are restrictions on his movements now, these embarrassing and shocking allegations about him elbowing David Connolly in the ribs. Surely it's the right time for him just to stand aside as Special Envoy while he deals with these allegations?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Alex, I'm acutely aware of the principle of the separation of powers, and it's simply not appropriate for politicians to be commenting on matters that are before the courts at the moment. The courts will do their job. And like everybody else, Luke's entitled to the presumption of innocence. 

ALEX THOMAS: Okay Andrew, what do you make of the leaked tape of Opposition Leader Angus Taylor over the last 24 hours or so telling a business breakfast that migrants get access to the housing deposit scheme as soon as they land here? 

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, we simply know that Angus Taylor is loose with the facts and he's been following Pauline Hanson on immigration. I'd say to Angus Taylor, you can't out Hanson, Hanson when it comes to immigration. The Coalition has a long history of supporting a bipartisan, skilled migration policy. What we're seeing now is Angus Taylor attempting to chase Pauline Hanson's votes. He should instead recognise that migrants aren't just mouths to feed, but muscles to build and minds to inspire. 

More than half our doctors are born overseas and a quarter of our construction workers. Migrants make a big contribution to this country and it's time Angus Taylor recognised that. 

ALEX THOMAS: The national broadcaster – the ABC is yet to apologise for a segment that talks about assaulting Gina Rinehart. She has now taken legal action. Why can't the ABC simply say sorry? 

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

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DOORSTOP PRESS CONFERENCE
INFINITY MEDICAL CENTRE GUNGAHLIN
WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY 2026

SUBJECTS: New fully bulk billing GP clinic now open in Gungahlin

ANDREW LEIGH: G’day, my name is Andrew Leigh – the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, and the Member for Fenner. I would like to thank Dr Boniface Ochayi, Practice Principal and Owner and the team here at Infinity Medical Centre for showing us around today. 

This is one of three fully bulk billing centres funded by the Commonwealth Government in order to boost bulk billing in the ACT. Labor built Medicare, and Labor has always sought to strengthen it. Under the Coalition, we saw bulk billing rates decline in Canberra and Labor has set about turning that around. We've increased the incentives for bulk billing individual patients and we've increased the incentives for becoming a fully bulk billing practice. 

It is now not only in the interest of patients but also of doctors for Canberra practices to switch from mixed billing to being fully bulk billing. What we've seen over the time that Labor has been in office is the number of fully bulk billing practices in my electorate of Fenner more than tripled from two to seven. Now with the opening of this practice, people are able to see a doctor in the heart of Gungahlin by just showing their Medicare card, not their credit card. That's good for them because people are able to see a doctor before a small problem turns into a big one and it's good for the whole community because someone with a sniffle gets it seen to before they pass on a serious cold to their co-workers. So this is great for health, great for productivity, and terrific for cost of living here in Canberra.

JOURNALIST: So the ACT obviously still has the lowest bulk billing rates in the country. When can we expect to be on par with the rest of the country?

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
WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY 2026

SUBJECTS: New fully bulk billing GP clinic now open in Gungahlin; voluntary assisted dying; Voices of Belconnen and Gungahlin

ROSS SOLLY: Good news for people in Gungahlin this morning. A new fully bulk billing GP clinic is going to open today. Andrew Leigh is the local member, the Member for Fenner, and he joins us this morning. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

ANDREW LEIGH: Morning Ross, great to be with you.

ROSS SOLLY: Good to have you on the show as well. So, how many fully bulk billing GP clinics are there now in your electorate?

ANDREW LEIGH: Now in my electorate, we're up to seven, which is triple the number when we came to office. We're seeing fully bulk billing clinics opening right across the ACT, including these three which have been two directly funded by the Commonwealth Government in Tuggeranong, Woden Valley and Gungahlin. Labor built Medicare, and so Labor now wants to restore bulk billing to the ACT after a long period in which bulk billing rates were sliding under the former government.

ROSS SOLLY: So, is there any reason why anybody couldn't get access to a bulk billing GP anymore in your electorate, do you think?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, now there's many popping up. According to the financials that we've got, it makes sense for more clinics to be shifting to bulk billing and I hope that more of those mixed billing clinics will make the shift. Bulk billing is important for people to be able to see a doctor and ensure that a small problem doesn't turn into a big one. Being able to see a bulk billing doctor can mean that you get on top of a sickness before you pass it on to others. That's good for the whole community.

ROSS SOLLY: One of the issues has been, Andrew Leigh, finding doctors who want to work in bulk billing clinics. And it's certainly been a problem here in the ACT. The new one that's opening up today, have you already got the doctors lined up? Do we have enough doctors to staff all the bulk billing clinics?

Senator The Hon Katy Gallagher 
Minister for Finance
Minister for Women
Minister for the Public Service
Minister for Government Services
Senator for the Australian Capital Territory

The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Minister for Disability and the NDIS

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

New Fully Bulk Billing GP Clinic Now Open In Gungahlin

Wednesday, 29 July 2026

The Albanese Government is increasing access to free health care in the Australian Capital Territory with the opening of a new fully bulk billing GP clinic, across two sites in Gungahlin.

The first Infinity Medical Centre Gungahlin site to open is Unit 1/61 Anthony Rolfe Avenue, Gungahlin. The second site opening in Gungahlin will be announced shortly.

Two other fully bulk billing clinics in the ACT opened in June in Tuggeranong and Woden Valley.

These new clinics are funded by the Albanese Government to help attract more GPs to the ACT and give residents better access to primary healthcare services.

The new ACT Bulk Billing GP practices are commissioned by the Capital Health Network, the Primary Health Network for the ACT.

There are now 24 fully bulk billing practices in the ACT, with 8 switching from mixed billing following government funding to strengthen Medicare.

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, 28 JULY 2026

SUBJECTS: Fuel excise; ICAC; Victorian Government

PATRICIA KARVELAS: I want to bring in my political panel for today. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Mary Aldred is the Liberal MP for Monash. Welcome to both of you. 

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks Patricia. G'day Mary. 

MARY ALDRED: Hello Andrew.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: I'm going to start on, if we can, the fuel excise because a lot of motorists across the country will be wondering about this one. The government has held firm, Andrew Leigh, that the excise will expire by the end of the week. But the fuel crisis isn't over. How does that work? The war's not over?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Patricia, the principal driver of fuel prices is the international oil price and that's been yo-yoing around. It was around $60 before this war, went up briefly to around $110. Last week it was close on $90. Now it's back towards $80. So we do know that that flows through to the pump with every $10 increase of the barrel price translating into about [ten cents] a litre at the bowser. 

We provided that fuel relief discount, but you can't provide that forever. And that's why we've responsibly stepped it down, alongside the tax cuts that we delivered to all taxpayers from 1 July, the minimum wage and award wage increases and the extension to paid parental leave, which ensures that there's that other cost of living support flowing to Australian households. 

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, 28 JULY 2026

SUBJECTS: Four Corners investigation into food fraud; supermarkets; One Nation; political donations; Voices of Belconnen and Gungahlin

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Alright, time to talk federal politics with the 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: There's a couple of things I want to talk about this morning. One thing that – there's been an investigation into the Australian food industry that has revealed widespread discrepancies between product labels and the actual origin of ingredients. Does this fit into your competition portfolio? Because this is a real concern. I know there's been a lot of work by successive governments to try and strengthen food labelling, but you can't, I guess, police what's in the can, can you?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, it partly falls into consumer affairs and partly also border enforcement. So, we have fairly careful border testing, importer obligations, offshore assurance arrangements, enforcement by state and territory food regulators. Food inspection is subject to scrutiny, and importers face severe fines if food doesn't meet Australian requirements.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: But you're only ever going to be sort of do be able to do sort of random testing, aren't you? I mean, it's one of those things that is almost like trying to put a genie back into a bottle?