Andrew Leigh

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

Government Targets Hidden Fees And Subscription Traps In Crackdown On Unfair Trading Practices

9 February 2026

The Albanese Government is launching a nationwide crackdown on unfair trading practices including hidden transaction fees and subscription traps, releasing draft legislation today that would ban these practices across the economy.

Too many Australians have clicked “buy” only to discover extra charges at the final screen, or found themselves locked into subscriptions that are far easier to start than to stop. These practices chip away at household budgets and undermine trust in the marketplace. With cost-of-living pressures front of mind, the Government is acting to ensure the price consumers see is the price they pay.

The draft laws would outlaw harmful business conduct that unreasonably manipulates or distorts consumer decision-making, in addition to targeting subscription traps and hidden transaction fees.

Under the proposed reforms, businesses offering subscriptions in Australia would need to disclose key information before sign-up, notify customers at critical points during a subscription, and provide a clear, straightforward way to cancel. Transaction fees would also have to be prominently disclosed, so consumers are not ambushed by unexpected costs at checkout.

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

Australian and New Zealand Industrial and Applied Mathematics Conference 2026
Convergence in the Capital
Opening Speech

Canberra

9 February 2026

Hello everyone, and welcome to ANZIAM 2026.

I’m Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities & Treasury. I would have loved to be with you in person, but Parliament is sitting this week – which is rather like an optimisation problem solved in real time. The constraints are real, the objective function evolves as new information arrives, and convergence takes patience.

Still, I’m delighted to welcome you to Canberra – a city that is sometimes described as discrete rather than continuous, highly structured, and with a surprising amount of empty space between nodes. In other words, a place many of you will feel instantly at home.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which you’re meeting, and to pay my respects to all First Nations attendees.

This is the 62nd ANZIAM conference, and Canberra has hosted you before – which suggests either that Canberra is a stable fixed point of the ANZIAM conference map, or that the basin of attraction is larger than it looks. Given the program this week, I’m confident someone here could tell us which.

Looking at the abstracts, what struck me is just how broad and unapologetically applied this conference is. In the next few days you’ll move from malaria modelling to distributed convex optimisation, from groundwater clogging to vegetation patterns in drylands, from high-dimensional networks to the fluid mechanics of your morning coffee. It’s a reminder that applied mathematics is the connective tissue of much of modern life.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, AFTERNOONS WITH LEON DELANEY
FRIDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2026

SUBJECTS: Albanese Labor Government’s right to repair delivering for motorists, small business and the economy; interest rates; inflation; replacing the Capital Gains Tax discount with inflation indexation

LEON DELANEY: First up today, the federal Member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh. Good afternoon.

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

LEON DELANEY: Well thanks for joining us today. You've travelled a long way out of your electorate today to Fyshwick. Why was that?

ANDREW LEIGH: All the way to Fyshwick to catch up with Anthony Costello Automotive – one of our terrific independent mechanics here in Canberra. We're bringing down a report that benchmarks the benefits of Labor's Motor Vehicle Information Sharing Scheme, which we put in place three and a half years ago.

Leon, as you know, modern cars are computers on wheels, and without the ability to tap into those computers, independent mechanics really were trying to do the job with their hands tied behind their back. So, we put in place the Motor Vehicle Information Sharing Scheme that required manufacturers to share that data on fair and reasonable terms with independent mechanics. The new report I released today found that that benefited independent mechanics and to the tune of more than $2 billion, and of course it benefits consumers, because independent mechanics tend to be cheaper.

LEON DELANEY: This is part of a broader concern about something called right to repair, and it applies not only to motor vehicles, but to all kinds of consumer goods, doesn't it?

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
ANTHONY COSTELLO AUTOMOTIVE, FYSHWICK
FRIDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2026

SUBJECTS: Albanese Labor Government’s Right to Repair delivering for motorists, small business and the economy

ANDREW LEIGH: It’s a real pleasure today to be here at Anthony Costello Automotive. They’re one of Canberra's terrific independent mechanics. Increasingly as modern cars have become more computerised, they have found it harder to get access to the information they need to fix them.

Modern cars really are computers on wheels. And so, three and a half years ago, Labor put in place the Motor Vehicle Information Sharing Scheme. The Scheme has ensured that independent mechanics get the data they need to fix modern cars. This report we're releasing today has shown that that's been a boon to the independent mechanics sector and increasing their revenue by some $2.4 billion.

That means more apprentices, more jobs and more sustainability. It's also critical to Australian households because independent mechanics are on average, 25 per cent cheaper than taking a car to a dealer to get it fixed.

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

The Hon Anne Aly MP
Minister for Small Business
Minister for International Development
Minister for Multicultural Affairs

Right To Repair Delivering For Motorists, Small Business And The Economy

6 February 2026    

The Albanese Government is delivering greater choice for motorists while backing small businesses and improving competition and productivity across Australian economy.

Released today, the Review of the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme confirms Australia’s first right to repair scheme is delivering expanded consumer choice, improved access to repair information and supporting safe and timely vehicle repairs.

Since commencing in July 2022, the Scheme has required vehicle manufacturers to provide independent repairers with access to service and repair information available at a price no higher than fair market value.

The Review reports that the scheme has been associated with a $2.4 billion increase in automotive industry turnover annually, and that independent workshops are experiencing greater capability, productivity and profitability. It also finds that consumers now have more choice and face fewer barriers when servicing modern vehicles.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, MORNINGS WITH SASKIA MABIN
MONDAY, 2 FEBRUARY 2026

SUBJECTS: Housing, ACOSS report, building approvals hit four-year high under Albanese Government

SASKIA MABIN: Joining us now on the line is Dr Andrew Leigh, the Member for Fenner. Good morning and welcome to you.

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

SASKIA MABIN: Thanks for being here. These numbers are really concerning. I mean, that's a significant amount of money that's going towards tax concessions for landlords and nowhere near enough on housing programs, while we know that homelessness and people struggling to pay rent are issues that are just getting worse and worse. Is this something that's top of the agenda for you?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Saskia, it's important to recognise that the reason that this research was made possible is that Jim Chalmers revamped the Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement upon coming to office, providing much more information about the details of the tax expenditures we have –breaking that down by income and by gender and by industry. So that's to get more information out there because we do believe that a sensible conversation around tax is worthwhile. Jim Chalmers said in an interview on ‘The Monthly’ recently that he was impatient but not impetuous for tax reform and understands the value of the community conversation there. At the same time, we're doing a huge amount on housing. We just had figures out in January on building approvals and dwelling approvals. New home starts hit a three and a half year high, building approvals hit a four year high. So what we're doing in order to get more housing built is working, but there's a lot more to be done on that front.

SASKIA MABIN: At the moment, according to ACOSS, fewer than 2 per cent of homes here in Australia being built for social housing. The OECD has called on the government to boost its investment in social housing. You've just referred to a little bit of the work that the government is doing. How will that change the dial?

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, I mean, we had that nine-and-a-half-year period under the Coalition where effectively the federal government stepped back from the social and affordable housing game. And because housing takes a while to build, that takes a while to overcome that deficit that built up under the Coalition years. We're on-track to deliver 55,000 social and affordable homes through initiatives such as the Housing Australia Future Fund, an innovative way of unlocking new finance to fund homes for those who most need them. And we're ensuring that we get those costs down through working with the states for planning and zoning approvals, pausing changes to the National Construction Code. We've now got inflation in construction costs well down. It was 17 per cent a year when we came to office, now it's down to 2 per cent. So, that makes a big difference for people who are looking to build homes and also for the work that the governments are doing, both ACT and federal government here in Canberra.

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

Review of thin capitalisation reforms

30 January 2026

We have tasked the Board of Taxation to undertake an independent review of the Albanese Government’s thin capitalisation reforms.

Our thin capitalisation reforms target the excessive use of debt deductions to avoid paying tax in Australia, and are in line with the OECD’s best practice guidance.

These reforms are all about ensuring multinationals pay a fairer share of tax in Australia.

When multinationals exploit loopholes to pay less tax, they’re gaining an unfair advantage over local businesses.

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

Support For Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary To Prepare For H5 Bird Flu

30 January 2026

The Albanese Government is investing $185,000 to safeguard native species at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, in response to the threat of H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (H5 bird flu).

Australia is the only continent that remains free from H5 bird flu. Its rapid global spread, primarily through the movement of migratory birds, has led to significant impacts on poultry, wild birds and some mammal species overseas. Cases have also been detected in people. If H5 bird flu reaches Australia it could significantly impact agricultural industries, wildlife including threatened species, and communities.

Last November, testing confirmed the presence of H5 bird flu in samples collected from southern elephant seals on Heard Island, a remote sub-Antarctic Australian external territory more than 4,000km south-west of Perth.

Today’s funding announcement will support Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary to boost critical biosecurity measures, to protect the eastern quoll from a potential future outbreak in Australia.

Julie Collins MP
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Member for Franklin

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

28 January 2026

Horticulture Code of Conduct Review 

The Albanese Labor Government is committed to a strong horticulture industry in Australia and is today announcing that Mr Chris Leptos AO will lead an independent review of the Horticulture Code of Conduct. 

Horticulture is Australia’s third largest agriculture industry, with production value forecast to hit a record $18.9 billion this financial year, and exports on track to hit another record of $4.4 billion. 

The Code regulates trade between growers and traders of wholesale unprocessed fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs, to ensure transparency and clarity of transactions. 

The review will examine potential improvements to the Code and allow stakeholders to consider competition issues facing the sector. 

Mr Leptos, who brings extensive corporate and government experience, will consult with stakeholders across the horticulture supply chain over coming months. 

Growers, traders, industry bodies and government agencies are encouraged to consider the review’s consultation paper and respond with their suggestions about how to improve the Code and its operation.  

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, 27 JANUARY 2026

SUBJECTS: Australian of the Year Awards

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

ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning Stephen, are you keeping cool?

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Yeah, I'm trying. Movie cinema is a good place. You'd go and see that Super Progressive movie, wouldn't you?

ANDREW LEIGH: I haven't gotten to see a movie for quite a while now. But one of my boys said that Marty Supreme, the new ping pong movie, is pretty good.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Okay, fair enough. Yeah, I haven't been to the movies. Actually, I took my nephew to see one not that long ago, and I can't even remember what it was. The Australians of the Year were announced on Sunday night. And I think, you know, I was very critical of the Australian of the Year award a number of years back but we seem to have got it back on-track and this year's recipients have done some extraordinary work. But you had a chance to talk to three of the four recipients at the ceremony on Sunday night and talked about what platform they want to – or where they want to take their award. And because we know that for the next 12 months, they'll use their position to sort of push a certain avenue or subject matter. And you had a chance to discuss that with them?

ANDREW LEIGH: Yeah, I had a real privilege of spending some time with all of the nominees. So there's four categories, eight jurisdictions, there are 32 of them who spend the weekend together in Canberra not knowing who's going to win. So you get to talk to many of them about what they'd do if they did win. And Katherine Bennell-Pegg, who's our Australian of the Year, first Aussie astronaut, she's going to be focusing a lot on STEM. She's really concerned that the number of kids studying physics and maths has been falling in Australia and that it's important to inspire the next generation, as she got it just by looking up at the stars.

STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: Because I…

ANDREW LEIGH: And Nedd Brockmann. Oh sorry, go on.