Andrew Leigh

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, 11 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Tonight is Census night, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s something the Australian Bureau of Statistics does every five years to count every person and every household in Australia. It’s actually a huge thing to do. Technically, it’s called the Census of Population and Housing. It gives the ABS a snapshot of Australia on a particular night. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister responsible for the Census. He joins us. Welcome!

ANDREW LEIGH: Thanks Patricia, happy Census Day!

PATRICIA KARVELAS: It is exciting, I will admit that. You’re an economist. Why is the Census important?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, tonight’s the night where we count the country and get those nation-building numbers. This will determine the flows of GST to states and territories, where we put centres for dealing with people with long-term health conditions. It’ll shape where new schools are located, where bus routes are placed and it’s important too for businesses who might be looking as to whether to open a new store, or for non-profits who are looking as to where to provide services to vulnerable communities.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: What are the new questions that are in this Census that you think are particularly interesting or exciting tonight in terms of capturing new data?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, this year, in common with a range of other countries such as Canada, we’re including questions on gender and sexual identity. They’re questions asked only of people over 16 and there’s a ‘prefer not to answer’ option. These are questions that the LGBTQ+ community has been calling for, for decades, and which are important for providing better targeted services to that vulnerable population.

PATRICIA KARVELAS: Okay, so that’s the biggest change?

ANDREW LEIGH: That’s the most significant change. It’s a new topic that’s been added, with questions drafted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO ILLAWARRA, MORNINGS WITH NICK RHEINBERGER
TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census

NICK RHEINBERGER: Well, it is Census night in Australia. You can fill out the Census beforehand. You don't have to do it this evening and sit around the table as long as you know exactly who's going to be in your house as of tonight. Do you have issues with filling it out? We certainly know that in 2026 there's a lot of distrust of certain government programs. Well, we're going to try and ease your mind a little bit with Dr Andrew Leigh, Member for Fenner, which covers Wreck Bay, and he's with us now here at ABC Illawarra. He is also the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury here at ABC Illawarra. Andrew Leigh, g'day!

ANDREW LEIGH: G'day Nick, how are you?

NICK RHEINBERGER: Not too bad. Look, it's fair to say a lot of people would remember 10 years ago where the Census essentially overloaded itself and didn't work on the night. How robust are the government IT systems this year?

ANDREW LEIGH: Yes, the federal government learned a lot from that Census disaster in 2016. And now the Australian Bureau of Statistics engages much more closely with our cyber security agencies. It's been an extensive topic of my discussions with the Bureau of Statistics over recent months in the lead-up to the Census. The Census has worked extensively, stress testing its systems and working to combat those cyber threats. They're more severe than ever, and so it is a real risk but the Australian Bureau of Statistics has done all they can in order to deal with the cyber security dangers.

NICK RHEINBERGER: How do you stress test something which is going to potentially get 10 million people online tonight?

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
4CA RADIO CAIRNS, BREAKFAST WITH MURRAY JONES
TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census

MURRAY JONES: Let's talk to the Assistant Minister responsible for the Census. Andrew Leigh joins me this morning. Good morning Andrew, how are you today?

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

MURRAY JONES: Thank you for your time. I'm sure you're a busy lad today. You've got a bit on the plate, hey?

ANDREW LEIGH: Absolutely. Census day is an exciting moment for anyone close to it and I've been working with the Australian Bureau of Statistics over the last couple of years as they've done the planning leading up to our five-yearly Census. A really important chance to get a snapshot of us as a nation. It informs health policy, it ensures that states get their fair share of GST funding, sorts out where the federal electorate boundaries might be redrawn and allows us to look at things like long-term health conditions and infrastructure. So, it really is an important Census to fill out, not just for your own household, but for the good of your whole community.

MURRAY JONES: And look, you know, the fact that it's gone online has made it a lot easier for people actually doing the Census. But I should imagine, you know, for the ABS, of course, getting all this information, collating it, doing it online is certainly a good way, but maybe not for everyone, though?

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 MCDONALD
TUESDAY, 11 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: 2026 Census; migration; gambling reform

HAMISH MCDONALD: Andrew Leigh is the federal Assistant Minister responsible for the Census. Good morning to you.

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

HAMISH MCDONALD: More than three and a half million households have already done a form for this year. There’s still another seven million, I think, that have to complete it tonight. Tell us about how the logistics of this works? Because it’s described as the largest peacetime logistics operation that any government engages in?

ANDREW LEIGH: It really is huge, Hamish. For many of us, we’ll just be doing it online and not interacting in person. But there’s 30,000 Census workers out there focusing principally on vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach populations. So, they’ll be contacting people who are homeless, people in prisons, people in aged care centres, in remote communities. And the Australian Bureau of Statistics has been doing this since 1911 so it has a huge amount of experience about how to get as many people as possible. And of course, their goal is a response rate of 100 per cent.

HAMISH MCDONALD: And so should we be expecting doorknocks?

ANDREW LEIGH: Look, if somebody has responded using a paper form in the past, then the ABS knows that and they’re reaching out to those people. There’s large print and braille forms that they’re sending out, but for most people they will have just received that standard Census form in the mail and they’ll be logging on to do their Census online. If you know where you’re going to be tonight, you can do it right now. As you said, three and a half million people have already done that. And if you’re completely unable to do it tonight, of course you can do it tomorrow and just fill in the details for Tuesday night.

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

Food Labels Must Tell The Truth 

Friday, 7 August 2026

The Albanese Government welcomes confirmation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that they are probing the concerning allegations of food mislabelling raised by the ABC’s Four Corners program. 
Australians deserve confidence that the products they purchase are accurately advertised and that they are getting exactly what they pay for. These allegations have understandably caused considerable concern.

Whether a product is marketed as Australian-grown, cage-free, or made from particular ingredients, consumers have a right to expect the label tells the truth. When people pay a premium based on those claims and do not get what they paid for, they are being ripped off.

These allegations are not just about consumers. They are also about fairness for Australian farmers, producers and businesses that do the right thing. Honest businesses should be rewarded for competing on quality and integrity, not undercut by those making claims that are misleading or false.

At a time when cost of living pressures remain significant, every dollar counts. Australians should be able to shop with confidence, knowing claims about where food comes from, how it is produced and what it contains can be trusted. 

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

Make it count on Tuesday

Published in The Daily Telegraph

7 August 2026

Next Tuesday, Australia will do something both impressively ambitious and remarkably detailed: counting everyone.

That includes people in city apartments and remote communities. It includes workers on offshore oil rigs and passengers aboard cruise ships in Australian waters. It is a vast national undertaking, built one answer at a time.
People have been organising censuses for nearly 6,000 years. Some of the earliest known censuses were carried out in ancient Mesopotamia around 3800BC, counting people, livestock and food supplies. Next Tuesday's Census is mercifully less interested in your goats.

Australia's first national Census took place in 1911. Field officers travelled by foot, horse, cart and bicycle to collect the forms, before every result was tabulated by hand.

This year, for the first time, Australians have been able to subscribe through myGov to receive Census updates and access the online form.

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO PERTH, DRIVE WITH OLIVER PETERSON
THURSDAY, 6 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: National safety standard for e-bikes

OLIVER PETERSON: Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury and he joins me live on drive. Dr Leigh, good afternoon.

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

OLIVER PETERSON: Right now, states are responsible for this and each have their own rules. Why is the federal government getting involved?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, there's two stages at which we need to crack down on these dodgy e-bikes. The first is that the Transport Ministers, led by Minister Catherine King, got together and agreed to a set of standards about what can be ridden. And now the Consumer Ministers are getting together and we've agreed on a set of standards about what can be sold.

That means that from next year, the ACCC will have set a safety standard that will regulate things like how fast the bike can go, how much power it can have and ensuring it can't be modified. E-bikes are a great boon in terms of mobility, but these super-powered bikes are a risk to their own riders and to pedestrians around them.

OLIVER PETERSON: Have you ridden one yourself, Andrew?

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

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB, SYDNEY NOW WITH CLINTON MAYNARD
THURSDAY, 6 AUGUST 2026

SUBJECTS: National safety standard for e-bikes

CLINTON MAYNARD: I want to speak with the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Andrew Leigh. Andrew has announced a range of measures at a federal level to start tackling this problem. Hi Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH: G'day Clinton, great to be with you.

CLINTON MAYNARD: So, what are you proposing?

ANDREW LEIGH: So we've asked the competition watchdog, the ACCC, to develop a mandatory safety standard that will determine what kind of bikes can be sold. The Transport Ministers have already agreed to set standards on what can be ridden. This sets standards on what can be sold and cracks down on exactly the problem that you've talked about. 

E-bikes can be really useful for getting around and taking some of the pressure off the roads. But what we don't want is to see these unsafe, overpowered bikes out on the road. Some of them are being sold so they can be modified, and setting a clear standard that takes into account modification, I think, is going to be important.

CLINTON MAYNARD: Okay. Now that's a crucial point there you raised there, Andrew. So in NSW, the law is at 25 kilometres an hour the electric motor is supposed to completely cut out. So if you're going down a hill, you're going to exceed that. But you shouldn't be under electric power over 25. That's on the road. But if you're off the road, you can go faster than that. And that's where a lot of these bikes are being overridden with the software. How do you stop that?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, some of the bikes that comply with the international standard, which prevents modification, will do a factory reset if they detect an attempt to modify. Other ones will go further than that, they will actually slow down the assist to just 6 kilometres an hour.

CLINTON MAYNARD: But if you can legally use a bike off-road, so not on a public road and it can go above that 25 kilometres an hour, does that mean it can then be brought into the country and legally sold?