Andrew Leigh

MEDIA RELEASE

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK COMPETITION DIALOGUES

This week, I will travel to the Philippines to represent Australia at the Asian Development Bank Competition Policy Dialogues in Manila.

Competition policy helps drive economic growth and the meeting will be an important opportunity to engage with representatives from our region.

Among the subjects on the agenda will be competition policy reform and the role of evidence in development policy. I look forward to speaking about Australia’s competition reforms, including the largest update to merger laws in fifty years.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC CANBERRA DRIVE WITH LEON DELANEY
FRIDAY, 19 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS: Productivity Commission Report on Philanthropy, CFMEU, Political donations reform

LEON DELANEY: The Federal Government has released the Productivity Commission's review on philanthropic giving. It's called Future Foundations For Giving, aiming to double donations by 2030 to strengthen Australia's charity sector and to support vulnerable communities. Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and Assistant Minister for Employment, not to mention our local member here in the federal seat of Fenner, Doctor Andrew Leigh. Good afternoon.

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Good afternoon, Leon. And thanks to all of your listeners who make the donations that help our charities do such terrific work.

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION FINAL REPORT ON PHILANTHROPIC GIVING

The Albanese Labor Government has released the Productivity Commission's once-in-a-generation review of philanthropic giving. The review aims to boost donations to charities to help achieve the Government’s target of doubling philanthropic giving by 2030.

Philanthropic giving underpins the crucial efforts of charities, not-for-profit organisations and community groups to support vulnerable Australians and better connect Australian communities.

The Albanese Labor Government is working to boost the capacity and capability of our expert charity sector by boosting the flow of resources through smarter more effective giving. The Productivity Commission’s report will inform future steps in reaching that goal.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC CANBERRA MORNINGS WITH ROSS SOLLY
THURSDAY, 18 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS: Impact of social media on creativity, CFMEU, Lack of bipartisan support for increase in ACT Senators, Integrity in the charity sector.

ROSS SOLLY, HOST: Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment. Have we lost the art of being bored, Andrew Leigh?

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: I'm a big fan of boredom, Ross. I think it does often encourage creativity. It's those moments of daydreaming when you can get a bit of perspective on a project.

SOLLY: Yes, I'm with you. I think boredom is fun sometimes. I was interested - you and I have spoken about this before, Andrew Leigh, about social media, and I think you and I are coming from the same page on this. But I was interested to see these three leading mental health institutes saying that maybe the approach to banning social media for people under 16 is not the right approach. What do you think?

LEIGH: Look, I read that with some interest and certainly one of the questions around the ban is how it works in practice, which is why we funded the age assurance trial in the last Budget. But more broadly, I think it's also about resetting our relationship with technology and understanding that sometimes putting away the phone and being out in nature can make all the difference. I just went up for a run up Mount Majura this morning. Being out there listening to the kookaburras and looking at Canberra from up on high, that's pretty magical. And no device interaction could have started the day as well as that.

INNOVATING FOR IMPACT: STRATEGIES FOR TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES

Jobs Australia Conference
Wednesday 17 July 2024

Acknowledgement of country

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose land I am recording this message today – and the Yugambeh people whose country lies within the City of Gold Coast area where you are gathering for this important conference, bringing together Australian not-for-profit employment service providers.

I also acknowledge any First Nations people present here today.

Introduction

Modern Australia could not function without not-for-profit organisations like yours.

Your work galvanises communities.

Your efforts give Australians the opportunity to thrive, delivering widespread social and economic benefits.

For that, I thank you for the work you do.

Since we’ve come to power, our government has worked hard to rebuild the relationship with charities and not-for-profits.

We’re also working hard to make sure our employment services are up to scratch.

And for that, we need your help.

We’ve made no secret of the fact our employment services system needs to change.

We’ve heard loud and clear from organisations like yours through the House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services.

And I want to thank the many people who took the time to provide submissions and appear as witnesses.

Taxation (Multinational—Global and Domestic Minimum Tax) Bill 2024 - Second Reading Speech

It's important to see this in its historical and international context. No government in Australian history has done more on multinational tax fairness than the Albanese government. No government around the world is doing more to improve multinational tax integrity than Australia.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO BRISBANE MORNINGS WITH STEVE AUSTIN
THURSDAY, 4 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS:  Making multinational pay their fair share, Greens joining Coalition to oppose two-state solution, Senate Economics Committee on ASIC.

STEVE AUSTIN, HOST: No one likes paying tax, but also things that we hate more is when multinational companies avoid paying tax when they make money in this country. But then say, yes, our business is in Australia, but our head office is in, I don't know, the Cayman Islands or the Jersey Islands, so we don't have to pay you tax. Well, as you know, for many years there's been pressure on both sides of politics federally to do something about it. Now Federal Labor apparently has. You can make money in Australia and avoid having to pay your share. But Andrew Leigh is Labor's Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you. How big is the problem of multinational companies avoiding tax in this country?

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning, Steve, and good morning to your listeners. It's a serious issue. We now have numbers suggesting that about two-fifths of multinational profits pass through low-tax or no-tax jurisdictions. So, that means globally, hundreds of billions of dollars are being funnelled through these places. And these so-called ‘Treasure Islands’ are part of what's been eroding the global tax base at a corporate level for many decades. That's why more than 100 countries around the world got together in a global agreement to say, we're going to put a floor on company tax, a 15 per cent floor. And if countries weren't charging 15 per cent, then other countries could levy top-up taxes. Today I'm introducing into Parliament legislation that will see Australia enact that measure, allow us to claim top-up taxes where other jurisdictions aren't pulling their weight.

Joint Media Release
The Hon Jim Chalmers MP
Treasurer

NEW LEGISLATION TO ENSURE MULTINATIONALS PAY A FAIRER SHARE

The Albanese Government has introduced legislation to deliver on our election commitment to improve tax transparency and integrity.

This is all about ensuring multinational companies pay a fairer share of tax in Australia.

To pay for the things that matter most to Australians like healthcare, education and defence, it’s important that multinationals that operate in Australia, pay a more reasonable rate of tax and that’s what our legislation will help to achieve.  

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO MELBOURNE MORNINGS WITH JUSTIN SMITH
WEDNESDAY, 3 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS:  Appointment of consumer and small business advocates as designated complainants, Food and Grocery Code of Conduct Review 2023–24, merger reform, improving competition.

JUSTIN SMITH, HOST: Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Charities, Competition, Treasury and Employment, and he's in our Canberra studio. Dr Leigh, thanks for your time.

​ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Real pleasure, Justin. I should say at the outset, I'm about to be called to the Parliamentary Chamber, so I'm not with you for as long as I would normally like.

SMITH: You politicians and your busy lives. No problem.

​LEIGH: Exactly.

​SMITH: Let's get to it.

LEIGH: It's a treat to talk competition.

​SMITH: Thank you. Well, let's get to it. How's this going to work? What's your plan?

​LEIGH: Well, this is a fast-track process for three really well-known peak consumer and small business groups. CHOICE, the Consumer Action Law Centre and the Council of Small Business. And it'll allow them once a year to gather up complaints on the biggest issue that they've seen, whether that's drip pricing, whether that's dodgy contract terms, and take that to the competition watchdog for a fast-track look. The competition watchdog will then have to come back within 90 days. Of course, these organisations can raise other complaints during the year, but they'll get one fast-tracked complaint which allows their insights to be turbocharged through the competition regulator.

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RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC CANBERRA DRIVE WITH SASKIA MABIN
TUESDAY, 2 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS: Senator Payman, Two-state solution, Coalition’s confusion on competition.

SASKIA MABIN, HOST: You are listening to the ABC Radio Canberra Drive show with me, Saskia Mabin. Next we'll be getting into a bit of a discussion about how things are within the Labor Party since the suspension of Fatima Payman. Let me just remind you, this is a little bit of audio from her interview on the weekend with David Speers on the Insiders program.

SENATOR FATIMA PAYMAN: If the same motion on recognising the state of Palestine was to be brought forward tomorrow, I would cross the floor. I respect the Prime Minister and my senior colleagues, and obviously the Prime Minister had a stern but fair conversation with me a few days ago and I understand that he's got very important decisions to make as the leader of our nation. When I made the decision on the Senate floor to cross, I did it with the understanding that this could lead to expulsion and costing my Labor membership. But what I know is this is about 40,000 Palestinians that have been massacred and slaughtered since 7th of October, and I know that Australians are a fair people. And knowing about the Labor Party, we are a party with a conscience and champions of human rights, whether that be justice, fighting for freedom or equality. So, I believe that I've been abiding by those principles of the party.

MABIN: So, after those comments on the ABC Insiders program, Senator Payman was indefinitely suspended from the Labor Caucus. Here's a little bit about what Anthony Albanese said on ABC Radio yesterday.

PRIME MINISTER ANTHONY ALBANESE: The actions of an individual which is designed to undermine what is the collective position that the Labor party has determined. No individual is bigger than the team, and Fatima Payman is welcome to return to participating in the team if she accepts she's a member of it.

MABIN: "No individual is bigger than the team." Joining me is Andrew Leigh, the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, also the Assistant Minister for Employment. Andrew, thank you for your time on the show.

ASSISTANT MINISTER ANDREW LEIGH: Real pleasure, Saskia. Thanks for having me on.

MABIN: A pleasure. Now, what do you think there? "No individual is bigger than the team." Do you agree with our Prime Minister in his assessment of Fatima Payman?

LEIGH: Look, absolutely, Saskia. I like to think that I'm well liked around Canberra, but I'm pretty realistic in knowing that if I had put my hand up to run for election in 2010 without the words ‘Australian Labor Party’ underneath my name, I would have been lucky to get more than the votes of my family and a few mates. The reason I'm in the parliament is because I'm part of a team. That's true of Senator Payman. That's also true of everybody else in the Labor Caucus. We first got elected thanks to being part of a team. So, the obligation there is to make strong arguments in the party room and then to go out in the field and to play as a team. It's what the Brumbies do, it's what the Raiders do. You can have an argument in the locker room, it's about whether you're going to pass the ball to the left or the right. But once you agree you're going to pass the ball to the left, you've all got to go out in the field and play that play.