Andrew Leigh

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA, POLITICS NOW WITH TOM CONNELL
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Productivity Commission GST Review, United Nations Climate Summit, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report

TOM CONNELL: The Productivity Commission will launch a review into the GST payments. It will potentially look at the WA deal, which means the state retains 75 cents of every dollar of the GST. That's due to reforms introduced by the Morrison Government. The arrangement at the moment costs the Commonwealth about $60 billion. That's the estimate over the next four years. The Treasurer says the review of the deal is fair and financially sustainable. Joining me now, the Assistant Competition Charities and Treasury Minister Andrew Leigh. Thank you for your time. Now, I know Labor takes taxpayer money seriously, so if there's a review - everything's on the table, including WA's GST distribution? Is that accurate?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well Tom, as you accurately said this is a review that was legislated back in 2018. It has to happen before the end of 2026. So, this is really just us delivering on the legislated timetable. We'll wait and see what the Productivity Commission comes back with. Of course, our goal is to see an equitable and efficient distribution of GST, as is done through the independent Commonwealth Grants Commission.

TOM CONNELL: And what about the WA aspect of that? Is that on the table? Is the review allowed to look at it and make recommendations? And would Labor consider them?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, that'll be one of the issues that the review looks at. That was legislated back in 2018 when the legislation passed the Parliament with bipartisan support. So, it'll look at that along with a range of other issues. Obviously, we're always looking at how we can modernise arrangements and ensure that the system is working as well as possible.

TOM CONNELL: So, we had Patrick Gorman on air today say, guaranteed nothing's being touched with the WA GST distribution. Is that just something a West Australian MP has to say?

ANDREW LEIGH: Patrick is absolutely right. We have no plans to change those arrangements.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2GB RADIO SYDNEY, MORNINGS WITH MARK LEVY
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Fake Google reviews, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump selfie

MARK LEVY: Well if you were listening to the show yesterday, I was joined by George Sowmi. He's the boss at Origin Bathrooms, and you'll remember he told us about his struggle with these fake Google reviews. The story in short is that foreign actors, in this case from Pakistan, have been leaving fake reviews for George's business. They then contact the business owner asking for money to take down the reviews. And this is the sort of thing that's happening across the country, impacting businesses like George's. Take a listen to the effect this has had on his business. This is George speaking yesterday.

[Plays excerpt]

GEORGE SOWMI: You think about who's contracting us to do work. It's mums and dads who are investing a huge amount of money. One of their biggest investments that they make in their home, renovating kitchens and bathrooms and laundries. And that Google review is an instant thing that recognises to them that they can trust us. If we've got a bad score, not only do they not see us; if they do see us, they won't even bother clicking on us because they need to be able to trust us. For us, this is detrimental.

[End of excerpt]

MARK LEVY: George Sowmi speaking yesterday to us here on 2GB Mornings. And this is something we're seeing happen not only here in New South Wales, it's right across the country to small businesses everywhere. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. He's on the line with me now. Assistant Minister, good morning to you.

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

MARK LEVY: And you too. Are you aware of these fake Google reviews and the damage that's being done to these businesses?

ANDREW LEIGH: Absolutely. It's an issue that's been raised by the competition watchdog’s Digital Platform Services Inquiry. And if Google is monetising a review process, it has an obligation to ensure that that review process has integrity. I really feel for a business that is relying on its online reputation. Gone are the days in which people are getting new information by word of mouth. Now the online reputation really counts. So, we do need to make sure that Google reviews have integrity and that their review system has an ability to take down fake reviews quickly. The ACCC recommended that there should be a mandatory process to remove fake reviews and that that should be done in a reasonable time period.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO SYDNEY, MORNINGS WITH HAMISH MACDONALD
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Productivity Commission GST review, benefits of migration, Harry Styles and the Berlin Marathon

HAMISH MACDONALD: A question for you. Do you shop around for your groceries to get the best price? Or like me, are you just a bit of a creature of habit, going to the same shop every week, buying the same things because it’s a bit more convenient and you don’t have to think too much about it? This morning, the consumer advocacy group CHOICE has published their latest supermarket report comparing the price of an average basket of goods across a variety of stores. Andrew Leigh is the federal Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury. Andrew Leigh is here. A very good morning to you.

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

HAMISH MACDONALD: So, the CHOICE survey cites 86 per cent of respondents are concerned about the rising cost of food and groceries. That tells you something, doesn’t it?

ANDREW LEIGH: It sure does. Australia has got one of the most concentrated supermarket sectors in the world, and we have been putting the spotlight on the big supermarkets, giving more resources to the competition watchdog and funding quarterly grocery price monitoring from CHOICE. That’s about putting power in the hands of consumers to shop around by giving them accurate, up-to-date information on the cost of a representative basket of groceries.   

HAMISH MACDONALD: But that’s where I think this story gets really interesting, because Coles and Woolies remain so close on price. The price of a basket of goods varies between just 20 and 40 cents. Doesn’t that also tell us that maybe some of these concerns we have about competition are well-founded?

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC RADIO CANBERRA, BREAKFAST WITH ROSS SOLLY
THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Sydney 2000 Olympics 25th anniversary, Ben Roberts-Smith War Memorial display, Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly supermarket comparison report, Optus

ROSS SOLLY: So, a new report from the consumer advocacy group CHOICE looking at the prices of various supermarket products has been released today. What does it mean? Where is the best place to get cheap supermarket products? We'll find out in just a moment. Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Productivity Competition, Charities and Treasury. He's also the member for Fenner, and he joins us on the program this morning. Andrew Leigh, good morning to you.

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

ROSS SOLLY: And with you as well. A couple of things first. Where were you 25 years ago today, Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: So, I was doing my PhD over in Harvard and I remember being down in a basement watching TV with my friend David Madden, the only other Australian who was around - cheering our heads off, surrounded by Americans who were completely bemused as to why we thought this was the greatest moment in human history.

ROSS SOLLY: Well, I mean they would have just been cheering for Michael Johnson I think, who won gold on the same night. So, it might be good to get one up on the Americans then Andrew Leigh?

ANDREW LEIGH: But just an amazing moment Ross. Like, you think about what that did for the reconciliation. You know, Cathy Freeman winning that 400 gold really was such a uniting moment for Australia.

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

New Report Helps Australians Get a Fairer Deal at the Checkout

25 September 2025             

The latest Albanese Government funded CHOICE quarterly report into supermarket prices released today has revealed Aldi remains the cheapest supermarket followed by Coles, Woolworths and IGA.

The sixth quarterly report gives consumers the latest pricing information on household products by comparing a basket of basic goods and putting a spotlight on home brand products.

CHOICE mystery shoppers visited 104 supermarkets in 27 locations across Australia in June. For a full basket of 15 items, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket again with a total cost of $55.34, followed by Coles ($56.75), Woolworths ($57.20) then IGA ($65.56).

The September report also includes a new ‘freshness assessment’, comparing strawberries from the four supermarket chains. CHOICE found Coles was the winner on both day one, with 100 per cent of punnets showing no signs of decay, and day five, when 58 per cent had no signs of decay.

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Social Services

Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
Minister for Finance
Minister for Women
Minister for Public Service
Minister for Government Services

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

Dr Marisa Paterson MLA
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services
Minister for Women
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
Minister for Corrections
Minister for Gaming Reform
Member for Murrumbidgee

Suzanne Orr MLA
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water
Minister for Disability, Carers and Community Services
Minister for Seniors and Veterans
Member for Yerrabi

Innovative trial to support First Nations fathers and tackle family violence

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

The Federal and ACT Labor Governments are teaming up to deliver an Australian-first trial program that will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait fathers who are using, or at risk of using, violence at home.

The trial Caring Dad’s program will help First Nations fathers to better understand the impact of harmful behaviour, improve their relationships with their children and support them to engage in respectful parenting with mothers.

With almost $1 million funding from the Albanese Labor Government, the ACT Government will deliver and evaluate the culturally safe and community-led trial over the next two years.

The program will be trialled in partnership with Yeddung Mura, a local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
PRESS CONFERENCE
YEDDUNG MURA, CANBERRA
WEDNESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Caring Dads program to support First Nations fathers and reduce family violence

MARISA PATERSON MLA: Wonderful to be here today to officially launch the trial Caring Dads program. Yeddung Mura has done a huge amount of work developing this program. It's a Canadian program that's been specifically adapted for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community here in Canberra. The program is designed to work with dads and men who use violence or harmful behaviours, and work with them to change their behaviour. The program is very focused on connecting fathers with children and working on those relationships. So, it's great to be here and I really commend Yeddung Mura for the work that they've done and for setting up this program and really looking forward to seeing the outcomes that this program delivers for the community.

ANDREW LEIGH MP: G'day, my name is Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Treasury, and it's a real pleasure to be here at the announcement at the beginning of the pilot of Caring Dads at Yeddung Mura. And I'd like to thank the team from Yeddung Mura for showing us around and talking with us about the important work they're doing in the community. The Albanese Government's plan to end violence against women and children within a generation has as part of it, investment in innovative programs to address perpetrator behaviour. As part of that, we're providing $3.3 million to the ACT Government, and $780,000 of that will go to the trial of Caring Dads. It’s a world’s first trial of an innovative program based on a Canadian program, but very much adapted for First Nations people here. It will work with a range of vulnerable cohorts, including those coming out of the Alexander Maconochie Centre, in order to address perpetrator behaviour and ultimately reduce violence against women and children.

ENDS

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

The Politics of Abundance and the Perils of Zero-Sum Thinking

Australian National University

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay respects to all First Nations people present today. My thanks to Professor Nicholas Biddle for inviting me back to my old school, the Research School of Social Sciences, to speak to students studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics – a degree that showcases three of the Australian National University’s strongest disciplines.

1. Scarcity or Abundance?

‘It’s not a question of enough, pal. It’s a zero-sum game. Somebody wins and somebody loses’.

That line, delivered by Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, captures the cold logic of a worldview that sees progress as nothing more than a fight over spoils. For some, that is not just a film script but a philosophy of life.

It is the essence of a zero-sum mindset. A conviction that the world is a fixed pie. If you gain, then I must lose. If one group advances, then another must fall behind.

I want to argue that politics at its best is the opposite. Politics is about building abundance. Not excess, but capability. The ability of societies to deliver more homes, more affordable energy, more inclusive growth. Abundance is about enlarging the pie so that everyone can share in it. It is about positive-sum outcomes, where cooperation benefits all.

The politics of abundance asks how we can grow together. The politics of scarcity insists we must fight over shares. And in recent years, the politics of scarcity has been on the rise. Too often, debates are framed in zero-sum terms. Immigration is presented as ‘migrants versus jobs’. Gender debates are cast as ‘women versus men’. Climate debates become ‘jobs versus environment’. When politics is narrated this way, ambition shrinks and cooperation falters.

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

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC RADIO CANBERRA, WITH LEON DELANEY
TUESDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2025

SUBJECTS: Delivering more bulk billing for the ACT, non-compete clauses, formal recognition of the state of Palestine

LEON DELANEY: The federal government has announced measures to hopefully deliver more bulk billing for residents in the ACT. Joining me now, the federal Member for Fenner and Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities, Treasury and Employment, Dr Andrew Leigh – good afternoon.

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

LEON DELANEY: Hopefully your role as Assistant Minister for Employment comes into play here, because you can employ more doctors to service the good people of the ACT. Is that the plan?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, I am no longer Assistant Minister for Employment.

LEON DELANEY: They took that one off the list?! When did that happen?!

ANDREW LEIGH: Following the election, but I have a responsibility for productivity which keeps me happy and productive. And I’m really excited about the measures we're taking to get more bulk billing doctors in Canberra.

LEON DELANEY: All right, so what are those measures in detail?

ANDREW LEIGH: Well, bulk billing was in free‑fall when we came to office. As you know, the Coalition really didn't care about it, and we saw huge challenges for bulk billing right here in the ACT. So, we've set about tripling the bulk billing incentive and extending it beyond pensioners and concession card holders to everyone who gets bulk billed. So that means that practices that bulk bill are financially much better off under the current arrangements than they would have been under previous arrangements. But then, specifically for the ACT, we've announced that we're going to be opening up a tender for three new purely bulk billing practices. That will mean that there will be three additional practices here in the ACT that are doing that terrific work of providing bulk billing services to everyone who walks in the door, really restoring the promise of Medicare - a great Labor invention, and one that Labor always looks to make stronger.

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

The Great Unbinding: Why It’s Time to Scrap Non-Competes

Published in The New Daily

22 September 2025

Imagine being a health worker earning under $80,000, only to find that if you quit, you can’t work in the same occupation for an indefinite period. The geographic scope? Not just your neighbourhood, but the whole of Australia and New Zealand.

Or think of the graduate engineer on $63,000. His contract said that if he moved on, he couldn’t work for a competitor anywhere in Victoria for 12 months. For a young worker just starting out, that felt less like a career ladder, more like a trapdoor.

These aren’t the contracts of CEOs plotting corporate raids. They’re the contracts of ordinary Australians: people trying to pay the bills, build a career, and use the skills they’ve worked hard to earn. Instead, they find themselves shackled by non-compete clauses that say: ‘Don’t even think about moving.’

These aren’t isolated cases. Non-competes now cover around one in five Australian employees: more than three million people. They stifle wages, block mobility, and bottle up ideas. For workers, they punish initiative. For the economy, they act like sand in the gears.