Andrew Leigh

MEDIA RELEASE

APPOINTMENTS – DEPUTY CHAIR AND MEMBER

AUSTRALIAN CHARITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFITS COMMISSION ADVISORY BOARD

I am pleased to announce that the Government has appointed a new Deputy Chair and a new member to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Advisory Board.

The Advisory Board supports the ACNC Commissioner by providing sector-specific advice relating to charities.

Ms Sara Harrup has been appointed as the part-time Deputy Chair (and member) in recognition of the contributions she has made as a member since 1 August 2023. Her appointment as Deputy Chair will commence on 2 August 2024 and continue through to 1 August 2026.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
HIT104.7 CANBERRA WILKO & COURTS
MONDAY, 5 AUGUST 2024

SUBJECTS: Passing of Terry Snow

NEIL WILCOCK: We heard the news last night that at the age of 80, businessman, philanthropist, very prominent here in the Canberra community, Terry Snow had passed away.

[Excerpt]

TERRY SNOW: Mandatory that you got a passion. And this word passion gets thrown around a lot, but passion does really mean a commitment to excel, to lead, and to do very, very well. And I'm very passionate about what I do. And I think that the reason I've been successful is because of this passion and commitment. And it's not about money. My life is not about money.

​[End of excerpt]

​WILCOCK: Yeah. So, it's a super sad day. But also we get to reflect on all the great things that Terry has done for our community and the ACT in general.

​COURTENAY KNEEN: Yeah. And he's one of those names where I feel like a lot of people know the name but - and they wanted to know him personally, but he felt just out of reach.

DOORSTOP - CARRINGTON INN, BUNGENDORE

WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2024

SUBJECTS: Launch of new circulating coin to recognize 100 years of Cobb and Co..

ANDREW LEIGH, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMPETITION, CHARITIES AND TREASURY, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT: Thank you all of you for coming out on this beautiful Bungendore day. I acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we are meeting today.

Back in 1853, Freeman Cobb, an American migrant to Australia took inspiration from the stagecoaches that had been criss-crossing his home country to set up Cobb and Co. He did so with three mates and created a stagecoach network that spanned the East Coast. That carried people, packages, sometimes gold, through Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales.

Cobb and Co coaches would travel around 50 miles a day. But the same set of horses wouldn't do the whole run. Typically they’d change horses every 10 miles or so. At a place just like the Carrington Inn. Chatting to proprietor Richard Graham, who appropriately enough is American born, he was telling me that the Carrington Inn was set up with seven rooms for guests to stay. That showed that they were inspired even then, to be not just the place where the horses could be changed, but also a place where the stagecoach riders could stay the night. Cobb and Co was an extraordinary Australian institution, and it did its final ride on the 14th of August 1924.

SPEECH

EVIDENCE-BASED DEVELOPMENT

Asian Development Bank Institute Research Conference on efforts to increase inclusive economic growth, in honour of Dr Peter McCawley
Manila, Philippines
Wednesday, 24 July 2024

Thank you to the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Asian Development Bank and Australian National University for hosting this conference on inclusive economic growth.

It’s an honour to be here representing the Australian Government and to have the opportunity to pay tribute to a great Australian and international citizen, Dr Peter McCawley.

It’s especially pleasing to be invited to speak at an event jointly organised by my friend Professor Hal Hill, one of Australia’s greatest-ever development economists, and Dr Daniel Suryadarma, one of my former PhD students, who has gone on to make a huge contribution to research and policymaking, including in his role at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

SPEECH

DYNAMISM DOWN UNDER: LESSONS FROM COMPETITION REFORM*

Asian Development Bank Competition Policy Dialogues, Manila, Philippines
Tuesday 23 July 2024

Members and guests of the Asian Development Bank, thank you for the welcome. It’s an honour to be here representing the Australian Government.

Australia is a founding member of the Asian Development Bank and we continue to support joint efforts to respond to the needs of the region and deliver transformative development projects (ADB 2024, Wong 2024).

As part of that commitment, Australia supports initiatives to share expertise across a range of areas and I thank the Bank and the Philippines for hosting today’s Competition Policy Dialogues.

SPEECH

MAKING DEVELOPMENT COUNT: EVIDENCE FOR REAL CHANGE

Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines
Tuesday 23 July 2024

Good morning, it’s terrific to be here at the Asian Development Bank’s headquarters.

Thank you, Rachel Thompson (Asian Development Bank, Executive Director), for the introduction and for facilitating today’s roundtable.

Australia is a founding member of the Asian Development Bank, and like all members, we want to see positive change for the region’s poorest and most vulnerable.

Earlier this year, the Australian Government pledged its support (A$492 million) for the Asian Development Fund 2025–28 round (ADF14) (Wong 2024).

But our membership isn’t limited to the funding side of things.

Member countries also commit to sharing their expertise and practical experience across a range of areas.

And this visit is a great opportunity to share Australia’s experiences on competition policy and evaluation – two things relevant to the Bank’s wider objectives on improving living standards and making an impact in a cost-effective way.

At the Asian Development Bank’s Competition Dialogues later this afternoon, I will share lessons learnt on competition reform from Australia.

And at the Asian Development Bank Institute tomorrow, I will argue that the more we can figure out what works, the better we can make development programs work for everyone – especially for the most disadvantaged.

On a similar note, I welcome the opportunity to make some opening remarks on making development count and using evaluation and data to maximise our efforts.

NON-COMPETES ARE A DRAIN ON THE ECONOMY AND INNOVATION

In 2022, news broke that Australia's biggest accounting firm had used secret government plans to help clients avoid a new multinational tax law. As the story unfolded, some of PwC's customers decided to take their business elsewhere. Some PwC staff also decided that they would prefer to work elsewhere.

But there was a catch. When partners and employees sought to leave PwC - or its spin-off Scyne Advisory - they began to hit barriers. One clause in the exit agreement imposed a two-year ban on partners working with any client that their business unit had previously advised. Because of the breadth of PwC's client base, this effectively ruled out partners working for almost any government or large business in Australia. After giving notice, the agreement allowed PwC to withhold up to 100 per cent of salary for some partners.

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.

E&OE TRANSCRIPT
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.