Andrew Leigh

Federation Chamber

5 February, 2018

Dr LEIGH (Fenner) (12:40):  It's interesting to be rising today to speak on this motion, given the likely origins of this new statement of expectations and its likely trajectory. Here we are, just a day after the member for McPherson, in her role as the government's Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, confirmed that the federal government won't provide funds to help Adani build infrastructure for its proposed coalmine in Queensland's Galilee Basin. This comes on the heels of recent disturbing reports that pollution samples relating to the environmental impact of the mine may well have been doctored. As the Leader of the Opposition has said, Labor is growing increasingly sceptical over this project.

Federation Chamber

5 February, 2018

Dr LEIGH (Fenner) (16:41):  On 2 January, Australia lost one of our great economists, Fred Argy. Fred worked originally in business before completing a Bachelor of Economics in 1956 and a Master of Economics in 1960. He then pursued a distinguished career in the Public Service, advising governments from Menzies to Keating. He held a range of distinguished positions, including the Deputy Secretary (Labour Economics) of the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations and the Australian Ambassador to the OECD in Paris.

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RADIO INTERVIEW

ABC MELBOURNE

TUESDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2018

SUBJECTS: Stock Market; Corporate Tax Cuts; Workplace Laws; Adani

RAF EPSTEIN: We are joined by one of the members of Bill Shorten's economic team, Dr Andrew Leigh he is the Shadow Assistant Treasurer. Good afternoon.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Good afternoon, Raf. Great to be with you.

EPSTEIN: Just on the stock market, America and here - it doesn't look like it's going to end too soon. Is that a big worry or a simple correction?

LEIGH: It is significant. It seems to be led out of the United States, Raf, with business responses to their jobs report. The reporting that I've seen out of there suggests businesses are concerned that with a fairly tight employment market they might have to start raising wages and that's prompted a bit of a sell off on the US market which has flowed through to here.

Festival shows off our fun side

The Chronicle, 6 February 2018

What do Nordic folk dancing, African food and writer Poh Lin Yeow have in common? They’ll all be featuring at the Canberra Multicultural Festival, kicking off on 16 February.

One man who would have been proud of our colourful festival was King O’Malley, a member of the first Australian parliament who was a great champion for Canberra.

THE WAR ON CHARITIES CONTINUES

Representatives worried about the Turnbull Government’s war on charities gathered at Parliament House today to voice their concerns.

Along with my Labor colleagues, I met with dozens of representatives from organisations including:

• Australian Council for International Development
• CHOICE
• Red Cross
• Fred Hollows Foundation
• Oxfam Australia
• CARE Australia
• Consumer Action Law Centre
• Financial Counselling Australia
• Australian Council of Social Service
• World Vision Australia
• RESULTS Australia
• Pew Charitable Trusts

Two-thirds of Australian charities recently told Pro Bono that they are finding it harder to be heard by the federal government than five years ago.

Loneliness a Problem We Must Tackle Together

The Herald Sun, 4 February 2018

Berenice Benson has always wanted to go to New York. At age 85, and suffering from dementia, the walls of her nursing home room are covered with pictures of the famous city. She told staff at the Uniting Care Mirinjani retirement village that if she couldn’t visit, the next best thing would be to meet a New York police officer.

It took two years, but a few weeks ago the staff arranged for her dream to come true. Detective Howard Shank, visiting from New York, stepped into the nursing home in her uniform and introduced himself with a smile. Ms Benson burst into tears. When she recovered her composure, she said ‘this has been the best day of my life’. She felt 20 years old again.

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TV INTERVIEW

SKY NEWS AM AGENDA

MONDAY, 29 JANUARY 2018

SUBJECTS: New Commonwealth Bank CEO, Royal Commission into the Banks, Defence Exports, Trans-Pacific Partnership.

KIERAN GILBERT: Andrew Leigh, thanks very much for your time. Your thoughts on your breaking news that we brought to you just before the break, the new Commonwealth Bank chief executive has been announced?

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Happy New Year, Kieran to you and your viewers. Great to be back on Sky. I've met Matt, I've found him thoughtful and engaged. Obviously the issues facing the big banks aren't just some of the scandals that have gone by but also the financial technologies. They’re facing new FinTech competitors: everything from ApplePay to scrappy start-ups. I think Matt's got the wherewithal to deal with these challenges but obviously there is some big reform required at the head of our big banks.

LABOR BACKS SMALL BUSINESS, TURNBULL BACKS MILLIONAIRES

A stone’s throw from the train tracks in the Adelaide suburb of Ascot Park is Mr Leeing’s Café, a small business opened by John as a tribute to his father.

While Malcolm Turnbull obsesses over giving a giant tax break to multinationals and millionaires, Labor is on the side of small businesses like John’s.

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RADIO INTERVIEW

2GB 

TUESDAY, 23 JANUARY 2018

SUBJECTS: Malcolm Turnbull’s giveaway to the big end of town, Scott Morrison’s plans to tax middle Australia, US tax cuts, company tax cuts.

ROSS GREENWOOD: Let’s go now to Dr Andrew Leigh, Shadow Assistant Treasurer. Thanks for your time, Andrew.

ANDREW LEIGH, SHADOW ASSISTANT TREASURER: Absolute pleasure, Ross.

GREENWOOD: It’s a great debating point and, as I say, the difference of opinion is one that Australians have got to make their mind up to as they head towards the next election. In regards to those jobs created last year – 400,000 jobs created in Australia, most of those full time jobs, overwhelmingly full time jobs – that surely, no matter which political party you’re in, has got to be good news for Australian families.

LEIGH: Ross, I’d always welcome improvement in the employment numbers. But the key question here is should we give tax cuts to some of the biggest companies in Australia? What would that do for growth? So let’s unpack the Treasurer’s “big pie” policy. His own analysis, brought down on the eve of the budget where they announced this corporate tax cut, said that if you funded it by raising income tax on middle Australia – which is what he plans to do – it would grow the economy by 0.1 per cent. So imagine that I told you I have a great plan for growing a pie. I’m going to grow the pie by one one-thousandth. You’d say ‘I’m not sure I can actually see that, Andrew. When I stare at the edge of the crusts, they don’t seem to have gotten very much bigger.’ But that’s what Scott Morrison’s own analysis says is the impact of his $65 billion give away to the top end of town. Labor instead believes that we ought to be giving a better deal to middle Australia. We won’t support Scott Morrison’s attempt to raise taxes on everyone earning from $21,000 to $87,000. We don’t think that at a time when wage growth has been stagnant and corporate Australia is setting profit records that the right thing to be doing is raising taxes on middle income households and lowering the impact on big corporations.