2CC Canberra Breakfast with Stephen Cenatiempo - 17 September 2024 - Transcript
SUBJECTS: Social media age limits, Food and Grocery Code of Conduct review, Supermarket Competition, National Competition Policy
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO (Host): All right, time to talk federal politics with the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and Member for Fenner, Andrew Leigh. Good morning, Andrew
ANDREW LEIGH: Good morning, Stephen.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO: I want to talk ‑ a question without notice, the social media ban that's being promoted by the Government, and from what I understand the Coalition is on the same page here, you're one of the more intelligent people in Parliament so I want to talk to you about this. You've all got it wrong. You're not listening to the right people and not listening to the experts who actually can fix the problem now without legislation and protect kids right across the country, like they're doing right across the world. And there are Australian companies that are world leaders in this, and for some reason our politicians don't want to talk to them.
ANDREW LEIGH: Well, Stephen, I'm not sure what solution you'd put in place that would not involve the social media companies. Everything I've seen ‑‑
Read moreAppointments to the Australian Competition Tribunal - Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE
APPOINTMENTS TO THE AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION TRIBUNAL
The Albanese Government has appointed Professor David Byrne, Associate Professor Katharine Kemp and Professor Flavio Menezes as part-time members of the Australian Competition Tribunal (the Tribunal) for a five-year period.
Professor Byrne is a Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne. He undertakes empirical research in industrial organisation and behavioural economics, focusing on energy and resource markets. He was awarded the Young Economist Award by the Economic Society of Australia in 2023.
Associate Professor Kemp is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney and leads the UNSW Public Interest Law and Tech Initiative. Her research focuses on competition, data privacy and consumer protection regulation. She has also practised as a commercial lawyer at Allens and as a barrister in Melbourne.
Read moreCompetition Reform Will Ensure Flourishing Future - Opinion Piece
COMPETITION REFORM WILL ENSURE FLOURISHING FUTURE
Imagine a future where Australian shoppers buy their products at fair prices, businesses thrive on healthy competition, and our economy stands resilient against global challenges.
Recently, the federal and NSW treasurers and I took the first step toward this by releasing a consultation paper on revitalising National Competition Policy.
There is consensus that this is something worth doing and we're aiming for agreement by the end of the year.
Australia Signs Tax Treaty with Slovenia - Media Release
AUSTRALIA SIGNS TAX TREATY WITH SLOVENIA
The Government has signed a new tax treaty with Slovenia, representing the first tax treaty between the two nations and a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship.
Once in force, the treaty will enhance trade and investment opportunities between Australia and Slovenia by creating a more favourable regulatory environment and producing new opportunities to enhance economic cooperation.
The treaty will give Australian businesses new opportunities to access Slovenian capital through reduced withholding tax rates.
Read moreABC Canberra Breakfast with Adam Shirley - Monday 9 September
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
ABC CANBERRA BREAKFAST WITH ADAM SHIRLEY
MONDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2024
SUBJECTS: Census 2026.
ADAM SHIRLEY (HOST): Well, as you might have heard, the Federal Government has determined to include at least a couple of questions about gender and sex identity in the forthcoming Census. This has come after weeks of argument, of 180 degree turns and then recommitments. The Federal Government, as part of its election platform at the last election, said it would commit to including these questions. Then, as you know, reportedly Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he wanted to remove said questions to avoid, apparently, another culture war. And the ensuing cry from those in the community saying, we just want to be counted, we just want to be represented, has meant now the government has said, yes, we'll go ahead and do it.
Doctor Andrew Leigh is an Assistant Minister in the Albanese Government and has responsibility for the Census. I caught up with him minutes ago to ask him about this process.
So, a lot of people watching the way this played out quite publicly might have scratched their head and wondered, why did the Government seem to make this so difficult for itself? How straightforward, in the end, is it to include questions of gender and sexuality in the Census?
Read moreNew Topic in the 2026 Census - Media Release
NEW TOPIC IN THE 2026 CENSUS
The Albanese Government is setting a new topic of ‘sexual orientation and gender’ for inclusion in the 2026 Census.
This will allow the Australian Bureau of Statistics to ask questions on sexual orientation and gender for the first time, in keeping with their recommendation to government.
These questions will only be asked of people aged 16 and over, and the ABS has told the Government that people will have the option not to answer.
Read moreEvidence-Based Policing - Speech
EVIDENCE-BASED POLICING
Speech to ‘What Works in Policing for Community Safety and Our People’, the Global Evidence-Based Policing Conference 2024, Melbourne
Tuesday, 3 September
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, the traditional owners of these lands, and pay respects to all First Nations people present.
I am chuffed to speak to such a distinguished group of practitioners and scholars in policing, from Australia and around the world. Special thanks to those who have travelled internationally to be here. You are integral to creating, developing, and implementing evidence-based approaches to policing
My thanks to David Cowan for the invitation to speak, and for the work he has been doing here in Australia to spearhead evidence-based policing, as Superintendent in charge of the Organised Crime Division by day, and President of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing by night.
David Cowan – like so many of you in this room – is a randomista. Not only is he seeking to run experiments, but to build support for long-term evidence-based policing in Australia, and around the world.
Read moreBuilding A More Connected Community - Speech
BUILDING A MORE CONNECTED COMMUNITY
Address at opening of Salesforce ‘Ohana Floors
Thursday, 29 August 2024
Thanks very much, Andrew. Like Uncle Charles, I'd like to acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation on whose lands we meet today, to pay respects to all First Nations people present, and to acknowledge so much that the not-for-profits in the room do for supporting First Nations communities.
I started the day watching the sun rise on Maroubra beach this morning with a group called WNOW, founded by Tadgh Kennelly and David Eccles. It's a group that gets a bunch of blokes together on beaches to do a bit of exercise. We did our push ups and our burpees, and then circled up to talk about our mental wellbeing. Tadgh and Dave founded WNOW because they were worried about the epidemic of loneliness in Australia. They now have chapters spreading not only across Australia, but now around the world. It's just one example of the many extraordinary charities and not-for-profits helping shape Australia for the better.
Read moreWhy new rules in competition are sure to be game-changing - Opinion Piece
When I took on the competition portfolio for Labor, a friend issued me a challenge: how many Australian industries can you name that are not dominated by a few big firms?
It’s a tough ask, and the problem has only gotten worse. The last couple of decades has seen a rise in market concentrated. There’s been an increase in price markups – the gap between firms’ costs and what they charge consumers. The lousy productivity growth of the 2010s is likely a key reason why real wage growth was so sluggish under the former federal government.
So what can we do about it? One of the key pillars of competition policy is merger law. It acts as the ‘preventive medicine’ of competition, analysing whether mergers will help or harm the economy.
Read moreMeasuring What Matters bolstered by the ABS - Media Release
Today the ABS has released its first annual Measuring What Matters dashboard, housing Australia’s wellbeing framework established by the Albanese Government.
This newly renovated dashboard will place a national focus on wellbeing beyond other critical indicators like GDP, employment and wages – embedding the framework as a robust and permanent source of accountability.
This is about measuring what matters most to Australians to deliver better outcomes for our communities and our economy.
The dashboard is an interim step to help to inform a more comprehensive statement that the Government will publish every three years to support policy development.