Andrew Leigh MP: Speeches & Conversations

Andrew Leigh MP

About

This podcast features speeches and conversations with Andrew Leigh, the federal member for Fenner in the Australian Parliament. Andrew is an economist, author and triathlete. His website is andrewleigh.com. Authorised by Andrew Leigh MP, Gungahlin Place, Gungahlin ACT 2912.

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105 episodes

Canberra launch of “The Shortest History of Economics”

On 6 March 2024, my book “The Shortest History of Economics” was launched in Canberra, via a Canberra Times/ANU “Meet the Author” event, in conversation with ANU Vice Chancellor Genevieve Bell. For more about the book, see https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/shortest-history-economics  

53m
Mar 12
Sydney launch of “The Shortest History of Economics”

On 4 March 2024, my book “The Shortest History of Economics” was launched in Sydney. University of New South Wales Professor Richard Holden opened the event, and Associate Professor Rachael Meager hosted the in-conversation event. For more about the book, see https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/shortest-history-economics  

50m
Mar 12
Speaking about “The Shortest History of Economics” on ABC Conversations

In February 2024, I sat down with Richard Fidler on the ABC Conversations program to discuss my new book “The Shortest History of Economics”. The ABC Conversations homepage is https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations  

52m
Feb 27
Peace at the Policy Table: Australia's Path Forward

On 21 February 2024, I spoke at the Australian Peacebuilding Network Roundtable in Parliament House on the topic “Peace at the Policy Table: Australia’s Path Forward”. The text is available at https://www.andrewleigh.com/peace_at_the_policy_table_australia_s_path_forward  

7m
Feb 22
From Chance to Change: Leveraging Randomised Trials and Data Science for Policy Success

On 1 February 2024, I delivered a keynote address to the Human Technology Institute Shaping Our Future Symposium at the University of Technology, Sydney. The text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-human-technology-institute-shaping-our-future  

20m
Feb 04
Does Sport Unite or Divide Us?

Sparking off my book “Fair Game”, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia organised a debate with David Rowe on the topic “Does sport unite or divide us?”. You can also listen to it on ABC Big Ideas https://abc.net.au/listen/programs/bigideas/does-sport-unite-or-divide-us-/102960996

54m
Nov 09, 2023
Terminator or Star Trek? Shaping the Future of AI

On 20 October 2023, I chaired a panel on artificial intelligence at the SXSW Sydney conference. The panel was titled ‘Terminator or Star Trek? Shaping the Future of AI’, and featured Tracey Spicer, Rodolfo Ocampo and Theresa Anderson.

55m
Oct 23, 2023
Changing the World, One Coin Toss at a Time

On 11 October 2023, I spoke to the Evidence and Implementation Summit in Melbourne on the topic “Changing the World, One Coin Toss at a Time”. The full text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-evidence-and-implementation-summit-melbourne

21m
Oct 16, 2023
The Best Medicine: Lessons from Health for Policy Randomistas

On 29 September 2023, I spoke at the Australian Evaluation Society’s annual conference on what policymakers can learn from health. The speech began with the example of the radical mastectomy, a procedure that was needlessly performed on half a million women before a randomised trial revealed the truth. The text is available at https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-australian-evaluation-society-2023-international    

20m
Oct 03, 2023
Competition and Artificial Intelligence

On 20 September 2023, I spoke to the McKell Institute in Sydney on the topic “Competition and Artificial Intelligence”. The full text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-mckell-institute-sydney

30m
Oct 03, 2023
Pat Farmer’s Run For The Voice: Pat Farmer in conversation with Joyrah Newman

As part of his run around Australia to raise support for a Voice to Parliament, former Liberal MP Pat Farmer visited Canberra, and held an event at the Australian National University in conversation with Wulgurukaba woman and Indigenous Marathon Foundation graduate Joyrah Newman. The discussion covered ultrarunning, grit, reconciliation and more.

41m
Sep 13, 2023
Data and Evaluation: A Match Made in Policy Heaven

On 15 August 2023, I spoke at the Data for Policy Summit in Canberra. The text of the speech is available here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/data_and_evaluation_a_match_made_in_policy_heaven_speech

22m
Aug 20, 2023
Building Community and Building Evidence: 15 Years of the Centre For Social Impact

On 16 August 2023, I spoke at the 15th anniversary celebration for the Centre for Social Impact in Sydney. The text of the speech is available here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/building_community_and_building_evidence_15_years_of_the_centre_for_social_impact_speech

10m
Aug 20, 2023
A More Competitive Labor Party

On 19 July 2023, I spoke to a Per Capita John Cain lunch on the topic of factionalism in the Labor Party. I argued that factional power is at an all-time high, and that it is important for the health of the party to maintain space for people who are not in a faction. The text of the speech is available here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/a_more_competitive_labor_party_speech  

35m
Jul 21, 2023
Emma Johnston’s Fenner Lecture – The Future of Our Ocean

On 7 June 2023, Sydney University marine ecologist Professor Emma Johnston delivered the Fenner Lecture, on the topic of “The Future of Our Oceans”

45m
Jun 14, 2023
Better Evaluation Builds a Stronger Public Service: The Australian Centre for Evaluation

On 7 June 2023, I spoke to Roland Wilson Scholars at the Australian National University about randomised trials, and the new Australian Centre for Evaluation. The text of the speech is available here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/sir_roland_wilson_foundation_scholar_symposium_speech

23m
Jun 07, 2023
Leadership in an Age of Distraction

On 5 June 2023, I spoke with Kilfinan leaders and mentors, a group comprising people from the charity and business sectors, about the potential for technological distraction to reduce productivity and erode community. Drawing on lessons from agile programming and other high-productivity workplaces, I suggested ways that we might help people engage in deep work and build meaningful connections in an era of smartphones and social media.

19m
Jun 07, 2023
Choosing Openness, Yonsei University, Korea

On 2 May 2023, I spoke at Yonsei University in Seoul on the topic ‘Choosing openness: How regional partnerships boost economic dynamism’. The full text of the speech is available at https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-yonsei-university-seoul

30m
May 08, 2023
Fair Play, Fair Competition & Economic Dynamism

On 5 April 2023, I delivered a short speech at the National Small Business Summit on the role of fairness in competition laws. The full transcript is here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-cosboa-national-small-business-summit-melbourne

13m
Apr 06, 2023
Digital Competition and Economic Dynamism

On 17 March 2023, I addressed a conference at Monash University Business School on the theme of ‘Opportunities and challenges of the digital revolution’. The full speech text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-monash-university-business-school-melbourne

22m
Mar 20, 2023
How Uncompetitive Markets Hurt Workers

On 2 March 2023, I delivered a speech at a Per Capita event (hosted by Maurice Blackburn), titled “How Uncompetitive Markets Hurt Workers”. The full text of the speech can be found here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/how_uncompetitive_markets_hurt_workers_speech_melbourne

34m
Mar 06, 2023
Choke Point Capitalism with Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow

On 16 February 2023, I spoke with Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow about their new book, “Choke Point Capitalism”. The event was held at the Australian National University, as part of the ANU / Canberra Times ‘Meet the Author’ series. Thanks to the ANU for permission to post this podcast recording.

1h 4m
Feb 22, 2023
What Andrew Leigh is reading this summer

Interview on ABC RN Breakfast to discuss my summer reading. 

7m
Feb 03, 2023
Market Power and Markups: Malign Markers for the Australian Macroeconomy

On 7 December 2022, I gave the fourth of my competition reform talks. This one focused on markups, and was delivered at the Sydney Institute. The full text is available here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/address_to_the_sydney_institute_speech_sydney

19m
Dec 09, 2022
Launching ‘The Whitlam Era’ book

On 2 December 2022, at the National Press Club, I launched Scott Prasser and David Clune’s edited book ‘The Whitlam Era’. The speech text is available at https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/book https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/book-launch-whitlam-era-national-press-club-canberra-launch-whitlam-era-national-press-club-canberra https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/book-launch-whitlam-era-national-press-club-canberra

9m
Dec 02, 2022
Health Inequalities in the COVID Pandemic

On 23 November 2022, I delivered the WD Borrie Lecture at the Australian Population Association Conference, held at the Australian National University, on the topic “Health Inequalities in the COVID Pandemic: Evidence from Australia”. The text of the speech may be found here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/wd-borrie-lecture-australian-population-association-conference

28m
Nov 25, 2022
Economic Dynamism: A Global Perspective

On 14 November 2022, I delivered the Warren Hogan Lecture at the University of Sydney, on the topic of ‘Economic Dynamism: A Global Perspective’.

23m
Nov 18, 2022
In Conversation with Frank Bongiorno about his new book ‘Dreamers and Schemers’

On 2 November 2022, Frank Bongiorno joined me on stage in Canberra to discuss his new book, ‘Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia’. The event was held as part of the ANU / Canberra Times Meet the Author series.

57m
Nov 04, 2022
A zippier economy: Lessons from the 1992 Hilmer Competition Reforms

On 17 October 2022, Andrew Leigh delivered a talk in the Sydney Ideas series – Sydney University’s flagship speech series. Here is a summary: “In October 1992, Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the establishment of a major independent inquiry into competition policy in Australia. Fred Hilmer’s review sparked the National Competition Policy reforms, which was followed by a surge in productivity. Thirty years on, Andrew Leigh will look at what lessons the Hilmer Review and National Competition Policy can teach us. After the worst decade of income growth in the post-war era, Leigh argues that it is vital to prioritise competition. Globally, regulators are actively looking at what Louis Brandeis famously called ‘the curse of bigness’, and considering how excessive market concentration might harm consumers, hurt workers, and reduce economic activity. A zippier economy requires more startups, more mobility, and more innovation.”  

39m
Oct 21, 2022