Episodes

Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Pat Farmer’s Run For The Voice: Pat Farmer in conversation with Joyrah Newman
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
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.

Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Evaluating Policy Impact: Working Out What Works - National Press Club Address
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023
Tuesday Sep 05, 2023

Monday Aug 21, 2023
Data and Evaluation: A Match Made in Policy Heaven
Monday Aug 21, 2023
Monday Aug 21, 2023
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

Monday Aug 21, 2023
Monday Aug 21, 2023
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

Friday Jul 21, 2023
A More Competitive Labor Party
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
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

Wednesday Jun 14, 2023
Emma Johnston’s Fenner Lecture – The Future of Our Oceans
Wednesday Jun 14, 2023
Wednesday Jun 14, 2023
On 7 June 2023, Sydney University marine ecologist Professor Emma Johnston delivered the Fenner Lecture, on the topic of “The Future of Our Oceans”

Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Better Evaluation Builds a Stronger Public Service: The Australian Centre for Evaluation
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
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

Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Leadership in an Age of Distraction
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
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.

Monday May 08, 2023
Choosing Openness, Yonsei University, Korea
Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
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

Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Fair Play, Fair Competition & Economic Dynamism
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
Thursday Apr 06, 2023
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

Monday Mar 20, 2023
Digital Competition and Economic Dynamism
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
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

Monday Mar 06, 2023
How Uncompetitive Markets Hurt Workers
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
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

Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Choke Point Capitalism with Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
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.

Friday Feb 03, 2023
What Andrew Leigh is reading this summer
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Interview on ABC RN Breakfast to discuss my summer reading.

Friday Dec 09, 2022
Market Power and Markups: Malign Markers for the Australian Macroeconomy
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
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

Friday Dec 02, 2022
Launching ‘The Whitlam Era’ book
Friday Dec 02, 2022
Friday Dec 02, 2022
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-launch-whitlam-era-national-press-club-canberra

Friday Nov 25, 2022
Health Inequalities in the COVID Pandemic
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Friday Nov 25, 2022
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

Friday Nov 18, 2022
Economic Dynamism: A Global Perspective
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
On 14 November 2022, I delivered the Warren Hogan Lecture at the University of Sydney, on the topic of ‘Economic Dynamism: A Global Perspective’.

Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
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.

Friday Oct 21, 2022
A zippier economy: Lessons from the 1992 Hilmer Competition Reforms
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
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.”

Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Fair Game - What can sport teach us about justice and virtue?
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
Tuesday Sep 27, 2022
I joined Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on The Minefield to discuss my new book Fair Game, and to answer the question: What can sport teach us about justice and virtue?
Learn more: Fair Game – Monash University Publishing

Friday Sep 23, 2022

Friday Sep 23, 2022

Monday Aug 29, 2022
A More Dynamic Economy
Monday Aug 29, 2022
Monday Aug 29, 2022
On 25 August 2022, I delivered the Fred Gruen Lecture at the Australian National University on ‘A More Dynamic Economy’. The text of the talk is available at https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/fh-gruen-lecture-australian-national-university-canberra.

Friday May 27, 2022
Friday May 27, 2022
On 10 May 2022, Toby Walsh was in conversation with Andrew Leigh, discussing Toby’s new book ‘Machines Behaving Badly: The Morality of AI’. Toby, a world-leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, examines the ethical issues we face in a future dominated by artificial intelligence. Is Alexa racist? Can robots have rights? What happens if a self-driving car kills someone? What limitations should we put on the use of facial recognition? Can we build moral machines? The conversation took place as part of the ANU/Canberra Times Meet the Author Series, in association with Harry Hartog Bookshop.

Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
On 9 April 2022, I spoke with Robyn Williams on the Science Show about my recent book, ‘What’s the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics’.

Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Engaged Egalitarianism: Why the Australian Recovery Must Prioritise Openness
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
On 6 April 2022 in Melbourne, I delivered the biennial Stan Kelly Lecture, named by ‘modest member’ Bert Kelly after his father. The talk was hosted by the Economic Society of Australia’s Victorian branch, and was titled ‘Engaged Egalitarianism: Why the Australian Recovery Must Prioritise Openness’. It will be published in the journal Economic Papers.

Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Doubling Philanthropy by 2030
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Thursday Apr 07, 2022
Speaking in Melbourne on 7 April 2022, I announced Labor’s plan to double philanthropy by 2030, drawing on the stories of Alfred Nobel’s premature obituary and my grandfather Keith Leigh. It’s an ambitious goal, but if we have a government that collaborates with charities and donors, it’s achievable.

Thursday Mar 24, 2022
Thursday Mar 24, 2022
Speech delivered at the Paul Ramsay Foundation in Sydney on 23 March 2022. If you’re interested in this topic, you may wish to check out my book Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World”.

Monday Jan 24, 2022
Discussing ‘What’s the Worst That Could Happen?’ at Cambridge University
Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
On 17 January 2022, I discussed my new book, ‘What's the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics’ with Julian Huppert at a Cambridge University event, jointly hosted by Jesus College and the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.

Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Discussing ‘What’s the Worst That Could Happen?’ with Steve Austin on ABC Brisbane
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
Thursday Dec 23, 2021
On 21 December 2021, Andrew chatted with ABC Brisbane’s Steve Austin about ‘What’s the Worst That Could Happen? Existential Risk and Extreme Politics’.

Thursday Dec 16, 2021
What‘s the Worst That Could Happen - A Conversation with Brain Schmidt
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
What's the Worst That Could Happen - A Conversation with Brain Schmidt.

Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Talking with Chris Bowen about his book ‘Labor People‘
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Talking with Chris Bowen about his book 'Labor People'.

Friday Nov 12, 2021
Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
On 10 November 2021, the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges (for which I’m a commissioner) held a panel discussion to preview the report’s findings. The speakers Julian Elliott, Davina Ghersi, Jenn Thornhill Verma and Andrew Leigh. For more details, see https://www.mcmasterforum.org/networks/evidence-commission/stay-connected/events/event-item/global-commission-on-evidence-to-address-societal-challenges-systematizing-best-evidence-use-in-routine-times-and-to-address-future-global-crises.

Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Understanding Immigration - a conversation with Abul Rizvi
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Abul Rizvi is one of Australia’s foremost experts on immigration, having served at senior levels in the immigration department. We talked about his new Monash University Publishing book “Population Shock”, which dives deeply into the economics and politics of migration. You can buy a copy here: https://publishing.monash.edu/product/population-shock/

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021
Andrew Wear in conversation about his new book ‘Recovery‘
Tuesday Sep 14, 2021
Tuesday Sep 14, 2021
Andrew Wear in conversation about his new book 'Recovery'.
You can check out Andrew's book here.

Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Talking with Richard Marles about his new book on the Pacific, ‘Tides That Bind‘
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Thursday Sep 02, 2021
Talking with Richard Marles about his new book on the Pacific, 'Tides That Bind'. You can check out the book here.

Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Kate Thwaites discussing her new book 'Enough is Enough'
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Thursday Aug 12, 2021
Kate Thwaites discussing her new book 'Enough is Enough', co-authored with Jenny Macklin.

Monday Jul 05, 2021
The Luck of Politics – a conversation with James Glenday
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Monday Jul 05, 2021
Why is politics more like poker than chess? I spoke with James Glenday about my book ‘The Luck of Politics’, and ran through some of the ways that fortune and misfortune have shaped political careers, from Whitlam to Morrison.

Tuesday May 25, 2021
The Dignity of Labour - In Conversation with Jon Cruddas
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021

Wednesday May 12, 2021
Budget 2021: Big Dollars, Small Ambitions
Wednesday May 12, 2021
Wednesday May 12, 2021
Budget 2021: Big Dollars, Small Ambitions, speech to Institute of Public Accountants Budget Breakfast.

Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
In conversation with Tanya Plibersek about 'Upturn: A better normal after COVID-19'
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
Wednesday Dec 02, 2020
As part of Muse restaurant's literary events, I was in conversation with Tanya Plibersek about her first foray as a book editor - Upturn: A better normal after COVID-19.
About the book:
COVID-19 has resulted in changes none of us could have imagined, but what happens next? In Upturn Tanya Plibersek brings together some of the country's most interesting thinkers who are ready to imagine a better Australia, and to fight for it. It is a compelling vision for a stronger economy, a fairer society and a more environmentally sustainable future. More info here.

Thursday Oct 22, 2020
Thursday Oct 22, 2020
How are Australia's communities changing and connecting? - discussing 'Reconnected' on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, 20 October 2020

Friday Oct 09, 2020
Friday Oct 09, 2020
Andrew Leigh and Nick Terrell in conversation about Reconnected: A Community Builder's Handbook.
For more information about Reconnected, click here.

Friday Oct 02, 2020
Reconnecting Communities - This Mortal Coil, ABC Radio, 27 September 2020
Friday Oct 02, 2020
Friday Oct 02, 2020
Are you one of those people who worries about the fabric of society falling apart? Do you suspect our sense of community is disappearing? Has economic growth established a more cohesive neighbourhood around you, or has individualism taken over?
In This Mortal Coil, Indira Naidoo spoke with Andrew Leigh. He authored 'Disconnected', a book exploring the ways that Australian civic society seemed to be losing some of the glue that kept it together. The MP has also just released 'Reconnected' which offers itself up as a society builder's handbook and aims to offer a pathway for rebuilding community.

Friday Aug 21, 2020
In Conversation with Rebecca Huntley about her climate change book
Friday Aug 21, 2020
Friday Aug 21, 2020
In Conversation with Rebecca Huntley about her climate change book.

Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical & Statistical Frontiers Virtual Public Lecture
Constructing a new series of incarceration rates from 1860 to 2018, Australia now incarcerates a greater share of the adult population than at any point since the late nineteenth century. Much of this increase has occurred since the mid-1980s. Since 1985, the Australian incarceration rate has risen by 130 percent, and now stands at 0.22 percent of adults (221 prisoners per 100,000 adults). Recalculating Indigenous incarceration rates so that they are comparable over a long time span, Dr Andrew Leigh finds that incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians have risen dramatically. Fully 2.5 percent of Indigenous adults are incarcerated (2481 prisoners per 100,000 adults), a higher share than among African-Americans. The recent increase in the Australian prison population does not seem to be due to crime rates, which have mostly declined over the past generation. Instead, higher reporting rates, stricter policing practices, tougher sentencing laws, and more stringent bail laws appear to be the main drivers of Australia’s growing prison population.

Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Healthy Medicine for a Sick Economy -- Australia At Home, 25 June 2020
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
Thursday Jul 02, 2020
With Danielle Wood of the Grattan Institute and Peter Lewis of Essential Media

Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World - George Institute Conversation
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
Wednesday Jun 17, 2020
The George Institute for Global Health hosted me for a virtual #GeorgeTalks.
I was joined in conversation by Professor Anthony Rodgers, Head of the Cardiovascular Program at The George Institute.
We discussed my book, Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World.

Monday May 11, 2020
Will young people bear the economic cost of coronavirus?
Monday May 11, 2020
Monday May 11, 2020
Per Capita Australia CEO Emma Dawson and Andrew Leigh chat in a Facebook Live event on 8 May 2020.