Andrew Leigh MP: Speeches & Conversations

Why unions are vital to Advance Australia Fair - Melbourne, 2 October 2018

Why unions are vital to Advance Australia Fair - Melbourne, 2 October 2018

Repairing Australia's housing crisis - Peter Mares in Conversation with Andrew Leigh

As a part of the ANU / Canberra Times 'Meet the Author' series, I joined Peter Mares to shine some light on Australia's housing affordabilty blindspots.

Peter's new book is called No Place Like Home: Repairing Australia's Housing Crisis. 

More than a million lower-income households in Australia pay above the affordability benchmark for their housing costs. More than 100,000 people are homeless. Seventy per cent of us are concerned we'll never own property. Yet owning a home is still seen by most Australians as an essential part of our way of life.

Peter's expertly informed and eminently readable, No Place Like Home cuts through the noise around housing affordability and asks the common-sense questions about why we do housing the way we do, and what the alternatives might be.

You can learn more about No Place Like Home here.

How the tax system can narrow (or widen) the gender gap - Women's Economic Network Seminar - NSW State Library, 7 September 2018

"How the tax system can narrow (or widen) the gender gap" was presented as part of the Women's Economic Network Seminar, on 7 September 2018, at the NSW State Library.

Launching Randomistas at the Brookings Institution

On 12 July 2018, Brookings hosted a launch of Randomistas featuring Thomas D. Cook, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Northwestern University and author or editor of 10 books on research, research design, and evaluation, Rebecca Maynard, professor of education and social policy at University of Pennsylvania, and Jon Baron, Vice President of Evidence-Based Policy at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation. The conversation was chaired by Richard V. Reeves, Senior Fellow at the Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution.

Talking Randomistas with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

On 14 May 2018, I joined Dr Karl Kruszelnicki for a conversation at Gleebooks Sydney about my new book, Randomistas: How Radical Researchers Changed Our World. This podcast was originally aired on Dr Karl's excellent podcast, Shirtloads of Science. 

Gender equality and the value of work - CEDA Women in Leadership Series - Sydney, 8 June 2018

i was thrilled to join Mary Delahunty and Narelle Cooper to discuss gender equality and the value of work as part of CEDA’s Women in Leadership: diversity and inclusion series.

The series examines the value of paid and unpaid work, and ask how the future of work will impact prospects for greater gender equality in the workplace.

For more information about the event and CEDA, click here.

A transcript of the speech is available here. 

Launching Hugh Mackay's 'Australia Reimagined'

I was very pleased to be asked to offer the vote of thanks at Hugh Mackay's Canberra launch for his new book, Australia Reimagined. Hugh is a prolific and highly regarded social researcher with a vision for a more compassionate and socially cohesive Australia. 

You can learn more about Australia Reimagined here.

Launching the China Story Yearbook - Canberra, 9 April 2018

On 9 April, I launched the China Story Yearbook for 2017 at the ANU's China in the World centre.

 

The theme of the 2017 yearbook is Prosperity. The full text of the speech is available here.

Equalising the Antipodes: What can New Zealand and Australia learn from each other about reducing inequality? - Auckland, 5 April 2018

On 5 April 2018, I spoke in Auckland, New Zealand on the topic of “Equalising the Antipodes: What can New Zealand and Australia learn from each other about reducing inequality?” The full text of the speech is available here.

How the Randomistas Can Help Fight Inequality - Wellington (NZ), 6 April 2018

On 6 April 2018, I spoke in Wellington, New Zealand on the topic of “How the Randomistas Can Help Fight Inequality”.

The full text of the speech is available here.

Launching 'Randomistas' - Melbourne 8 March 2018

On Thursday 8 March, I was the guest of Melbourne Law School to launch my new book 'Randomistas: How radical researchers changed the world' has just been releaased. 

For more information, visit https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/randomistas.

Talking 'Randomistas' with Richard Glover on RN Drive

On RN Drive, I spoke with Richard Glover about the power of randomised control trials to bypass prejudice and preconception. 

My new book 'Randomistas: How radical researchers changed the world' has just been releaased. 

For more information, visit https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/randomistas.

Talking 'Randomistas' with Fran Kelly on RN Breakfast

My new book 'Randomistas: How radical researchers changed the world' has just been releaased. 

I spoke with Fran Kelly about the power of randomised control trials to bypass prejudice and preconception. 

For more information, visit https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/randomistas.

Max Corden - Lucky Boy in the Lucky Country

Max Corden is one of the world's preeminent economists. I was very pleased to be able to launch his autobiography Lucky Boy in the Lucky Country.

Details of Max's book are here. 

 

Halting the Havens

On 17 November 2017, I spoke to the petroleum industry’s biennial tax conference about Labor’s plans to crack down on the abuse of tax havens. You can read the full speech here.

2017 Fenner Lecture - Carola Vinuesa 'Chasing the Cure - Adventures in Genetics'

The federal electorate that I represent is named after Frank Fenner, the legendary Australian National University scientist who helped vanquish smallpox.

In his honour, I host an annual ‘Fenner Lecture’ to promote science.

On Wednesday 1 November, world-renowned immunologist Carola Vinuesa presented the second Fenner Lecture on ‘Chasing the Cure – Adventures in Genetics'.

Discussing "Choosing Openness" with Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove

On 28 September 2017, I joined Lowy Institute Executive Director Michael Fullilove for a discussion in Sydney about my new book, Choosing Openness.

This conversation is also available via the Lowy Institute's terrific podcast, hosted on Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts.

Launch of Choosing Openness

On 27 September 2017, my new book “Choosing Openness” was launched at the National Press Club in Canberra. Published by the Lowy Institute and Random House Australia, it discusses the rise of right-wing populism, and makes the case for Australia engaging with the world.

How can we reduce inequality? (Just Ideas #3)

On 20 April 2017, I presented the final speech in my series on Australian Inequality.

The speech, which I have dedicated to the late Tony Atkinson, looks at what we can do to reduce inequality. 

The talk was held at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and you can find the full text here.

Discussing Australia in the Asian Century with Nick Bisley on the Asia Rising Podcast

I joined Nick Bisley on his Asia Rising podcast to discuss how Austrlaia might respond to changes in the region.

Explaining the Rise of Australian Inequality (Just Ideas #2)

On 5 December 2016, I presented the second of three speeches on Australian Inequality, looking at the factors that drive inequality.

The talk was held at the Sydney offices of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, and hosted by the Per Capita thinktank. The full text is available here.

Counting the Cost of Inequality (Just Ideas #1)

On 18 November 2016, I presented the first of three talks on inequality, focusing on the question of why inequality matters.

The talk was hosted by the University of Sydney, and the full text is available here.

The Age of Ambition

Across the seven ages of Labor, some eras had a specific focus on a reform challenge. Industrial reform in the first age. Social reform in the fifth age. Economic reform in the sixth age.

Today, the challenge is different …

From Sacarnawa Deconeski to Pokemon Go: The Multifaceted Australia-Japan Relationship

From Sacarnawa Deconeski to Pokemon Go: The Multifaceted Australia-Japan Relationship

Australian National University, Canberra 21 September 2016

Does love have any place in politics? A conversation on ABC Radio National's The Minefield

On 25 August 2016, I spoke about love and politics with Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on ABC Radio National's "The Minefield" program. The program website is here.

The Politics of Love

On 16 August 2016, I spoke at Collins Street Baptist Church in Melbourne on "The Politics of Love". The text of the speech is available here.

Markets, Monopolies and Moguls

On 19 May 2016, I delivered the John Freebairn Lecture at Melbourne University, on the topic "Markets, Monopolies and Moguls: The Relationship Between Inequality and Competition". The full text is available here. A revised version of the talk (co-authored with Adam Triggs) will be published in late-2016 in the Australian Economic Review.

Talking budgets and politics with Michelle Grattan

On 5 May 2016, I sat down to chat with The Conversation's Michelle Grattan about the Turnbull Government's budget and the coming election.

Five tips for academics wanting to get their ideas into policy

On 14 April 2016, I spoke at the Australian National University's inaugural National Law Reform Conference, offering five suggestions for academics who are keen to have their ideas taken up by policymakers.

The Future of Australia's Tax System

On 18 November 2015, I spoke to the Corporate Tax and Transfer Pricing Summit in Sydney on the topic "The future of Australia's tax system: opportunity, growth and integrity". The full text of the speech is available here.

Robots, Remuneration and Restructuring

On 16 November 2015, I presented the Melville Lecture at the Australian National University, on the topic "Robots, Remuneration and Restructuring: How Do Technology and Inequality Shape One Another, and What Should We Do About It?". The full text of the talk is available here.

Humans Need Not Apply: Will the Robot Economy Pit Entrepreneurship Against Equality?

On 27 October 2015, I gave a talk at Northwestern University in Chicago on the topic "Humans Need Not Apply: Will the Robot Economy Pit Entrepreneurship Against Equality?". The full text is available here. 

Launch Speech for 'The Luck of Politics'

On 2 September 2015, I launched my new book, The Luck of Politics, at the Australian National University.

Talking about The Luck of Politics with ABC's Richard Stubbs

On 2 September 2015, I spoke with ABC 774's Richard Stubbs about my new book, The Luck of Politics.

In Conversation with David Marr about 'The Luck of Politics'

On 31 August 2015, I joined writer David Marr for a conversation about my new book, The Luck of Politics. The conversation took place in MacLaurin Hall, at the University of Sydney.

Sunday Profile with Richard Aedy

On 16 August 2015, I spoke with ABC Radio National's Sunday Profile program, hosted by Richard Aedy. We discussed my grandparents, growing up in Indonesia, and why inequality matters. 

Reckless beyond words? A data-driven look at Australian young people today

On 15 April 2015, I spoke to the National Youth Conference on the question of whether young people today are more prone to anti-social behaviour than in the past. The text of the speech is here. This podcast is subsequently re-recorded.

Sharing the Future: Competition in the App Age

On 24 March 2015, I addressed the National Press Club on the competition policy issues raised by sharing economy apps such as Uber and AirBNB. The text of the speech is here.

Race with the machine or race against the machine? Laying the foundations for an innovative, productive and equitable Australia

On 10 March 2015, I spoke at a Perth business breakfast about the intertwined issues of productivity, innovation and inequality. This audio is subsequently re-recorded. The full text of the speech is here.

Fair gone? How governments can guard against growing inequality

On 19 February 2015, I gave an ANZSOG lecture in Melbourne, on the tension between Australia's great egalitarian traditions, and the economic reality of rising inequality.

In Conversation with Bryan Stevenson about crime and punishment in the United States

On 18 February 2015, I joined human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, in front of a live audience at the Australian National University to discuss his new book, "Just Mercy". 

Economic Development on the Far South Coast

On 31 January 2015, I spoke at an event about Economics Development on the Far South Coast, organised by Leanne Atkinson, Labor's candidate for the NSW state seat of Bega. My fellow panellist was Per Capita head David Hetherington. The text of my speech is available on my website.

No Country Ever Tax Dodged Its Way to Prosperity

On 27 January 2015, I spoke to the McKell Institute in Sydney on the topic of multinational tax, in a speech titled "No Country Ever Tax Dodged Its Way to Prosperity". The full text of the speech is available on my website. 

Defending the ABC - Using Only ABC Show Titles

On 20 November 2014, I spoke to a 'Save the ABC' rally outside the Canberra ABC studios. Just for fun, I gave the speech in defence of the ABC using only ABC program names.

Talking economics, inequality and politics with Richard Fidler on ABC Conversations

On 11 November 2014, I joined Richard Fidler on ABC Conversations for an hour-long chat, ranging from Cezanne, Heller and Hitchcock to inequality, leadership and the economics of beauty. 

Equal to Our Core: Making the Case for Egalitarianism as Australia’s National Value

On 14 October 2014, I spoke at the University of Adelaide. The topic of my speech was "Equal to our core: making the case for egalitarianism as Australia’s national value". The occasion was the launch of the university's new Bachelor of Economics (Advanced).

Talking egalitarianism with Fabians Australia national chair Andrew Hunter

On 14 October 2014, I spoke with Andrew Hunter, national chair of the Australian Fabians, about egalitarianism, politics and community.

How Behavioural Economics Does and Can Shape Public Policy - Conversation

On 8 October 2014, I joined John Daley, head of the Grattan Institute, for a conversation and Q&A session on how behavioural economics has shaped public policy, and might do so in the future.

How Behavioural Economics Does and Can Shape Public Policy - Speech

Over recent decades, behavioural economics has swept through the economics profession. In a speech at the Grattan Institute in Melbourne on 8 October 2014, I spoke about how behavioural economics has shaped public policy, and suggested six ideas for the future.

Does Too Much Inequality Prevent Social Mobility?

In September 2014, I presented at an OECD-NBER conference on "Productivity Growth and Innovation in the Long Run". This talk focuses on the question of whether a bigger gap between rich and poor also makes for a more static society, where class-jumping becomes harder.