Andrew Leigh MP: Speeches & Conversations

Andrew Wear on How Other Countries Solved the Big Problems - ANU Meet the Author Series (Podcast)

ANU/CANBERRA TIMES MEET THE AUTHOR

Andrew Wear will be in conversation with Andrew Leigh MP on Andrew Wear's new book Solved!: How Other Countries Have Cracked the World's Biggest Problems and We Can Too.

Sometimes the solutions are closer than we think. Denmark will reach 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. Iceland has topped gender equality rankings for a decade and counting. Singaporean students beat almost all others in maths and reading. South Koreans will soon live longer than anyone else on Earth. The US city of Boston, global epicentre of biotech, has the most innovative square mile on the planet.

How have these places and more achieved such remarkable success? Policy adviser Andrew Wear examines what has worked around the world and how we can apply the lessons at home, introducing us to inspiring community leaders, renowned authorities and visionary policymakers transforming the globe.           

'A terrific idea, brilliantly executed. This book deserves to spark a national conversation.' - George Megalogenis

'In a time of chaos, there are answers all around us if we take the time to look. Which is exactly what Wear does in this invaluable book.' - Annabel Crabb

Andrew Wear is a senior Australian public servant. He has degrees in politics, law, economics and public policy, and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Dr Andrew Leigh MP is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury, Shadow Assistant Minister for Charities and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT. He holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard. His latest book with Joshua Gans is Innovation + Equality: How to Create a Future That Is More Star Trek Than Terminator.

Debating RCTs -- Australasian AID Conference, ANU, February 18

A Keynote panel at the Australasian AID Conference 2020.

Debating RCTs, and other topics in impact evaluation Barton Theatre

This year the Nobel prize for economics went to three economists who have promoted the use and importance of Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) in development economics and interventions. But how useful are RCTs in the real world of development assistance? And what more generally needs to be done to improve the quality and impact of impact evaluations, and to promote learning in aid?

Chair:

Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, ANU

Panellists:
Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fenner, ACT
Dr Lant Pritchett, Research Director, RISE Programme; Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University
Dr Jyotsna Puri, Head, Independent Evaluation Unit, Green Climate Fund

The Second Convict Age -- Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, 19 February 2020

Australia now incarcerates a greater share of the adult population than at any point since 1899. 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, I find 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.

‘Guns Don’t Kill People’ and Other Fantasies in the Firearms Debate -- Balmoral Lecture, Sydney, 17 February 2020

Australia's Stagnant Economy - John Cain Foundation, Melbourne, 19 February 2020

For all the talk about ‘uninterrupted economic growth’, Australia’s economy has underperformed in recent years. Economic growth has slowed, wages growth has declined, and productivity is in reverse. For the median household, living standards have fallen since 2013. At the heart of the malaise is a complacent federal government, which has done little to encourage dynamism in the economy. Too many sectors are dominated by cosy monopolists, too few start-up firms are challenging the incumbents, and there is too little genuine innovation. Over the past generation, the Australian economy has been lucky. But without more diversity and dynamism, our economy risks failing to deliver the outcomes that are essential to long-term wellbeing.

In Conversation with Brian Schmidt about my new book 'Innovation + Equality: How to Create a Future That Is More Star Trek Than Terminator'

Andrew Leigh is in conversation with ANU Vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt on Andrew's new book with Joshua Gans, Innovation + Equality: How to Create a Future That Is More Star Trek Than Terminator.

Launching 'Innovation + Equality: How to create a future that is more Star Trek than Terminator' - Melbourne,19 November 2019

In Melbourne, on 19 November, I launched Innovation + Equality:How to create a future that is more Star Trek than Terminator, which I co-authored with Joshua Gans. 

Interview about 'Innovation + Equality' with Michael Lester on Innovation Talk

Michael Lester hosts the Innovation Talk program on Radio Northern Beaches. We chatted about my book with Joshua Gans, 'Innovation + Equality: How To Create a Future That is More Star Trek Than Terminator.'

Replication, Randomisation and Rigour: AIMOS 2019 - Melbourne, 7 November 2019

Replication, Randomisation and Rigour: AIMOS 2019.

This talk was delivered at the launch of the Association for Inter-disciplinary Meta-research and Open Science on 7 November 2019 at the University of Melbourne.

In conversation with Allan Fels about his new book Tough Customer - chasing a better deal for battlers

In conversation with Allan Fels about his new book Tough Customer - chasing a better deal for battlers.

You can learn more about Allan's book here.

"Australia Disconnected - and Reconnected": Address to the Power to the People Conference, Canberra 16 August 2019

"Australia Disconnected - and Reconnected" - Address to the Power to the People Conference, Canberra 16 August 2019.

In Conversation with Adele Ferguson on Banking Bad

As part of ANU's Authors In Conversation series, I spoke with Adele Ferguson about Banking Bad, her account of corporate cover-ups, whistleblowers and how she broke the stories that led to the Banking Royal Commission.

Ten Ideas for Reducing Inequality

Ten Ideas for Reducing Inequality - inequality won't fix itself. If we want a fair society with equal opportunity for everyone, we need to make public policy choices accordingly. Here are ten places we could start. 

In conversation with Peter Lewis about his new book Webtopia: The Worldwide Wreck of Tech and How to Make the Net Work

In conversation with Peter Lewis about his new book Webtopia: The Worldwide Wreck of Tech and How to Make the Net Work.

You can learn more about Peter's book here.

 

Small-L Liberalism and the Labor Tradition - Melbourne, 13 June 2019

Small-L Liberalism and the Labor Tradition

Keynote Address - Second Annual History and the Hill Conference - Australian Policy and History

 

Launching John Quiggin's 'Economics in Two Lessons' - Canberra

Launching John Quiggin's 'Economics in Two Lessons'. 

Because one-lesson economics only tells half the story.

For more information on John's book - Economics in Two Lessons - Why Markets Work So Well, and Why They Can Fail So Badly - click here.

Tax Pirates and Tax Fairness - Devpolicy Centre, Canberra, 12 April 2019

Announcing Labor's Tax Inspectors without Borders policy, I spoke at the ANU Devpolicy Centre about how tax havens hurt other developing countries, and what we can do about it.

Labor's Centrist Economic Agenda - Per Capita Reform Series, Melbourne, 11 April 2019

As a part of Per Capita's reform series, and on the first day of the federal Election campaign, I set out Labor's centrist economic agenda for fairness and opportunity.

Australia Fair - Rebecca Huntley in conversation with Andrew Leigh, 9 April 2019

As a part of the ANU 'Meet the Author' series, i was In Conversation with Rebecca Huntley about polling, focus groups and the character of Australian democracy.

Rebecca's Quarterly Essay, Australia Fair, is out now.

Judith Brett on Compulsory Voting and Other Australian Electoral Innovations - Canberra, 13 March

I spoke with award winning author Judith Brett as a part of ANU's In Conversation program. Judith's new book From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage, gives a landmark account of the character of Australian democracy. We spoke about the peculiarly Australian aspects of our democratic system and the effects our innovations have had on elections here and on voting practices around the world.

The heat is on: The Urgent Case For Action On Climate Change - ANU Climate Update, 8 February 2019, Canberra

Reflecting on heat waves and high stakes, I set out the urgent climate challenge we all need to face up to. 

The full text of the speech is also available here.  

Building a better feedback loop: Labor to establish an Evaluator General - 13 November, Canberra

Building a better feedback loop: Labor to establish an Evaluator General

Increasingly, policymakers in other nations are testing programs through randomised trials, with the same kind of control group used to evaluate new pharmaceuticals in clinical drug trials.

When Australian policymakers develop programs in early childhood, health, crime and employment, we often look to those overseas randomised trials.

Keynote address to the Australia Indonesia Business Council Conference 2018 – 12 November 2018

Presenting one of the keynote address to 2018 Conference of the Australia Indonesia Business Council, I recalled my childhood in Aceh and celebrated the connections Labor has been forging with this major trading partner and our region more broadly.

Competition policy and inequality: Building on Lionel Murphy’s legacy - Canberra, 31 October 2018

On 31 October, i presented the Lionel Murphy Lecture at the ANU, reflecting on Lionel Murphy's legacy and the challenge of framing competition laws that could help reduce inequality.

Australia has a competition problem: there is not enough of it. Our industries are concentrated. Our markets show signs of weak competition. 

There is a strong progressive case for repositioning how we think about competition. Focusing more on the competitive process, the structure of markets and the incentives those structures create for firms will play an important role in reducing inequality.

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.