Andrew Leigh Mp: Speeches & Conversations

On 23 October 2024, I joined technology entrepreneur and philanthropist Cliff Obrecht for an in-conversation event launching my new book, 'Battlers and Billionaires: The Updated Story of Inequality in Australia'. Thanks to the University of Sydney and Professor Julie Cairney for hosting the event. 

On 29 October 2024, I gave a talk to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences titled ‘Caught in the Middle: How Market Concentration Hurts Farmers’. The full text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-australian-bureau-agricultural-and-resource-economics

On 15 October 2024, I joined Benevolent Society CEO Lin Hatfield-Dodds for an in-conversation event launching my new book, “Battlers and Billionaires: The Updated Story of Inequality in Australia”. The event was part of the ANU-Canberra Times Meet the Author series.

On 10 October 2024, I joined Richard Glover on ABC Sydney to discuss my new book, "Battlers and Billionaires: The Updated Story of Inequality in Australia".

On 6 August I gave the keynote address at the Philanthropy Australia Conference in Adelaide. Like great music, philanthropy has the power to uplift and transcend, inspire and delight. Full text is available here.

On 1 August, I addressed the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on the history of merger reform. Policy and laws should evolve as the economy evolves. But as history shows, Australia’s ad‑hoc approach to dealing with anti‑competitive mergers hasn’t kept up, lagging best practice in comparable countries. Full text of the speech can be found here.

On 19 June 2024, I spoke to a symposium organised by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Symposium, on the topic ‘The future of Medicare: research-informed policy for better access and health’. The text of the speech is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-academy-social-sciences-australia-symposium-canberra  

On 17 June 2024, I spoke to the Australian Evaluation Showcase on the topic ‘Discovering What Works: Why Rigorous Evaluation Matters’. The text of the speech is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-australian-evaluation-showcase-canberra  

On 30 April 2024, I spoke at the HR Leaders Forum in Sydney about some of the fascinating findings emerging from randomised trials in the workplace. The full text of the speech is available here: https://ministers.dewr.gov.au/leigh/experimenting-excellence-randomised-trials-human-resources

On 9 April 2024, I spoke at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s Danks Leaders in Science seminar, on the topic “Healthy Surprises: How Randomised Trials Can Challenge Conventional Wisdom and Debunk Dogma”. The text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-danks-leaders-science-seminar-murdoch-childrens

On 4 April 2024, I addressed the McKell Institute in Sydney on the topic ‘Unshackling Innovation: Rethinking Non-Compete Clauses for a Dynamic Economy’. The text of the talk is available at https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-mckell-institute-sydney-0  

On 28 March 2024, I spoke to the Australian Government Data Summit on the topic ‘Harnessing the Data Deluge: The Surprising Power of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence’. The speech text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-10th-annual-australian-government-data-summit-hotel

On 27 March 2024, I launched the UnitingCare Child Social Exclusion Report. The speech text is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/launch-2024-child-social-exclusion-report-parliament-house

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  

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  

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  

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  

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  

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

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.