Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, contrary to your claims, the Financial Review has reported that 'extra spending is not offset by meaningful cuts to neutralise the fiscal pulse'. Economist Chris Richardson said of the budget, 'I had thought that the Reserve Bank was done and dusted but this has notably raised the chance that they will do another swing of the baseball bat.' Given that the minister is unable to say that future interest rate increases are less likely as a result of Labor's budget, aren't you acknowledging that the Albanese government's fiscal policy settings do not put downward pressure on interest rates?