Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, you're after a video. We're actually about closing the gap and pursuing it through all of the committees. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs leads that work, but all of us have responsibility. I have responsibility for Closing the Gap in my portfolio. The Minister for Health and Ageing has responsibility for Closing the Gap in his portfolio. It is the view of the government that, in addition to providing extra estimates days for the first week of December, after this parliament was due to rise, we can have another full week of estimates. If Senator Cash and her colleagues want to pursue any matter through those committees, that is open to them on those four additional days. This is in addition to the normal scheduling of supplementary budget estimates. We do not believe that cross-portfolio day is the only day that you can ask questions about the Murray-Darling. We think you should be able to ask questions about the Murray-Darling through the scheduled sitting days, and it's the same for Closing the Gap. Those matters can and should be pursued through individual committees, where ministers are responsible for them—and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, of course, leads that work. The result of last week is that we have an extra estimates week, Senator Cash, so all of your arguments about transparency and all of that are just nonsense because there are extra estimates days.

You may not want to work on those days, or to come for that extra week, but you can be guaranteed the government will be here, ready and willing to answer all of the questions.