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

I'm sure this is something we can continue in estimates next week. I'm not certain—I'm happy to go back and have a look at the correspondence. It's not the Department of Finance's decision; it's the decision of the government. We took that as part of our budget process. We just think it's good practice. It's not an austerity measure. You can go out and say that in the media as much as you like. This is about fiscal discipline and making sure that, when we make investments in the Public Service, they are using those investments for the highest possible need and the priorities and the pressures that we are trying to manage now. It isn't the case that we can just continue investing layer upon layer upon layer. That is not the world that I operate in. I have to manage this not just in Canberra but across the board. This is simply saying to agencies, 'Look, if you're coming to us for extra money, we want to be convinced that you've been thinking about how you use your current money.'