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

I think the people of Queensland are looking at you lot and are shocked, frankly, at the way you are behaving. I think that's what they'll be thinking right now.

I think it's clear from Senator Scarr's question that he hasn't read the Statement on monetary policy which was released yesterday alongside the bank's decision. If he had, he would have read the analysis that the bank put out about what they see as the most significant drivers of pressure on inflation in the economy, and he would have seen that, according to the bank, the upside surprise has been in the area of private demand. And, in fact, government spending doesn't feature as part of that. We will continue to do what we have done after inheriting inflation accelerating at six per cent and rising when you left government. It is much lower than that now, but the job is not done.