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

I was responding to claims that have been made by people in this place around the level of spending. There have been times where it has exceeded the level it is now, and those opposite fail to recognise that. This government has taken responsible decisions around spending. We have made savings to the budget. We have contained spending growth, despite the period of time that we're going through now, where there are pressures on the government coming from areas like defence, NDIS, health care and aged care. They're all coming at the budget.

We have managed to responsibly manage the budget, find savings where we can and return money for budget repair to pay down the Liberal debt that we inherited and to make sure that we are finding room for the investments that the Australian people rely upon. That is responsible budget management. I'm proud to be a member of a government that take the approach we have, not the slash-and-burn approach that those opposite like to refer to—the savings that they sought in the election campaign—but a responsible approach that seeks to ensure that services are funded appropriately while managing the budget appropriately as well.