Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Gallagher. Yesterday in question time, in a question from Senator Pocock regarding people like his constituents Sam and Leilani, who were in the gallery, having to choose between housing or heating because of the extreme cost-of-living pressures that they and millions of Australians are now facing, Minister Farrell was asked, what does he say to them? Minister Farrell responded: 'Well, I say to them: welcome to the Senate. If they'd like to identify themselves, I will give them a little wave.' Is 'a little wave' all the Labor Albanese government has to offer two Australians who are struggling with the cost of living?

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

I thank the Acting Leader of the Opposition in the Senate for the question. The Albanese government—and Senator Farrell reflected this in his remarks yesterday—place cost of living and easing the cost-of-living pressures on Australians as a top priority, and everything we have done since being elected has met that challenge. I also note that my colleague whom I am privileged enough to share the bench with here on the government side is the most courteous and decent person in this Senate, and his remarks reflect that part of his character.

On the cost-of-living question, again: the raw and blatant audacity of the people who were in power prior to 21 May, when the Australian people elected us, to come in here, after creating some of those cost-of-living pressures through your own policy inaction and your division and the lack of focus that you had on the Australian people, and start pointing the finger at us, when we have been elected to deal with the cost-of-living crisis that you lot created. Everything we have done on every day we have turned up to work since that election has been to deal with this most serious challenge. We understand that cost-of-living pressures are hitting Australian people hard; we understand that, which is why it is so important to implement our policies—more important than ever.

We understand that people who are on payments are doing it hard. They will receive, in the budget, the biggest indexation we have seen in recent times. We have already committed that we will assess, when the budget provides, as we deal with the— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, a first supplementary question?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday in question time the minister refused to rule out imposing higher taxes on Australians in the budget. I ask you again: will you rule out tax increases on Australians in the budget?

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

What I will rule out—because I was asked to rule out; we're playing the 'rule out, rule in' game—is taking a lecture from those opposite about tax and spend and fiscal management. They like to present themselves as fiscal conservatives. But we know—because we've got the budget now, and we've got the briefings—that as you got more out of control as a government, as the former Prime Minister took on more and more of your portfolios and made all the decisions, you ripped up and broke the budget. That's what happened.

Now, what I can rule out is accepting any lectures and what I will say is: we will be implementing the policies we took to the election and we will be dealing with the waste, the rorts, the mismanagement and the failed priorities of your term of government. You'll see that in the budget.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash, a second supplementary?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the minister rule out changes to taxes on superannuation in the budget?

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

I've answered this question.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you haven't.

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

I have. I've told you what we'll be doing in the budget, and you'll have to wait and see. You will have to wait and see when we release the budget, but I have told you that this will be a bread-and-butter budget where we implement our policies.

We have made it clear that when we implement our policies on tax our focus will be on multinational tax reform. You've got a pretty high chance of seeing that in the budget. You'll see the policies we took to the election and you'll see the results of the forensic assessment that we are doing line by line of the budget to make sure that every single dollar that we spend is going where it needs to go and where it will provide a return to the Australian people. That's what you will see in the budget.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, on a point of order: I think the question was one sentence and referred to superannuation and the budget. I don't think the minister has said anything about superannuation and the budget.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister was also asked to rule out taxes on super.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Which she has not done though.

The:

I believe she is being relevant. She has heard your objection and, if she needs to give further details, I'm sure that, in the eight seconds remaining, she will. But she has finished.