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

I can. It is critical for Australia's economy that we deal with some of the challenges, as we have been doing with climate, after ten wasted years on energy policy—22 failed policies, and not one of them landed. We are looking at policies like cheaper childcare, investing in TAFE, cleaner and cheaper energy, skills reform and a future made in Australia. We need to make sure that we are dealing with the waste and rorts that defined the period of the previous government. But this is just the beginning, not the end, of our work. Our work will last beyond this budget and into the next. It will take multiple budgets to fix the mess we got left with, and it will involve some hard choices. But, despite everything that's been thrown at us, Australian's have every reason to be optimistic about the long-term prospects of our economy and our country, and, certainly, the budget that we are putting together right now.