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

I thank Senator Rice for the question. It's an important question, but I would also say: welcome to the Senate. We have questions here saying we're 'doing too much' and we're 'fuelling inflation', and we have questions here which are saying we're 'not doing enough' and we 'should triple or, indeed, progress it more than that'. I think that makes the point the Treasurer and I have been trying to make for some time, which is that this budget is balancing up a range of decisions based on the economic circumstances of the time. We have high inflation. Our spending has to be calibrated, it has to be careful and it has to be targeted.

So when you look at the work that we've done in just this budget—or even if you attach it to the October budget to look at what we've been doing—you'll see that we are making gradual progress towards addressing some of the needs that have been left to us by the failure of those opposite to deliver and towards doing some of the work that we know needs to be done because we're Labor people. You'll see that in this budget. You'll see it in the childcare investments. You'll see it in the cheaper medicines. You'll see it in Medicare. You'll see it in the investment in skills. You'll see it on the growth side of the budget and you'll see it on the compassion side of the budget in relation to social security and payments. There is a significant uptick for single parenting payment. There is an increase to the base rate of JobSeeker. There is the most significant increase to Commonwealth rent assistance ever seen. All of this is working together to make sure that, for those who need an extra helping hand, we are giving them an extra helping hand.

These have been difficult decisions to land. Some say it's too much. Others say it's not enough. But I think you can see the genuineness with the approach that the Albanese government has taken when we said we would assess payments and do what we can to adjust them. In every budget we've been doing that work. (Time expired)