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

ALLAGHER (—) (): I would again say to Senator Rice that the cost-of-living package is targeted and was carefully calibrated so as to be affordable and sustainable going forward and not to add to inflation. It should also be seen in the context of a range of other measures—the energy bill relief, for example, and the efforts that we're putting in for cheaper medicines, urgent care centres and bulk-billing rates so that people on payments can actually access bulk-billed health care. We know that that's a problem. So I don't think you should see one payment in isolation from all of the other work that's being done in this budget. On top of that, we've found $4 billion for the community sector indexation, providing services to people, many of whom are on payments—$4 billion. Do you think that mob would have ever done that? These are the difficult decisions we've taken. It's carefully calibrated, and it's the right thing to do. (Time expired)