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

I thank Senator McDonald for the question. And what she fails to say also is that the economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the September quarter, to be 2.1 per cent higher throughout the year. I think that is worth acknowledging. But we accept that, as the economy slows and with the interest rate increases that we've been seeing, it is putting households under pressure, particularly for those with mortgages, which is why our fiscal strategy and our government's responsibility have been to ensure that we fix the budget, that we restrain spending, that we don't make the job of the Reserve Bank harder and that we help in the fight against inflation. That's been our fiscal strategy. It's a strategy that's being endorsed by a number of organisations as the right approach to take at the moment. One of the points that Senator McDonald raises in her question is that tax revenues are up. That is primarily a result of more people in work and wages growth, so more people in jobs, more people earning more. If you're earning more and you've got more people in work, you will see increases in tax receipts.