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

I think the Treasurer has already done that. He has made it clear that that area you raise is not in the areas of focus for the government. Our focus has been on getting wages moving, making sure that people earn more and then, through our tax changes, that they are able to keep more of what they earn. We are continuing to support the energy transition and how that occurs across the economy. Then there is the work we're doing in aged care, the work we're doing in health care and the work we're doing in early childhood education. They are all key areas of focus. Rebuilding and reinvesting in Medicare is another key area of focus for this government. All of our effort is going into managing the economic circumstances of the time, making sure we're not adding to the inflation challenge, so that we continue to see inflation moderate and so that where we can find room in the budget we are paying down debt. Our interest bill is enormous; we are managing that and making sensible investments where we can to make a difference to the lives of Australian people.