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

I completely disagree with the question that Senator McKim asked. I think it's not an unexpected question from the Greens political party, who see things in such black-and-white ways.

We have, in this budget, focused our priority on cost-of-living relief. We have done, over three budgets, more than, I think, any government—certainly in recent times—around improving payments, responding on rent assistance, making child care cheaper and expanding Medicare so that more people can see a doctor without paying. Our urgent care clinics have been used, with around 400,000 presentations to those clinics, where people don't have to pay. The work we have done in medicines, to keep medicines low, and the work we're doing in housing, to generate crisis, affordable and social housing, is all aimed at people doing it tough.

In terms of the shift to renewable energy, I would have thought that there were things in this budget that would have got a bit of an applause from the Greens political party—the shifting of focus with the Future Made in Australia, under the 'renewable energy superpower', to try and promote new industries, new jobs and new opportunities in clean energy, with hydrogen and critical minerals. This is the first budget that puts a serious investment in those new energy sources, and we have not changed any arrangements. Listening to your question, it's like we've found new money to put into older industries or new areas. That's not true. There are areas under the tax system which remain in place. But, at the same time, we are trying to incentivise new jobs and seize the opportunities that come with a shift to a net zero economy. I would have thought that, even if you named all the other areas, you would support at least that area in this budget.