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

There were so many factual things wrong in that question; I don't really know how to approach it. On day one we inherited an inflation challenge with a six in front of it. Remember that? The highest quarterly growth in inflation was under the last quarter of your government. But I am proud to work with a Treasurer whose 100-per-cent focus has been on making the right economic decisions for the Australian people from day one.

As the national accounts show, the decisions that we took and have taken over the last two years to get the budget in better shape, to deliver two surpluses—something that those opposite were unable to do in a decade—to find savings, to lower the Commonwealth's debt, to lower the interest on that debt, to provide cost-of-living relief where we can without adding to the inflation challenge, and to put in place investments that support future economic growth have been the right ones for this economy, and that was clearly shown in the national accounts. Those opposite have already announced $315 billion in cuts that they would like to make to public spending. If those opposite were in power, based on the decisions that they've made clear to the Australian people, this economy would be in recession.

Now, they might want that for political purposes, but we have taken the right decisions for the right time. Our economy continues to grow. That growth is weak. We are supporting that growth with appropriate investments across the economy, and we will continue to do so.