Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women, Senator Cash. I refer to analysis by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, NATSEM, that women in the poorest 20 per cent of households will be $2,566 worse off in 2017 as a direct result of the budget changes. Is NATSEM right?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but let me tell you, Senator Moore, what is right. This government is committed to building a sustainable system for women in this country. Why are we doing that? We are doing that because of the legacy that your former government left. Believe me, the budget we brought down was not the budget that we wanted to bring down, but, unlike those on the other side who continually promised surplus after surplus after surplus after surplus—if I had to actually mention the word 'surplus' the number of times those opposite promised it but failed to deliver it—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order going to relevance. I would like the minister to get to the word 'NATSEM'. It would be very useful if I could have the minister return to my question.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore. The minister has not even got to halfway through answering her question. I remind the minister of the question.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. I answered the question with my first few words: everybody is entitled to their opinion. That is it. Senator Moore wants me to say, 'They're right; they're right; they're right,' so she could issue a press release, and I am not going to do that. As I said, we did not bring down the budget we brought down because we wanted to. The budget we wanted to bring down, quite frankly, would have been in 2007 when we lost the election, when we handed to those on the other side $20 billion in a surplus. Imagine what we could have done on this side—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Order!

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order continues to be on relevance. Two thousand, five hundred and sixty-six dollars—that is the NATSEM proposal that women would be worse off. Could we please have a response to that question rather than a value piece about budgets?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore, for your point of order. I remind the minister that she has 40 seconds left to answer the question.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not think Senator Moore quite gets it. This government is fiscally responsible. Let me tell you about people who are worse off because of budgets. You pay $1 billion per month in interest when in 2007 the fiscal situation you inherited was zero payments per month in interest. Those on the other side do not seem to quite understand—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is on relevance to the question that I asked. If the minister could respond to the issue around NATSEM, that was the question. It is not taking note; it is answering a question.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore. The minister has 12 seconds remaining to answer the question. I remind the minister of the question.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The mere fact that Senator Moore does not like the answer I am giving does not make the answer wrong.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I will try to ask a supplementary question. This time we will give it a go on the gender gap. Given the gender pay gap has widened from 17.1 per cent to 18.2 per cent, does the minister agree that this government's budget will only further worsen the gender pay gap for women?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the question is no.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was extremely relevant. Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Does the minister agree that one way to close the gender pay gap would be to increase the number of women appointed to cabinet? Furthermore, does she further agree with columnist Paul Sheehan that she should be the next cab off the rank to meet this gap?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you can answer the part of that question that you feel fits within your portfolio responsibility.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

. All I know is that last year a YouTube video of me went viral when I was referring to the knifing of the former female Prime Minister by now Senator Wong. If you want to talk about women's issues be very careful because, when Senator Wong sits at that table merely because she took out the former female Prime Minister, seriously, you do not want to come to this—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order going to direct relevance to my question. It was about the gender pay gap and women in the cabinet, and also perhaps some comment about The Australian.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You did ask a question, Senator Moore, that probably stretched the limits of how a question could be framed to a minister with those responsibilities. Minister, you have 35 seconds left to answer the question.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Regarding the gender pay gap, the last time it was the lowest was under the former Howard government—about 14.9 per cent. Under Ms Gillard, our first female Prime Minister, it actually rose to 17.6 per cent. So, in other words, you cannot have it both ways. The gender pay gap at 18.2 per cent is very disappointing, and I issued a press release to that effect. But let me tell you: this government is doing more by way of policy than you have ever done. (Time expired)