Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance, Senator Birmingham. I refer to the minister's comments during his appearance on Sky News on 8 October when he said:

As Finance Minister myself, I will be acutely aware that the quality of spending is what matters when it comes to how we invest.

Does handing $444 million of public money to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation meet the minister's quality spending standard?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Gallagher for her question and the question as Minister for Finance. Indeed, those remarks are remarks that I stand by in terms of the importance of the quality of spending. It is crucial across government that we work always to ensure that government spending is targeted where it's necessary to what is necessary. That's been the approach of our side of politics all along. It was that type of approach in terms of making sensible decisions around budget management that enabled us to create an environment coming into this economic crisis that we face right now that had our budget come back to a point of balance. It was through that careful budget management and that economic management that we ensured that—

Senator Wong interjecting—

Have you looked at the previous budget outcome, Senator Wong? In relation to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, this was an important investment made in an important national asset.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Great Barrier Reef is a crucial part of our ecology, of our environment and of our tourism industry and, indeed, has been central to commitments that we have made to the world about the management that we apply to the Great Barrier Reef. The support for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation is absolutely about making sure that we get investments ongoing over a period of time across the reef, supporting a range of different measures that will support the health, wellbeing and resilience of the reef through that time. We are already seeing now that funding is being applied in practical ways to support the reef, one of our great and appropriate assets.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, a supplementary question?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Eighty-three per cent of the $3 billion allocated from the Urban Congestion Fund administered by Minister Tudge has gone into Liberal seats or seats targeted by the Liberal Party. More than one-third went to Liberal seats in Melbourne. Does this $2.49 billion worth of public money meet the minister's standards of quality spending?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am left wondering which projects the Labor Party are against? Which projects, in terms of urban infrastructure or congestion, do they think are unnecessary? Those opposite will criticise endlessly the things that they think aren't being done, yet when indeed the government does decide to invest in the Great Barrier Reef, or does invest in relation to urban infrastructure to address congestion—helping to ensure that families can get home more safely, on time, and to increase productivity across our economy by dealing with congestion and those issues—then they come in and they criticise those types of investments. What we see from the Labor Party all the time is a complete lack of consistency in that regard. We have invested in this to support Australians to be able to get the best possible outcomes in their lives. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallagher, a final supplementary question?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does minister consider the allocation of 97 per cent of the SME export hubs grants to coalition electorates constitutes quality spending? How can Australians trust you, as finance minister, to keep your word when the government's own record demonstrates a willingness to spend taxpayers' money in its political interests rather than in the national interest?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You forget it's taxpayers' money!

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take the interjection from Senator Wong, because it is absolutely taxpayers' money. We, on this side, have always recognised that it is taxpayer's money and that it needs to be handled carefully. It is why we made sure that we made steps through our early years in government to reduce the rate of growth in government spending and to tackle the structural deficits that had been left by the Labor Party, and by being careful with taxpayers' money, we created the circumstances where the economy absolutely had the resilience to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. We created the set of circumstances where we could invest record sums in supporting Australians through these unprecedented times and, in doing so, still maintain Australia's AAA credit rating, maintain an economic response that, along with the health response, is very much the envy of the world. That is because of careful, consistent economic management over a long period of time that invests in priorities for Australia. (Time expired)