Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. On Tuesday 13 September, at the Regional Australia Institute national summit, minister Catherine King said:

… this Government has committed to delivering $1.5 billion to construct common user marine infrastructure at the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct near Darwin.

Is your government still committed to the Middle Arm project in the Northern Territory?

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

I think Senator McDonald would know that we agreed to that as part of our election campaign, and the comments of Minister King that she referred to reflect that. There is a range of other spending around that program. I think in the budget it was funded as part of a broader package with other elements in it, and we are currently working through all the details around that. We want to make sure that there are appropriate business cases and due diligence and that the spending is the right amount of spending that should be allocated to that. That is the work that I've been reflecting on for the last question times here, about doing an assessment essentially that every dollar that was committed in the previous government's last budget is actually quality spending going where it's needed. That's the work we are doing.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McDonald, a first supplementary?

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A week later, on Tuesday 20 September, at a press conference with the Treasurer, Minister Gallagher said in reference to the Middle Arm project: 'We are looking at them all, all of those commitments, line by line.' Seven days earlier Minister King had committed outright to the project. Minister, who is telling the truth: you or the infrastructure minister?

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

It's a shame you can't rewrite your supplementary questions in light of the answer I just gave. In that press conference we were asked about a range of programs, and we are reviewing all of them. We are reviewing every single measure in the budget, but there are a range of measures that we matched. The work we are doing is to make sure that the money that was allocated is the right amount of money to go to that program because, forgive us over here, some of your budgeting was pretty dodgy, to be honest.

We are a grown-up government where ministers do their jobs. We don't have a Prime Minister taking responsibility for every portfolio and making decisions based on apparently nothing. We want the evidence and we want the assessment. The ERC, as a collective, will make decisions based on that.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McDonald, a second supplementary?

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So, still no clarity on the commitment or not commitment. On 11 September, as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, a spokesperson for the infrastructure minister, Catherine King, signalled further cuts to the Regional Accelerator Program and the Energy Security and Regional Development Plan were likely:. There are a few elements of both the Regional Accelerator Fund and the Energy Security and Regional Development Plan that were matched during the election, or in a subsequent decision will be funded in some form:

There are a few elements of both the regional accelerator fund and the energy security and regional development fund that were matched during the election or, in a subsequent decision, will be funded in some form.

Can Minister Gallagher confirm what the 'few elements' are?

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

I don't think I could have been clearer about the original question, because I did answer that straight up. In terms of the other outcomes of the decisions that we have been taking through the budget process, you will see those reflected in the budget process. As you did in your budget, we are going through them line by line.

We have to make some savings, we have to reprioritise, we have to make sure that the precious dollar that's going out the door is actually going where it's needed. In some cases grants under your government went where proponents didn't even know they had applied for it.

Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on relevance. It was a specific question: can Minister Gallagher confirm what the few elements are?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being relevant to your question.

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

I've answered the question.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.