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

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. The budget has forecast that gas prices are set to rise by 40 per cent over the next two years. How does cutting millions of dollars of support for developing gas supply, including in the Cooper and Adavale basins, while also increasing funding to activists who oppose the development of gas supplies curb rising gas prices?

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

This is the Senate in action—criticised for investments in Middle Arm and then criticised for other project decisions. This government does acknowledge that gas and other fossil fuels will continue to be required to support Australia's energy system, and I think that's important to say to the chamber. I think you see the results of that in the budget, in terms of projects we support, but you also see that we do want to be part of the transformation and the move to a renewable energy future, so you also see decisions like that in the budget.

That is what any responsible government should be doing, at this point in time—making sensible investments, where they stack up. In relation to Middle Arm, it's investing in the general-use facilities that support that infrastructure but also making sensible investments in renewable energy. I think that is the approach the government's taken.

We do acknowledge that gas prices have increased and are going to continue to increase. The government has had a number of responses to that, led by Minister King, which have delivered successfully in the short term on the supply issues, but there is more work to be done through the heads of agreement and looking at the codes of conduct and looking at where we can ensure that people are able to afford their energy bills, and businesses are able to continue to operate in an environment like—

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

Minister Gallagher, please resume your seat. Senator McDonald?

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

A point of order on relevance, please.

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

The minister's being directly relevant. Minister Gallagher, do you wish to continue?

The:

The minister's completed the question. Senator McDonald, a first supplementary?

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

So it is clear that the government has no real plan to address rising gas and energy prices or supply. Considering South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are all set to experience energy shortages over the next three years, and gas makes up 22 per cent of Australia's energy consumption, why has the government cut support for developing gas supply in the Cooper and Adavale basins? Won't this slowing of new supplies drive energy bills up rather than help bring them down by, say, $275?

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

Well, we're trying to do a few things in this budget, and it's as I outlined in my answer to the first question: actually being an active participant in the transformation that's occurring in our energy system while dealing with the mess that we were left. We walked into government and into a gas crisis. I know you try to rub that out, but, essentially, I remember Minister Bowen and Minister King leaving the swearing-in ceremony to go and deal with what was happening in the gas markets. That is what was happening. We have taken a number of steps to deal with that. In fact, the focus of that first tranche of work was on dealing with the supply shortages that were being identified through the work of the ACCC. We have actually dealt with that. We are investing in projects where it makes sense. We're not just giving money for subsidies. In Middle Arm, for example, we're supporting common-use infrastructure and we are supporting the shift to renewable energy at the same time.

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

Senator McDonald, a second supplementary question?

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

Minister, can you cite a budget measure that will specifically help to lower gas bills for Australian households and businesses?

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

There was a range of initiatives in the budget, including extra funding to the regulators to deal with the mess that we have inherited from you. So, there is one.

Well, you asked me the question, Senator McDonald. You said name one. There is funding for the regulators to make sure we are getting—

An honourable senator interjecting

Well, yes, exactly. You might not find that information useful, Senator, but the ACCC's report into the supply shortage informs government decision-making.

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

I will wait until it is quiet again before I call the minister. Minister, do you wish to complete your answer?

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

Well, I was asked to name one, and those opposite are laughing at it—

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a joke!

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

It's not a joke—the regulators and the experts are the ones that identified the shortfall that you guys had your head in the sand over and we dealt with. So don't say it's a joke. Running out of gas is pretty serious. And that's what you left us—

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

Senator McGrath!

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

and we've fixed it.

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

Senator Gallagher, your time has expired.

Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Finance and Minister for Women. Minister, a budget sets out the values of the government. With every dollar it spends, it sends up a flare about what it stands for. Last night's budget was a chance to help Australians deal with very real cost-of-living pressures by redirecting the stage 3 tax cuts. These cuts, a quarter of a trillion dollars, will flow to very wealthy Australians, mostly men, mostly older people. That will widen income and gender inequality, instead of helping those most in need. Why has your government stuck with a $9,000 annual tax cut for the wealthy, striking a real blow against Australia's progressive income tax system, while leaving low-income families are struggling to pay for food, power and rent?

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

The government hasn't changed its position on stage 3. Our focus in this budget, as we had said from the outset, was to deliver on our election commitments: to sensibly take pressure off the cost of living for Australians and businesses—where we could do so without impacting on inflation—and to deal with the waste and rorts of the previous government. They were the objectives of the October budget. The tax cuts don't come in for another two years.

What this budget does is substantial investment. On the payments side, there's a $33 billion increase in the indexation arrangements for payments to help deal with some of the cost-of-living pressures that fixed and low-income households are under. There's also half a billion dollars going to the community sector to deal with their indexation challenge that's been ignored for the last 10 years and to deal with some of the cost-of-living pressures that those organisations are under. And there's the first step in a pretty serious package for women as well. I don't think it's an either/or. What this budget does is to set out the challenges ahead. The Treasurer and I have made no secret of the spending pressures that are coming our way. And you can see that, if you look at the medium-term projections and acknowledge that those five big spending programs are not going to change: we're going to see defence, aged care, hospitals, the NDIS, and the cost of servicing $1 trillion of debt going to continue to place pressure on the budget. We want a pretty upfront discussion about how we value those services, how we provide those services and how we will meet the cost of them into the future, and this is the first step in that discussion. I think the Australian people are up for that discussion, and they've got a responsible government that's prepared to have it with them.

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

Senator Pocock, a first supplementary?

Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In my state, South Australia, I met recently with a group of people living on JobSeeker. They often cannot afford food or medicine, their kids don't make it to school excursions and their teeth give them pain every day. They're living on a JobSeeker rate of $48 a day, well below the poverty line in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. Why has your government refused to raise the poverty level of JobSeeker?

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

As I said, there is a significant increase in the JobSeeker indexation arrangements—$33 billion that will flow through to partly assist with some of those increases in cost-of-living pressure. We don't pretend that there isn't continuing work to do in how we provide support and services to people on low incomes, but this budget is not the answer to everything. It is a point in time. It is the first opportunity to do what we said we would do, which is to have a budget which delivers on election commitments, which makes sensible investments, which eases the cost of living without impacting on the short-term inflation problem we have in the economy and which deals with the wastes and rorts that we inherited from those opposite. That was the objective of this budget. (Time expired)

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

Senator Pocock, a second supplementary?

Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, there is no economic evidence that giving tax cuts to wealthy men will boost their work rate or their productivity or make any difference to GDP. However, there is buckets of evidence that supporting working carers and women will do all of these things. Why have you backed in a tax measure that mostly benefits wealthy men while offering women no superannuation on their paid parental leave, providing no lift of the rate of paid parental leave to their normal pay rate and making them wait four years to get to just 26 weeks? (Time expired)

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

The tax cuts that the senator refers to are factored into the budget, and the government hasn't changed its view on that. In terms of the other supports, this is an ongoing piece of work before the government. We have said that in every budget we will look at what we can do to support people, particularly those who rely on government support. We will assess that. You have seen that in this budget as the first step in a number of budgets where these issues will continue to be looked at across the ERC table.

In terms of the investments in services for women and policies to progress gender equality, compared to what we've had in the last few years, this women's budget statement is a serious start in looking at the issues, providing some analysis and starting with the policies that aim to fix it. (Time expired)

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services, Senator Farrell. Can the minister please inform the Senate how the Albanese government's social services commitments are supporting families and promoting the safety of women and gender equality?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sheldon for his very important question and for his interest in this important part of the federal government's policy. The Albanese government is putting families and gender equality at the centre of policy-making. This is not a new commitment—it's been at the centre of our decision-making processes—and we saw last night through the Treasurer's budget speech that we've dealt with this issue.

In the lead up to the 2022-23 budget, we announced that we had delivered the biggest boost to Australia's paid parental leave since it was created, giving every family with a new baby more choice, greater security and better support. The extension of paid parental leave is the first time the scheme has been modernised since Labor government introduced the scheme in 2011. It is the cornerstone of our commitment to addressing gender equality issues in this country.

We are also deeply committed to ending violence against women and children in Australia and we are taking action. To this end, the very fine Minister for Social Services released to the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32. We have also introduced legislation for 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave per year to ensure that no-one should have to choose between a job and seeking support to deal with domestic violence. We are conducting an open, competitive process to appoint a domestic, family and sexual violence commissioner to act as an advocate for victims and survivors and to oversee the implementation of the national plan, including the monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, in the budget released last night we confirmed our $1.7 billion commitment to— (Time expired)

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

Senator Sheldon, a first supplementary?

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister further inform the Senate how the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32 launched last week will be implemented?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sheldon for his supplementary question. On 17 October 2022 that very fine minister, Minister Rishworth, launched the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-32 along with my colleague in the Senate, the Minister for Women, the very fine Senator Gallagher, and state and territory ministers for women's safety. In the plan, the government has set an ambitious goal to end violence against women and children in one generation. To support the plan, the Albanese government has committed $1.7 billion for women's safety initiatives. The plan includes example indicators for success that can track our progress in implementing this national plan. The national plan will also be supported by an outcomes framework that will increase our ability to track, monitor and report change over the life of the national plan.

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

Senator Sheldon, a second supplementary?

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister please inform the Senate how the Albanese government is supporting families and gender equality by boosting paid parental leave?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I thank Senator Sheldon for his second supplementary question. Increasing paid parental leave was one of the most frequent proposals raised at the successful Jobs and Skills Summit in September. The Albanese government has listened, has continued to consult and will now act to deliver the biggest expansion of the paid parental leave scheme since it was first introduced by Labor in 2011. The budget invests $531.6 million over four years and $619.3 million annually after that to progressively scale up the scheme to 26 weeks, or six months by 2026. Our changes will benefit more than 180,000 families nationally. We know that many dads want to take more time off following the birth or adoption of a child. We see that increasing take-up of parental leave by dads—(Time expired)