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

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Minister, for how many quarters has Australia been in a per capita recession?

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

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the question. As reflected in the national accounts, we have seen soft growth. In fact, it has been the decision of this government to not cut spending like those opposite want to do—$315 billion worth of cuts they have said they will implement in government—that has ensured that our economy keeps growing. It's actually those opposite that, if they were able to implement the policies that they have outlined to the electorate, want to see a recession in this country. We don't. That is why we have been making those sensible investments to help people with the cost of living whilst getting the budget in better shape by ensuring that we have had two surpluses. Those opposite weren't able to deliver one surplus in the decade that they were in government. They got the mugs printed, didn't they? That would get the Leader of the Opposition to his feet.

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

President, it's a point of order on direct relevance that gets me to my feet. The minister was asked a very narrowly worded question about how many quarters Australia has been in a per capita recession and, thus far, she has not mentioned 'recession', 'per capita' or even really 'economic growth'. Could you draw the minister to the question?

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

Senator Birmingham, the minister has mentioned some of those words, but I will draw her to your question.

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

Certainly strong population growth and government spending and sensible government investments have ensured that our economy keeps growing. Those opposite are the only people in the country that would be sitting there waiting for the economic data to come out and wishing it to be worse than it actually is. Those opposite shattered on the day that interest rates held. They were shattered that that happened. Again, the national accounts showed that our economy continues to grow even in difficult times—

like we are facing now with the inflation challenge that we inherited from those opposite—inflation with a six in front of it, Senator Cash, and on its way up—with inflation now moderating in welcome ways with a three in front of it. So our economic plan is working. We are pleased the economy continues to grow, and we will continue to focus on helping people with cost-of-living pressures.

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

Senator Birmingham, a first supplementary?

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

Can the minister inform the Senate how much worse off Australians are after six quarters of the Albanese Labor government's per capita recession?

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

We get that the Australian people are doing it tough. We get that inflation remains a big challenge in our economy, which is why we are so pleased that it has moderated, almost halved, from when we inherited an inflation challenge that was escalating in this country, not moderating. So we are pleased about that. But we get that people are doing it tough, which is why we put in place those sensible cost-of-living measures to help, like Commonwealth rent assistance, something that those opposite would cut, according to the shadow finance minister. Also, energy bill rebates are something they would cut. They see it as wasteful spending. All of those are investments that we have made to help people through this difficult time. We accept it is difficult. We would all like inflation to return to band sooner, but our plan is working and we are supporting people through this difficult time.

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

Senator Birmingham, a second supplementary?

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

Minister, how are six quarters of a per capita recession which have taken the purchasing power of Australian households all the way back to 2017 levels remotely consistent with the Prime Minister's promise that a Labor government would make Australians better off, when in fact they are worse off and they are all the way back at 2017 levels in terms of their purchasing power?

The:

Order! I am waiting for order. I have called for order. Senator O'Sullivan, I will use your name in particular.

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

As we deal with the global inflation challenge that is affecting our economy, we are pleased that inflation moderates under our economic plan. We are pleased that wages have got moving again under our economic plan—something you wanted to cut. We are pleased that almost a million jobs have been created in the first term of an Albanese government—more people in work, more people earning more and keeping more of what they earn. That is important, and we are seeing economic growth continue in this country, when other, like-minded economies have seen quarters of negative growth, which is not something we have seen here. We've got a strong labour market. We're seeing inflation moderate. We're seeing wages get moving again. And we acknowledge that it is tough—hence our cost-of-living measures, which you have opposed, almost exclusively. Every single one of them would have been worse off had you been in charge, under your economic plan.