James Paterson

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister confirmed the commitment was raised prior to the list being provided, as it was a public election commitment. She stated that the Prime Minister was not the decision-maker, as the grant was delivered through standard departmental processes and Commonwealth grant guidelines. She argued that the commitments were authorized by the Australian people through the election and that the same process would have been used by the coalition if they had won.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated she did not know what specific correspondence was being referred to. She reiterated that the Japanese Prime Minister is a friend of Australia and that the Prime Minister was committed to ensuring her comfort during her visit. She accused the opposition of spreading misinformation and confecting a diplomatic issue. She urged bipartisan support for the relationship with Japan, describing it as historically important.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated that the Treasurer had confirmed on Insiders on Sunday that the government would address the issue through grandfathering arrangements. She noted that multiple tranches of legislation were planned to resolve matters including startup exemptions and testamentary trusts. The minister argued that the opposition no longer opposed the core policy, acknowledging that the previous housing market status quo was unsustainable and disadvantaged first home buyers. She emphasized that the Labor caucus voted proudly for tax cuts for working people and fairer tax arrangements, contrasting this with the opposition's lack of clear direction.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated that amendments would allow 98 per cent of active small businesses to access concessional capital gains tax treatment. She noted that page six of the consultation paper outlines business activity requirements for innovative small businesses, including innovation, commercialisation, scalability, and growth potential. She argued that the opposition was opposing consultation with the startup sector despite claiming to support small business. In response to supplementary questions, she indicated that some terms were drawn from existing legislation and policies, and she criticised the opposition for complaining about consultation while blocking tax reforms.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated that the budget aimed to uphold the 'great Australian contract' by ensuring future generations could fulfil the dream of homeownership. She explained that tax changes would increase housing supply and bring more owner-occupiers into the market, while noting that negative gearing remained available for new builds. The minister claimed the budget would help 75,000 Australians achieve homeownership and argued that under a Liberal government, young people would face higher taxes. She asserted that the government was aligning the treatment of income from labour with income from assets to ensure fairness, while providing additional tax cuts to working Australians.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated she was not across Bunnings' inventory but emphasized the seriousness of the global energy shock caused by the Middle East conflict. She criticized the opposition for focusing on inventory rather than the broader economic and policy challenges. She listed government actions, including releasing fuel reserves and using Export Finance Australia, as evidence of serious management of the crisis.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister observed that Australia obtained 65 per cent of its fertiliser-grade urea from the Middle East and that costs were unstable. She said most supplies for the next season were already in Australia or at sea, and that resuming local urea manufacturing in Western Australia was an immediate goal.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister clarified that she can refuse or cancel passports on security grounds if a competent authority requests it. She stated that no such request had been made regarding the group of individuals in question. She declined to provide specific numbers or details regarding other matters, citing the need to protect classified security advice and offering a confidential briefing to the senator instead.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated that Minister Burke had publicly indicated he had no knowledge of Mr Rifi's actions or whereabouts beyond media reports, and that Mr Rifi had not spoken to him about the issue since June of the previous year. In response to supplementary questions about the authorisation of individuals handing over passports and assurances given to Dr Rifi, she stated that individual actions are a matter for those individuals and that she was not aware of any assurances given to Dr Rifi, referring questions about discussions to Minister Burke.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister corrected the record, stating she had mistakenly referred to the Howard government instead of the Morrison government. She clarified that the Morrison government was the highest-spending, while the Howard government was the highest-taxing. She maintained that the current administration manages the budget responsibly by containing spending growth and finding savings to pay down inherited debt, despite pressures from defence, health, and aged care sectors.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister declined to give individual financial advice, stating it depended on mortgage terms. She attributed the rate rise to private demand growing faster than expected, not government spending. In response to supplementary questions citing economists' concerns about fiscal policy, she highlighted that the budget had improved by $233 billion and that public demand's contribution to GDP growth had eased. She noted debt was $188 billion lower than forecast and that average real annual spending growth was restrained to 1.7 per cent.

Answer from Tim Ayres

The minister stated that electricity prices had risen by 91 per cent during the previous government's tenure. He argued that the current administration is addressing the infrastructure gaps left by prior policy inaction, including the closure of coal-fired stations without replacement. He asserted that a mix of renewables, storage, gas, and hydro provides the lowest generation costs and that prices would be lower under the government's orderly transition model compared to the opposition's approach.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister stated that the government had carefully calibrated spending to avoid complicating the central bank's task, noting that much of the expenditure was demand-driven, such as indexed pensions and disability support. She highlighted that the government had delivered two budget surpluses, reduced debt by $188 billion, and cut interest costs by $60 billion. The minister argued that investments in Medicare, education, and early childhood care were essential for the country's future, contrasting this with the previous government's deficits.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister disagreed with the opposition's characterization, stating that inflation was lower than when the government took office and that real wages were growing. She noted that interest rates had been cut three times and unemployment was low. She attributed the opposition's concerns to a desire to cut social services and cost-of-living measures, rather than accepting responsibility for economic outcomes.

Answer from Bridget McKenzie

The minister rejected the premise, attributing current issues to a decade of policy delay under the previous government which failed to manage the transition from coal-fired power. She highlighted new investments in renewable energy and support measures for households, including energy bill rebates, Medicare, childcare, and housing assistance. She stated that the government was increasing grid capacity and supporting the transition to cheaper renewable energy sources.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister disagreed with the characterization, stating that inflation was down and real wages were growing. She highlighted falling interest rates and low unemployment. She accused the opposition of wanting to cut Medicare and pensions.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister affirmed that the government was implementing the tax policies taken to the last election, specifically standard deductions and income tax reductions. She reminded the Opposition that they had campaigned on raising taxes. She stated that the government considered revenue and spending through the annual budget process and would continue to deliver on costed commitments made before the election.

Answer from Katy Gallagher

The minister confirmed that the policy on high-balance super accounts remained unchanged and was taken to the election. She noted that the proposal affects approximately half a per cent of people with balances over $3 million. The government intends to pass the legislation through the parliament in the current term. The minister dismissed concerns from stakeholders as part of a campaign against the policy.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister stated she did not have the specific information on the database to hand but would seek it. She emphasised the government's focus on combating the rise in antisemitism through legislative measures, including hate crime and antidoxxing laws, and financial support for the Jewish community. Regarding the supplementary questions, she reiterated that she would obtain the information and noted that the Dural incident was subject to an ongoing investigation. She criticised the opposition for focusing on political advantage rather than national security.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister refused to comment on operational national security matters. She cited New South Wales police warnings that publishing information compromised the investigation. She accused the opposition of playing political games with an ongoing investigation and noted the Leader of the Opposition had not even requested a briefing.

Answer from Penny Wong

The minister declined to provide a specific date, stating that the government does not comment on operational matters regarding national security to avoid undermining police investigations. She emphasized that the priority was ensuring those responsible faced the full force of the law and that the community should show solidarity with the Jewish community. In response to supplementary questions, she reiterated that the government takes advice from national security agencies rather than political commentators and dismissed the opposition's focus on the timing of briefings as playing politics with a serious investigation.