QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:46): I welcome the question on productivity because this budget had productivity right at the centre of the decision-making that we took. As Senator Roberts would know from attending estimates, as he does and has as a representative of his party—he knows, from all the advice that Treasury has provided, that productivity growth in the decade to 2020 was the slowest in 60 years.

Get your heads around that as everyone points the finger: the slowest in 60 years was in the decade to 2020. We recognised, when we came to government— The PRESIDENT: Senator Roberts? Senator Roberts: On a point of order, I asked about productivity falling under your government.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister is answering your question, but I will continue to listen carefully, and, if she isn't, I'll direct her to your question. Senator GALLAGHER: I was explaining the evidence that Treasury has provided, through various committee proceedings that I've been at and that Senator Roberts has been at, that the productivity challenge that Australia has right now is similar to many advanced economies and that we had seen slowing productivity growth in the decade to 2020.

We revised back the productivity growth assumptions in our budget on the advice of Treasury. Those had been hiding behind the myth of their numbers in their budget. We adjusted it based on advice from Treasury, and this budget has a range of measures that go right to the heart of driving productivity improvements, which, I would think, all of us in this chamber could agree is a good thing.

Whether it be some of the regulatory reform work that I'm doing; removing some of the barriers to trade, which Senator Farrell's at the heart of; building a single national market; accelerating approvals with the work that Minister Watt's leading in the environment and the work that Minister O'Neil is doing in housing; the work with the states and territories looking at how we use data and AI—all of these big challenges that economies like Australia are grappling with, we are dealing with in this budget.

I'm not sure—the clock ran out. The PRESIDENT: Sorry, Minister. Senator Roberts, first supplementary?