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) (15:42): I thank the shadow minister for finance for the question. It gives me the opportunity to reflect on the complete and utter hypocrisy of those opposite when they raise the issue of the concern and the hand-wringing around Australia's debt— Senator Chandler: Point of order: relevance.

I didn't ask for the minister's reflection. I asked a very tight question that I would like an answer to. The PRESIDENT: The minister had just stood to answer.

I note that the interjections on my left started immediately. I remind you that you need to listen in silence. If the minister is not relevant to the question, I will draw her to that question.

Senator GALLAGHER: The complete and utter hypocrisy of those opposite when they come in here and hand-wring about Australia's public debt, because it— The PRESIDENT: Senator Cash? Senator Cash: I'm going to go with direct relevance. It was a very tight question.

The PRESIDENT: Once again, the minister had just stood. She started referring to debt. I will continue to listen to her answer.

Senator GALLAGHER: I can assure the shadow minister for finance that the debt we are repaying—most of which was accrued under those opposite from 2013 to 2022, if you go back and have a look—is less than it would have been had they been left in charge. We have paid down debt, and because we've paid down debt we are paying lower interest on that debt. They are the facts—two surpluses, returning upward revision to revenue to budget and finding savings.

Debt is lower in every year that we have been in government than what it would have been if we had followed the path of those opposite. The PRESIDENT: Senator Chandler, first supplementary?