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) (14:55): Thank you very much, Senator Hume, for the question. As you will remember, inflation, when we came to government, had a six in front of it and was absolutely galloping.

I think it peaked at almost eight per cent, maybe 7.8 per cent, in December of 2022, and it has come down considerably since then. Senator Hume: It's not in the band, though, is it? Senator GALLAGHER: You need to take responsibility for the time that you were in government because a lot of the problems that we have been dealing with in our term in government—we've been dealing with the inflation challenge— Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat.

Minister McAllister, a point of order? Senator McAllister: Senators are interjecting. It's disorderly, and I can't hear Senator Gallagher.

The PRESIDENT: I am trying my very best to get order in this place, Minister McAllister. I have called for order, particularly on my left. I'll remind senators the minister has the right to be heard in silence.

Senator GALLAGHER: I was merely making the point that the concern about inflation from those opposite didn't seem to cover the period of time that inflation was galloping away when they were in government; indeed it continued to rise to its peak in the December 2022 quarter, from memory. Since then, we have seen inflation come down considerably. Now, instead of having a six in front of it, it has a three in front of it.

We have been very clear that that is too high, as has the bank, and they are doing what they do in terms of their role in bringing inflation back to band. We are taking our responsibility in relation to the decisions that we make around that. Much of the cost-of-living support, which you also complain about and voted against, was done in a targeted way that didn't add to the inflation challenge in the economy.

We took those decisions very carefully, acknowledging that people were under pressure and that the government had a responsibility to respond to that. The PRESIDENT: Senator Hume, first supplementary?