Senate Economics Legislation Committee, , 6:52:24 to 6:54:53
Scrutiny of the government's claim of 2% average real growth in payments versus specific annual spikes of 5.5% and 4.3%.
Topics: Government spending, Efficiency dividend
Speakers: Senator Andrew Bragg, Hon Katy Gallagher, Damien White, Senator Lisa Darmanin, Unknown Speaker, Hon Jane Hume
Well, I'm just trying to apply some scrutiny here to these claims of you're making about uh expense management. I think the final budget outcome says the government has limited real growth in payments to the average of two per cent per year over the last four years, well below the 30 average of 3.4.
Yes.
It is right, is it?
Yes.
Okay. So what's the what's the rate of real growth in payments in 2324?
I'm not sure I have 232.
So can the officials provide that?
They're all outlined in table B1 in the final budget outcome, Senator.
Okay.
Um it's 2.9%.
It's 2.9. And then what about 2425?
Um the same table, Senator, 5.5.
5.5. And then 2526?
4.3.
Okay, so why does it say an average of 2%? Because that's not an average of 2%. You've got 2.9.
The numbers over 4 years, Senator, includes the year before you started as well. The minus 4.9 in 22.3.
Right, and what's it what's the reason for the minus 4.9?
When we I think that would have been our first budget. Uh, where we removed and took savings uh from a number of decisions that had been made by the previous government.
Okay, but it's heading in a trajectory of growth, isn't it? 2.9, 5.5, 4.3.
Well, I mean, that goes to the pressures that I've been talking about. How we uh dealing with those pressures that are real and growing on the budget. And should I say you are promising to spend more?
Yeah.
But like if if this was you now, it's not a credible number.
When you're going to be growing it at almost three, five and a half and four point three over the next three years, is it? It's not credible marketing, is it?
Um what are you saying?
Well, you're saying spending growth's going to be two per cent. We said no, no.
I'm going to have to rotate because we've got to stop at 345, and I think Senator Hume has some questions.
I just wanted I don't want to interrupt Brady's flow.
Seven minutes till afternoon T. I'll leave it to you guys.