Doorstop, Federal Press Gallery

24 March 2025

JANE HUME: Well, this Tuesday night will be a test for Labor. It will be a test to see whether they can deliver a budget, not for the next five weeks for their electoral prospects, but for the next five years. The last three Budgets, we've seen two windfall gains completely wasted, and now we've got deficits as far as the eye can see. The Coalition will be looking for a Budget that can restore a lost standard of living that has been lost under this Government. People have gone backwards by 8 per cent. Our standard of living has collapsed further and faster than ever before. So we'll be looking for a Budget that restores our lost standard of living. A Budget that restores our prosperity and opportunity for all Australians. And, most importantly, a Budget that restores the fiscal guardrails, the disciplines, the honesty that has served Australians well in budgets past June Chalmers has delivered street failed budgets in the past, windfall gains now turned to ready and budget so budget deficits, as far as the eye can see. Australians deserve better, that's why Peter Dutton and the Dutton Coalition led opposition, hopefully soon Government, has a plan to restore your prosperity. We have a plan to bring our standard of living back up to where it was. We have a plan to get cost of living under control by tackling inflation head on sustainably, to reduce energy prices, to deliver affordable homes, to deliver quality health care and to keep Australians safe by safer communities. I'm happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: The tax to GDP ratio is reportedly going to be 23.1 per cent below the cap that you're setting. So is that a good sign of the government finally, inside the guardrails that you talk about?

JANE HUME: And yet, Australians have been taxed more than ever before under this government. They're paying an additional $3,500 a year in tax. The average taxpayer is paying more. We don't think that that's good enough. We think that Australians deserve to have a budget that is run with the disciplines to make sure that a tax to GDP ratio is not something you reach by luck, it's something you reach by discipline. It's a spending discipline. It makes sure that you work within an envelope. An envelope that's sustainable, so that we can get ourselves back to a structural balanced budget in the medium term.

JOURNALIST: You talk about the extra tax that we're paying, does that mean Peter Dutton's big announcement on Thursday night might be tax cuts?

JANE HUME: You’ll have to tune in to Thursday night

JOURNALIST: The independent’s out today calling for a gas reserve policy to keep more Australian gas onshore. Is that something the Coalition would support?

JANE HUME: We've certainly said that we will immediately, on coming to government, fast track approvals for gas, because it's the only way to bring prices down sustainably. And we can have subsidies, and we're not going to stand in the way of Labor's subsidy. But the problem is, it's a subsidy because of their failed policy. What we need to see is gas prices, is energy prices come down sustainably. Electricity prices have gone up by underlying 32 per cent. Gas prices by around 34 per cent so we'll inject more gas into the system immediately to bring down the underlying prices of gas under an underlying price of energy. And I should say, this is not a promise. This is not a promise made 97 times prior to the last election to bring down energy prices by $275. This is a commitment to sustainably bring down the cost of energy in this system. It starts with gas, and then in the longer term, it moves to low, zero emissions, nuclear power, as those coal fired power stations retire.

JOURNALIST: As part of those increased approvals though, will there be a protectionist reserve policy in the face of what is global rising protectionism across the world?

JANE HUME: Well, we'll announce our policy as the election campaign kicks off, whenever it may kick off. You'll hear more on energy policy throughout the next few weeks I would imagine.

JOURNALIST: Have you left it too late to start announcing some of these policies Senator?

JANE HUME: Well, isn't it interesting that every time we have announced a policy, Labor have used their resources of government, departmental resources to try and debunk them. That's outrageous. We saw that with a very modest proposal to allow small businesses the opportunity that large businesses have, to deduct meal expenses without the red tape complications of FBT. This was a very small and modest policy that was aimed specifically at small business, but it helped the failing hospitality sector, which is an industry at the pointy end of Labor's cost of living crisis. That policy, which was very modest, Labor went out and used the resources of government, used the Treasury to cost a Coalition policy, and proudly said that they'd done that. That's outrageous.

JOURNALIST: But it was because you hadn't released your costing for that policy. That was the reason. That was their reason for outlining that…

JANE HUME: Why don’t they go and cost their own policies? Why don't they go and deliver their own policies rather than focusing on the Coalition? They have a big job to do. They have a big job to do this Tuesday night, and that job is to make sure that they deliver a Budget that's not for the next five weeks, it's for the next five years. How about they concentrate on their own policy?

JOURNALIST: That policy was originally called the meals and entertainment policy. You've only mentioned meals there. Does it still cover entertainment? Is that now out of the policy?

JANE HUME: It covers meals and it doesn't cover alcohol.

JOURNALIST: Does it cover entertainment?

JANE HUME: It’s a very modest policy and it’s done…

JOURNALIST (interrupts): Does it cover entertainment?

JANE HUME (continues): …specifically for small businesses to put them on an even playing field with large businesses, and, most importantly, to support our hospitality industry. Because one in 11 hospitality businesses has gone out of business under this government, along with 29,000 businesses right around the country, because this government has failed to tackle the cost of living crisis.

JOURNALIST: There was a large press release in large bold writing saying meals and entertainment policy, though, when that was released. Does it still cover entertainment?

JANE HUME: It's a meal policy, and you'll see all the details …

JOURNALIST (talks over): So no entertainment at all?

JANE HUME (continues): during the, during the election.

JOURNALIST: So no entertainment whatsoever?

JANE HUME: You'll see the details of that policy during the election campaign. But this is a really important policy for small businesses, a really important policy for small businesses, and particularly for the hospitality sector. You know, one of the jobs that I've had throughout this term of government is as the Chair of the Cost of Living Committee. We've had the opportunity to travel right around the country talking about what's important to people, industries, different businesses, different demographics, different sectors, different geographies. And can I tell you that small businesses, in particular, hospitality, have been at the pointy end of Labor's cost of living crisis, whether it be rising energy prices, rising rents, pressures on wages, increased red tape. These are the businesses that are going out of business because of Labor's failed policies.

JOURNALIST: The Newspoll suggests female voters looking elsewhere from both the major parties. Does your work from home policy cost you with female voters do you think?

JANE HUME: Well, let me be very clear about this, work from home policy is (A) not a gendered policy and (B) it applies to public servants. It doesn't apply to the private sector, and anything else is simply a Labor lie. More importantly, it simply reflects the practices of the private sector. It should be nothing new. It should be no surprise. Now, flexible work will remain. Of course it will remain, but the fact is that the Union has negotiated with the Finance Minister to allow public servants to work full time from home as a right, as opposed to as an arrangement. Now, we will honour existing arrangements. Of course, we will. Of course, we will. We'll honour existing agreements. But the fact is that taxpayers who pay public servants, public service wages have a right to expect that the practices in the public service reflects the practices in the private sector, and we've seen some egregious abuses of this privilege. Things like somebody working from home full time that ends out there driving a caravan with their family around the country. There's one agency in the middle of Sydney, CBD, prime location, where 50 per cent of people don't turn up at all, ever. We've had stakeholders come to us and say that they have flown to Canberra with their team to present to a department only to turn up to a meeting room where everybody else dials in. I don't think that that meets the expectations of taxpayers. Flexible work is here to stay, but this is a public sector policy that reflects private sector practice. That's it.

JOURNALIST: To honour existing agreements. You said you'll honour existing agreements. Would that mean, then, to just to sort of step that a bit? Would that mean that to make the changes you've outlined, you'd have to wait until the existing agreements expire, or would the Coalition seek to go to undertake some legal process to crack open the existing agreement, to change it?

JANE HUME: No, we'll honour existing agreements in whatever form they take. The most important thing, though, is that any flexible work arrangements, as happens in the private sector, are worked out between the individual, their team and the department has to work for everybody. That's the only way that you can deliver an effective and efficient public service. Thanks guys.