Senator CORMANN (Western Australia—Minister for Finance, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:44): What I can confirm for Senator Gallagher is what I've confirmed on a number of occasions before—that is, before the pandemic the gross debt and the net debt position under our government was much better than it would have been under Labor because we corrected the forward trajectory that we inherited from those opposite. Senator Gallagher interjecting— Senator Keneally interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senators Gallagher and Keneally. Senator CORMANN: We inherited an unsustainable spending and debt growth trajectory from the Labor Party and we brought that trajectory down. Senator Wong interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong. Senator CORMANN: I will forever be proud about the fact I played my small role in helping to repair the budget during our first six years in government, to the point where we returned the budget to balance and to the point where Australia was able to enter this pandemic from a position of comparative fiscal and economic strength. I know the Labor Party is not interested in this, but Australia went into this pandemic in a stronger position than just about any other advanced economy around the world and in a stronger position than we would have if we had stayed with the policy settings of those opposite. (Time expired) Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! I will call the next question when there's silence. Senators Hume, Watt and Wong, please pause when I call your name.