Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (14:03): Talk about leading with your chin again! This is a policy that the former government put in place to expire, the former Treasurer saying it was targeted and temporary—and made it very clear—because of the significant costs to a budget that is already heaving with a trillion dollars in Liberal debt. The PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Askew? Senator Askew: A point of order on relevance: it was actually a question about a dollar figure; it wasn't asking about consideration of previous policies. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Askew. The minister is being relevant to the question but I'll continue to listen and ensure that relevance continues. Senator GALLAGHER: The former government, at the time when they designed the policy to be a six-month exemption, noted the significant cost to the budget—$3 billion over a six-month period. I've heard Senator Hume talking about the need to be fiscally responsible, while on the other side, depending on who you're talking to in the coalition, it's all about spending more and adding more to the budget problems that we have inherited. The petrol excise changes were for six months. The budget cannot afford to continue these concessions at a time when we are dealing with the increasing cost of— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Askew, second supplementary?