6. Question No. 6—FinanceBROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 6—Finance6. BROOKE VAN VELDEN (Deputy Leader—ACT) to the Minister of Finance: How much money if any as a percentage of their departmental budgets were Public Service chief executives asked to save in meetings this week and last week and how big is the gap between the forecast OBEGAL for 2023/24 in the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 and Treasury's current estimates for OBEGAL if any?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): In answer to the first part of the question as I've already indicated in question time today I met with Public Service chief executives yesterday as part of the Government fiscal sustainability and effectiveness programme which we announced at Budget 2023 in May. The outcome of work under the programme in so far as it relates to departmental budgets is treated the same way as any other Budget meeting and therefore is confidential until such time as it is made public. In answer to the second part of the question the estimate of the operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) in the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update remains Treasury's estimate of OBEGAL. The next update will be at the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) in September.Brooke van Velden: Can he rule out the Government's fiscal hole is greater than $10 billion?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I reject the member's assertion in that question. As I indicated in answers to earlier questions the latest update of the Government accounts to the end of May indicated a softening in revenue and therefore an extension out in what had been forecast for OBEGAL. The final forecast of where that ends up will not come through until PREFU. What I can rule out though for the benefit of the member is the assertion made by the ACT Party yesterday that they believe that there was a fiscal hole of $27 billion on the basis of those May Crown accounts. That's because the ACT Party thought that the $2 billion or so that was softer than the Budget was a monthly number. It's not: it's the annual number.Brooke van Velden: Can he confirm that housing Minister Megan Woods has refused to make any savings in her portfolio and which other Ministers have reacted badly to being asked to make savings?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No that is not true. All Ministers are on board with the Government's fiscal sustainability and effectiveness programme that we announced in May. However I would concede this to the member: I'm yet to meet a Minister who's happy when the Minister of Finance comes knocking on the door.Nicola Willis: Is it correct that Public Sector agencies have been directed to find 2 percent to 5 percent savings in the next financial year because somehow the Government failed to factor in wage settlements?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The answer to the member's question is no. The member is on pretty thin ice when it comes to that because I'm not sure that the member has any idea in her plan on how she would pay to make sure that we have teachers and nurses and social workers because the National Party's plan as currently unfunded would have no room for that at all.Brooke van Velden: After six years of refusing to listen to ACT's suggestions for reducing wasteful Government spending has he come around to the fact that it might have been a good idea just 40 days before the Government's books are due to be opened?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Two answers to the question. We had $4 billion worth of savings in this year's Budget and a programme to continue to drive efficiency in the Budget that we announced in May. Secondly I'm not sure I'm going to take advice from the ACT Party given that they couldn't actually understand the Crown accounts and thought that a figure for 11 months was a figure for one month. I'm not going to take advice from people with that level of economic literacy.