It was loud and clear from Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Thursday.

"If I had more money, you would be putting more money everywhere. I don't. I wish, I wish it was different. Because I feel like .. imagine all that money, billions and billions that we could actually use for other things," the senator told journalists at the National Press Club.

Here, she, the minister with finance, women and public service portfolios, is being asked after her International Women's Day address about her thinking on where the best spending is directed, particularly for women and children escaping family violence. The worthiest of worthy recipients, but it is still a hard question to answer. And there is a Labor goal to end violence against women and children in a generation.

It is the art of saying no and leaping all in when you can say yes.

Room has been found in the budget for the uncosted announcement that the government will move, as it tried in opposition for the 2019 election, to close the substantial super pay gap between women and men by paying super for parents on commonwealth paid parental leave.

"I know finance ministers get bad press for always saying no and trying to cut corners and things and I do do a fair bit of that. But we very much see this as an investment," she said.

There were a few laughs in the crowd, including from Treasurer Jim Chalmers. And Finance Secretary Jenny Wilkinson enjoyed the Minister's light reference to Finance being "all powerful across this government".

Without being explicitly addressed at the Canberra event, and surprisingly so, there was an elephant in the room on Thursday: a rare and significant cabinet leak.

Unnamed cabinet ministers, several of them, want it out there that they are not getting the funds they need for their portfolio projects and they feel shut out of the Anthony Albanese-led expenditure review committee process.

Worse, in the reporting in the Nine newspapers, they appear to have thrown Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic under the bus by naming him and how he took his frustrations directly to the Prime Minister. They also had a dig at the Deputy Prime Minister by naming Senator Gallagher and Penny Wong as in a super-powerful clique, "effectively the deputy prime ministers" and "PM whisperers".

And it is clear that at least two ministers have a problem with Ms Wilkinson and Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy staying in the room when portfolio ministers have to go.

Nothing to see here, according to Dr Chalmers, who also insists he is not obsessed with chasing a second surplus. "It isn't unusual. Decisions are taken by ministers. Not by public servants."

"We run a responsible budget and that means running a tight ship on spending."

Signs of trouble within? Jealousies or normal grumblings as a "series of fine balances" are struck in the budget? Are these mid-term yearnings of a 22-month-old government constantly called on to be bold?

The opposition is getting ready, with Angus Taylor putting it out there that he now expects "the spigots opened" on government spending in the May budget. No mention there of the pandemic-level of spending in Morrison government times.

The main take out from the leak is that cabinet leaked.

The tight ship ain't so tight.