Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens denies he warned the federal cabinet on the risks of not passing the budget, saying it is not his job to do so.
The central bank chief and Treasury secretary John Fraser took the unusual step of briefing the cabinet after last week's decision to cut the cash rate for the first time in 18 months to a historic low of 2.25 per cent.
Reports suggested the pair warned that if budget cuts, now held up in the Senate, failed to clear parliament, then there was a risk of never achieving a surplus.
The Labor opposition was outraged that advice was leaked to selected media outlets.
Addressing the House of Representatives economics committee on Friday, Mr Stevens said he was asked to address cabinet about the local and global economic outlook, not the budget.
"It wasn't my job to talk to them about fiscal matters," Mr Stevens said.
He said that was the Treasury secretary's job, but declined to comment on the things he said.
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