Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

No. They were talking about the federal government, actually. In relation to the budget, states like Tasmania have done particularly poorly, possibly because the new minister has very little pull with the Treasurer in that regard. You would have thought, given that he has been one of his acolytes, he would have had more say in how the arts fared in the budget, particularly for regional communities. Labor continues to support this long-awaited development in this legislation. What we do not understand is why the government, in this chamber on 27 March 2003, would be willing to support precisely the same amendments proposed by the opposition in relation to the Dairy Industry Services Reform Bill 2003 and the Primary Industries (Excise) Levies Amendment (Dairy) Bill 2003. That was the debate—in committee, as we are now—in this chamber on 27 March 2003. Senator Troeth, representing Minister Truss, I think, at that time, in this chamber, indicated support for precisely the same propositions that I put up. What is different?