Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I had already referred to the secretary’s comments in my previous answer. It would have been useful perhaps if the senator could have reflected on that before reading out the supp he had previously prepared. The secretary has made it clear that the new department will build on existing capability and develop new capacity to deal with these issues. Self-evidently, this is a new function for the department. It is a challenge, but a challenge we in this portfolio—me as minister and the department—are determined to rise to. We recognise that the programs need to be administered to a higher standard than, regrettably, has been the case previously for a range of reasons, and we will seek to do so.