George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

My question is directed to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. I refer to the Prime Minister’s remarks to the Australian Industry Group dinner last night that ‘a deal is a deal and a signature means that you agree’. Minister, when the government signed the heads of agreement with BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata on the evening of 1 July—a document the Prime Minister described as ‘a final agreement’—was that a deal and did the government’s signature mean that it agreed?