Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

She might do that as well. But I happen to know that she regularly consults with organisations in the sector that she is responsible for. This is her sector and I feel sure that she makes it a practice to consult with all of those organisations. That does not mean that just because you consult with organisations you do what they want you to do or you accept their positions, because as a government we have to make decisions. But we took this policy to the last election, we have consulted with the Australian people about that and they have re-elected us.

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

They have re-elected us, Senator Bernardi. You may not like that but they have re-elected us and we are now proceeding with the policy that we took to the last election. We have explained it exhaustively. I do not think I can explain it any more clearly to you than how I have explained it to you already, Senator Nash. We have consulted with the Australian people. We regularly consult with organisa­tions in this sector. That does not necessarily mean that we always do what they want us to do.