Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable senator for his question. I think it is the first time he has asked me a question since the middle of December—and the colleague sitting beside him, Senator Farrell, has not asked me one since the middle of November, which rather begs the question as well. This government is committed to CSIRO. This government, through Senate estimates, has watched Senator Carr try and try to raise a whole range of issues. He started off with job losses. He has now given up on that, clearly. He then started talking about the head of CSIRO. He has obviously given up on that. He has not asked about that today. Instead, we get a lame question in relation to where we are heading with this.

I can assure Senator Carr of this: when we put policies together we keep them. When we make promises, we keep them. When I look back and reflect on what Senator Carr—the doomsayer who was caught out in The Australian about a week ago; it showed Senator Carr for what he is—has said over the last six months, he just wants to talk down the Australian economy. He wants to talk down Australian jobs. If this is the best Senator Carr can do, I hope that—