Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Hansard source

To be clear: we're talking about two separate issues here. Earlier today—I don't know whether you were in the chamber—we listed a number of organisations, industry participants and stakeholders that were consulted in relation to the criteria of the loans and the general operations of the RIC, but most particularly about the criteria that sat around the loans, which you were so interested in a little while ago. There were about 55 different stakeholders that were formally consulted as part of that process, including instruments of government in the other states around Australia, as well as industry and communities and governments—and banks, obviously, as well, given that it was a loan facility. Quite separately, that consultation occurred in relation to the loans facility.

That's a different question than the question in relation to the location of Orange. As I said to Senator Dastyari, as I said to Senator Brown, as I've said to you and as I've said to Senator Bernardi, it was a decision of government.