Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Senator Conroy. Does the minister agree with the following statement:

It is important that robust business cases are prepared to support the investment of very large sums of public money.

Can the minister identify who made that statement?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not realise we were going to play 20 questions today.

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

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you just keep smoking whatever you are smoking, George. You will wake up and realise you are sitting over there soon. That is—

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

That’s hubris!

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, just address your comments to the chair and not across the chamber.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I accept your admonishment, Mr President, but, as you can see, I am being thoroughly provoked at this stage.

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

You are an easy target, Senator.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am doing my best, Senator Hogg.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, address the chair. Just address the chair.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Obviously those opposite had a very thin morning at the Senate tactics question time committee when they have to come up with such puerile questions as playing a guessing game. I would have thought in question time they might have had actually a question of some substance about some important issues. Maybe the Australian was not printed this morning, so they had no reference document whatsoever. But perhaps when we get a supplementary question we may have something—

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

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The minister was asked whether he agreed with a statement that was put to him. He has not approached the question. He has abused the questioner, he has abused the opposition and he has not approached the question. You should draw him to it.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on the point of order, to the extent that the question asked was a guessing game, the minister has been directly answering the question. The opposition, if they wish to continue this facade of a question which does not provide in fact any real substance in relation to policy, if they do not want to ask the executive any policy questions today, then taking a point of order and complaining about a nonanswer where the question is in fact a guessing game, there is no point of order in respect of that, and if the opposition is to continue with a guessing game for question time instead of asking proper questions, they should expect the answers that Senator Conroy is providing.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. Senator Conroy, you have 44 seconds remaining to answer the question.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President; can I congratulate you on your ruling. As I said—

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

I’m sure that means the world to him!

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Have you finished?

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

Senator Brandis interjecting—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. So, as I said, those opposite have clearly not had a lot of reference material to work from this morning—not had much time to get their act together. Obviously some key individuals were missing this morning from their Senate tactics committee, but who would have thought that Senator Abetz’s contribution could be so large that they could not manage without him? Seriously, this is the best they could do without you, Senator Abetz! (Time expired)

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Just to help Senator Conroy with the question, it was a quote from him in question time two days ago. So whether or not he agrees with it I would be very interested to know, and perhaps he could deal with that during the supplementary. Given the government requires farmers to obtain a robust business case in the development of irrigation-efficiency projects in the Murray-Darling Basin, can the minister explain why the government refuses to subject its own $43 billion National Broadband Network to a robust—(Time expired)

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. The difficulty is that the primary question went to a guessing game. The substance was addressed to the Minister representing the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The supplementary then has gone to the National Broadband Network, and Senator Conroy is not answering as the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. So, in this instance, either the opposition are befuddled about the direction of their question or in fact have got it wrong in relation to the substance of the question. On that basis, Mr President, I ask that you rule the question out of order.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, there is no point of order. I am allowing the question to stand.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yeah, of course.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I am allowing the question to stand. There is a fairly broad approach to questions at question time and I am just abiding by what my predecessors have done previously.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just wait a minute; I have not finished.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Congratulate him again, Stephen.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And I do not need congratulations, thank you. I am simply allowing the question. You can answer that part of the question which pertains to your portfolio.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To the portfolio I am representing?

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry—the portfolio that you are representing, yes.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I do appreciate that ruling, and I just want to make sure I have it absolutely clear. The question that I have to answer relates to the representational portfolio, not to my own portfolio, and I can ignore the part of the question that is—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Go on, Senator Conroy. You are clear.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to make sure that it is clear that I will not be accused of not answering the question by ignoring that part of the question which has got nothing to do with the representational role that I have here. You cannot switch portfolios in your question halfway through, which is what happened.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Abetz interjecting—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They really did miss you, Senator Abetz. It is quite obvious that they missed you—I started about 30 seconds ago. Given that the entire substance of the question revolved around the attempt at a sting by the senator who asked the question, I am not sure that there is a lot of substance. But what is sad to see—

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just sit down.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you are getting the full minute. Given the lack of substance in the question, it is sad to see that those opposite, who voted for the legislation that they are now attacking and supported the amendments to the legislation that they are now attacking, continue to pretend that they have concerns.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What are you talking about?

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am answering the question.

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Conroy, ignore the interjections. Those on my left will cease interjecting.

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You can’t handle your own tongue, and you’re babbling.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is Senator Heffernan at his finest. What we have here is a very—(Time expired)

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Isn’t this just another case of the Gillard government’s hypocrisy and continuing practice of treating Australian farmers like second-class citizens while holding itself to a lesser standard?

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The very simple and straightforward answer is no, as my colleague suggests. But I understand and this government understands the high level of anxiety and emotion in communities in the Murray-Darling Basin. What is being released is a guide for a draft plan by the independent Murray-Darling Basin Authority. It is not a proposal from the government. We have announced a parliamentary inquiry into the socioeconomic impact of the proposed cuts to water allocations in the MDB. The inquiry will have a strong focus on understanding the human impact of any proposed changes, and Minister Burke has sought and tabled legal advice from the Australian Government Solicitor on dealing with social and economic issues under the Water Act 2007. (Time expired)