Senator CORMANN (Western Australia—Minister for Finance) (14:51): Let me reject right up front the final assertion that the senator has made. Let me also clarify for the Senate that what I have announced today are revised implementation arrangements for a measure announced in the budget on 13 May—and, of course, that budget measure was to ensure that the real value of the excise on fuel does not continue to fall. Something that might have escaped the Labor Party and the Greens is that the real value of the excise on fuel has continued to fall since indexation of fuel excise was abolished in 2001. Back in 2001 the fuel excise was 42 per cent of the average fuel price; today it is 25 per cent. And, of course, as we speak here today, the Greens, in particular, are advocating a position that the real value of the excise on fuel should continue to fall. Our position on this side of the chamber is that it is an important structural reform of the budget to ensure that the real value of the excise on fuel does not continue to fall, and that it keeps pace with inflation. Senator Wong: Why did Abbott mislead the Australian people? You lied to people before the election. Senator CORMANN: If Senator Wong would give us the courtesy of listening to the answer, she would know that her interjections are based on a completely false premise—because, of course, the fuel excise indexation measure will ensure that the real value of the excise on fuel does not continue to fall, that it remains constant in real terms and that it keeps pace with inflation. I do not know how many other ways I can explain this— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Dastyari: Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. I asked a very specific question about why the Prime Minister said one thing before the election and did something different after the election. The minister has not answered the question. The PRESIDENT: To the contrary, Senator Dastyari, right up-front the minister rejected that aspect of your question. The minister rejected the question and he answered it directly. The minister then went on to explain. The minister has 17 seconds left to continue his answer. Senator CORMANN: What the Prime Minister said very clearly before the election is that the coalition would fix the budget mess that Labor left behind. We are fixing the budget mess that Labor left behind and we are making sure that the tax on fuel does not continue to fall. We think that from 42 per cent down to 25 per cent—(Time expired)