Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Vice-President of the Executive Council, Minister for Arts and Attorney-General) (14:50): Senator Gallacher, I thank you for that question. No deal has been done in relation to Australia's future submarine fleet. No deal has been done, Senator Gallacher, and no decision has been made. Senator Wong: Mr President, on a point of order, I am aware that the minister does have some time but he was sitting down so quickly, I thought I had better get in quickly. The question was: 'Do such documents exist?' I draw his attention to the question. The PRESIDENT: By inference, I think the minister is answering the question by indicating that no such deal has been done. But, equally, Senator Wong, you are right; the minister does have one minute and 42 seconds left to answer the question. Senator BRANDIS: I thought I was asked whether documents existed evidencing a deal. No deal has been done. Senator Conroy: Yes, it has. The PRESIDENT: Senator Conroy! Senator BRANDIS: No deal has been done. No decision has been made. What the government has announced is that there will be a competitive evaluation process to select an international partner to develop the next generation of Australian submarines. I must say, Senator Gallacher, I find this more than curious coming from you, a Labor senator—this new-found interest in the Australia submarine project, which was allowed to lie in abeyance for the entire six years of your Labor government. For six years, you did nothing. Your party did nothing. Through successive defence ministers, the future submarine lay in the too-hard basket because not one of your ministers whether it was Joel Fitzgibbon, whether it was John Faulkner, whether it was Stephen Smith was prepared to make a decision. This government has made a decision to progress the future Australian submarine. No decision has been made as to the international partner. A decision will be made as a result of the competitive evaluation process that was announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Defence. The various bidding countries, whether they be Japan or France or Germany, will be appraised and are being appraised. But Senator Gallacher, you sat on your hands for six years and did nothing.