Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Vice-President of the Executive Council, Minister for Arts and Attorney-General) (14:47): Senator Conroy, if you are so powerfully persuaded by Mr Shepherd's words, why didn't you do anything for six years? Why did you do nothing for six years? Why did you let the Australian submarine project go into abeyance for six years? Why did you not commence the construction of a single warship at any Australian shipyard for the six years that you were in office? That is your record. Senator Conroy, I know that you are uncomfortable with things like tender processes. Senator Conroy, when we talk about tender processes, you have form. We know that when you were the minister responsible, for example, for the NBN— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Moore: Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance to the question. Whilst the minister has spoken widely on his own issues, the question is: when will the government heed the advice of its experts? It is the current government's actions, not a reflection on the past. The PRESIDENT: I remind the minister that he has 13 seconds in which to answer the question. Senator BRANDIS: You presided over a tender process which you yourself, in your own words, described as 'corrupted'. Senator, the future Australian submarine is going to go through a proper process, a competitive evaluation process, to achieve the best result for the Australian people. (Time expired)