Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Vice-President of the Executive Council, Minister for Arts and Attorney-General) (14:13): Senator Collins, I am perplexed by you. I am perplexed because I thought that you were a member of a Senate committee that, at the moment, was considering this question and that the hearings of that Senate committee were current. So how you can be a member of a Senate committee examining a matter which is still current and have announced conclusions about it— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Wong: Mr President, I raise a point of order on relevance. This is a very serious matter, and what Senator Collins has put to the Attorney-General— Senator Ian Macdonald: Is there a point of order? Senator Wong: The point of order is relevance. The question directly went to the advice from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on two occasions on Monday, 1 June which appear to have been ignored by this minister in his failure to correct the record after that advice twice. He may think that it is amusing to criticise Senator Collins I happen to think, and the opposition happens to think, that misleading the Senate is actually a very serious charge. Government senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order on my right! Senator Wong, the minister was barely into his answer and I cannot at this point in time say that he is not going to be directly relevant to the question, so I call the minister. Senator BRANDIS: Thank you, Mr President. I was merely making the point that it is very strange for a senator who sits on a committee examining a matter, where the proceedings of the committee are still current, to be announcing conclusions already before all of the evidence has been heard. So, Senator Collins, your question is actually inappropriate, but you do rather tip in your hand as somebody who has prejudged the issue. In any event, Senator Collins— Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! On my right and my left! Senator Wong: Mr President, I raise a point of order on relevance. Criticism of Senator Collins is not relevant to the question asked. He is wasting time; he has gone over a minute. The Senate deserves an explanation of how you misled the Senate for four days after the Prime Minister's department advised you of such. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, on the point of order, the Leader of the Opposition has form in using points of order to get up and lecture people and make speeches, and I urge you to call her to account, rather than listening to the spurious points of order. The PRESIDENT: Order! There is no point of order. Both sides come to order. It would assist if we allowed the minister to be heard. I had trouble listening to the last 15 seconds of the minister's answer. Minister, you have 57 seconds. Senator BRANDIS: If the matter is as important as the Leader of the Opposition says it is, perhaps I could be heard in silence when I answer the question. Opposition senators interjecting— Senator BRANDIS: Apparently not. Apparently it is not being treated seriously by the opposition, but, nevertheless, let me proceed with my answer. Senator Collins, in any event, your question is based on a false premise. I have addressed this more than once before. The record was corrected immediately—immediately it was confirmed to me that the evidence was incorrect. That occurred early on the Thursday afternoon of the second week of estimates, and I actually took the trouble, Senator Collins, of having the correction of the record hand-delivered to the Senate committee secretariat so that the Senate committee could be made aware of the correction as soon as possible.