Senator SINODINOS (New South Wales—Cabinet Secretary) (14:57): I thank the honourable senator for his question. I can report that since the last election 421,400 new jobs have been created, with substantial opportunities particularly in service sectors. What we are seeing is a transition in the Australian economy as we wind down from the mining boom, and this is providing opportunities across service sectors and manufacturing sectors. It is true that manufacturing employment— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Cameron, on a point of order? Senator Cameron: Mr President, I raise a point of order on relevance. I asked a clear question followed by another question: how many manufacturing jobs have been lost and how many jobs are projected to be lost with the closure of Ford, Holden and Toyota? The minister has gone nowhere near those questions. The PRESIDENT: I would not say he has gone nowhere near that. He certainly has been answering the question. I invite the minister to continue his answer and I remind him of the question. Senator SINODINOS: I can report that manufacturing employment in Australia declined by 117,000 workers over the five years to November 2015. In other words, it did not happen overnight. There has been a long-term trend in the reduction of manufacturing jobs. What will happen—I fearlessly predict this in the next 12 months— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Senator Cameron, on a point of order? Senator Cameron: Mr President, I again raise a point of order on relevance. I asked how many Australian manufacturing jobs have been lost since the Abbott-Turnbull government came to office and how many will be lost as a result of Ford, Holden and Toyota closing down. The PRESIDENT: The minister is answering the question, not as specifically as you have asked it, but I think we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him to continue to answer. He has been addressing the topic directly.