Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:56): Average income earners will always be better off under coalition governments. They will always be better off under coalition governments. Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Do you have a point of order, Senator Wong? Senator Wong: The minister will have to correct the record. The PRESIDENT: No, that is a debating point, Senator Wong. Senator BRANDIS: I was asked whether average workers would be worse off under a coalition government. I can assure you, as has historically been the experience, average income earners are always better off after periods of coalition government. That was the case throughout the period of the last coalition government, the Howard government, in which wages increased by a much greater rate than they increased during the time of the previous or the subsequent Labor government, and it will be the experience of this period of coalition government as well. The PRESIDENT: Do you have a point of order, Senator McAllister? Senator McAllister: I go to relevance. The question asked specifically about changes to superannuation that may leave average income earners worse off in retirement, and I would like the minister to answer that question. The PRESIDENT: I think the minister was very close to being directly relevant, but I will invite the minister to conclude his answer. He has 19 seconds. Senator BRANDIS: Let me say again that average workers will always be better off as a result of the policies of coalition governments. That was the case over the period of the Howard government and it will be the case under this period of coalition government.