Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:37): Senator Brown, I am familiar with the Prime Minister's remarks to the Western Australian Liberal Party state conference in which he made a very general, commonsense reflection that at the appropriate time we should create a prospective floor, once the system has been rebalanced. This rebalancing has not happened yet and will not for several years yet. Even on Western Australia's own numbers, Western Australia's GST relativity will take a number of years to return to its pre-2009 levels. It is expected the matter will be discussed at the next Council on Federal Financial Relations meeting. It is a long-overdue matter, the addressing— The PRESIDENT: Pause the clock. Point of order, Senator Wong? Senator Wong: There really was only one question from Senator Brown: did the Prime Minister discuss his plan with the Treasurer or the finance minister before making his announcement? The PRESIDENT: That is correct. That was the question. However, I do believe the Attorney-General has been given a very good background and is addressing the point, and I am sure the Attorney-General will come to the question. Senator BRANDIS: Let me continue—and I will of course come directly to the point of your question, Senator Brown, I can assure you. It is a long-overdue matter to address, and we will have a window to do so in the next few years and, when that window opens, we should seize that. There is no doubt that the GST formula, when it was originally devised, did not contemplate wild swings in shares like we have seen in relation to Western Australia. This important reform will preserve the integrity of the horizontal fiscal equalisation system while giving all states more certainty and making it easier to plan and budget. Now, Senator Brown, as in relation to all matters which are the subject of announcements by the Prime Minister, the appropriate consultations, including with senior ministers, were of course engaged in. The PRESIDENT: Senator Brown, a supplementary question?