Senator BRANDIS (Queensland—Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:56): There are so many false premises in that short question, Senator Watt. Might I remind you that what we are talking about is a piece of state legislation that was supported not only by the Liberal-National Party government of Western Australia but by the Labor opposition and even by the Greens, because what the Western Australian state government, with the support of the opposition, wanted to do was to bring a winding-up that had already been going on for 25 years and had already cost more than $200 million in professional costs that the creditors would never see to an end. That was what it was about. In any event— The PRESIDENT: A point of order, Senator Wong? Senator Wong: The point of order is relevance. The senator was not asked about the history of the Bell litigation. The senator was asked a single question: did the Attorney-General prevent, discourage or inhibit attempts to challenge the WA government's Bell legislation? Can he just answer that question? The PRESIDENT: I did hear the Attorney-General, Senator Wong, in relation to the point of order, indicate up-front that there were so many premises in the question that he did not agree with. Senator Wong: What's the premise? The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, I can only go on the answer I am given, and that is what the Attorney-General said up-front. Senator Wong: It would be useful to know what the premises are, if he does not agree. The PRESIDENT: It is up to the Attorney-General to explain that. The Attorney-General was answering the question. Attorney-General, you have the call. Senator BRANDIS: So, Senator Watt, that is what this was about. Nevertheless, backed by litigation funders who had no interest whatsoever in bringing these proceedings to an early conclusion, that bipartisan legislation was challenged in the High Court by initiating proceedings filed on 27 November 2015. I did not do anything to interfere with those proceedings, because I did not know about them. Senator Wong interjecting— Senator BRANDIS: And, Senator Wong, you asked me in your question before about a section 78—you asked me before when the Commonwealth first became aware of the matter. Senator Wong interjecting— Senator BRANDIS: Senator Wong, if you care to listen to the answer rather than constantly interject, we now know, because it has been checked, that the 78B notices, which in the ordinary course of events would be the first notice the Commonwealth had of a matter of raising a constitutional issue, were filed on 1 December 2015. The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt with a supplementary question.