Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Education and Training) (14:31): I thank Senator Roberts for his question. Senator Roberts, I can assure you—as I can the entire Senate and all Australians—that everything the Turnbull government does in relation to energy prices, energy reliability, energy affordability and energy security is driven by a desire to ensure that Australia has the most affordable and the most reliable energy possible. We are driven by a desire to make sure both that Australian households, Australian families—be they in Queensland, South Australia or anywhere else—can feel comfortable turning the air conditioning on in summer and turning the heating on in winter and that Australian businesses can feel comfortable knowing that they can invest with confidence, grow and create jobs, whether that is an aluminium smelter in Victoria; Nyrstar, in my home state of South Australia; or any of these businesses. The PRESIDENT: Order! Pause the clock. Senator Whish-Wilson, a point of order? Senator Whish-Wilson: I do not think Senator Birmingham is correctly addressing the question from his new coalition partner. The PRESIDENT: Senator Hinch, a point of order? Senator Hinch: When you are way up the back here, it is very hard at times to even hear the question, despite the stentorian tones of Senator Birmingham, with the Labor opposition and the Greens interjecting all the time. The PRESIDENT: Order! In relation to the two points of order: firstly, the noise can be unbearable at times and it can make it difficult for senators to hear not just the question but, importantly, the answer, so I remind all senators to bear that in mind. Secondly, in relation to the primary point of order from Senator Whish-Wilson, Senator Birmingham is in order. I call the minister. Senator BIRMINGHAM: Thank you, Mr President. I will do my best to make sure that Senator Hinch can hear us as well, because it is important for Senator Roberts and all senators to appreciate that, during the six years of the previous Labor government, electricity prices across Australia rose by 101 per cent. There was a 101 per cent growth in electricity prices during that time, but, under the coalition government—as demonstrated by ABS data released in June 2016—it is clear we have seen the largest fall in electricity prices on record. That, of course, was driven in part through the abolition of the carbon tax and in part through reforms to network regulation that our government has overseen. We are determined to keep working on measures to bring down prices. Of course, our reforms to the renewable energy target to ensure that we have a target that is achievable without the types of pressures that were in place before are further measures in place to try to make sure that electricity generation is more affordable in the future, and we will keep pursuing—as we are through the Finkel review and other mechanisms—means to do so. The PRESIDENT: Senator Roberts, a supplementary question.