Senator HANSON (Queensland) (14:28): My question is to Senator Fierravanti-Wells, representing the Minister for Aged Care, the Hon. Ken Wyatt. Aged-care bed licences are allocated each year through the aged-care allocation round at no cost. Honourable senators interjecting— Senator Watt: How many people have you sold out today? The PRESIDENT: Order on my left! Can we hear the question please? Senator HANSON: Can I please start the question again? Senator Wong interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Wong, if you let me get to it, I'll ask for lack of interjections during questions from right around the chamber, including on my right. Senator Hanson, start your question again, because I missed part of it myself. Senator HANSON: Thank you very much, Mr President. My question is to Senator Fierravanti-Wells, representing the Minister for Aged Care, the Hon. Ken Wyatt. Aged-care bed licences are allocated each year— Senator Watt interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, I have asked you before: please can we hear the question? You did this previously, and Senator Hanson had to start again. It is traditionally time for the opposition. It will cost the opposition time if I have to ask her a third time. Senator Hanson, please continue your question. Senator HANSON: They clearly don't care about aged people. My question is to Senator Fierravanti-Wells, representing the Minister for Aged Care, the Hon. Ken Wyatt. Aged-care bed licences are allocated each year through the aged-care allocation round at no cost to regions based on projected future need. An aged-care provider operating 10 facilities, employing 675 people, wanting to expand in regional areas requested 314 places in the 2016 round and was allocated only 60. Opposition senators interjecting— Senator HANSON: By contrast—Mr President, I'm sorry, this is becoming very— Senator Polley interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! Senator Polley! If a senator requests the protection of the chair, they're going to get it. I want to hear this question in complete silence. Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! A senator has requested the protection of the chair. The burden on all senators is to be silent. Senator Hanson, I heard all of that question and I saw Senator Fierravanti-Wells listening intently. Please continue your question. I will grant you some flexibility regarding the clock—sorry, Senator Hinch is on his feet. Senator Hinch: Back here, Senator Bernardi and I could not hear Senator Hanson's question. The PRESIDENT: I will ask Senator Hanson to continue and I will show some flexibility with the timing on the clock. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order on my left! This is to be heard in silence. Senator HANSON: I don't even know where I'm up to now. There's been total confusion, and the time is down to 10 seconds. The PRESIDENT: Senator Hanson, I said I would give you some flexibility with the clock. Please continue your question. You got to a number of places that had not been granted. Senator HANSON: By contrast, Signature Care—a developer, not an aged-care provider—was allocated 640 licences. This is handing them an estimated market value of around $41.6 million on top of their profit, based on a per-bed value of $65,000. Why are developers with no track record of aged-care provision allowed to compete in a process which provides a significant financial benefit, to the detriment of aged-care operators? (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Hanson, I have shown you flexibility with the clock. That is well over the minute you were granted. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: On my left—I said I would grant Senator Hanson some flexibility because you had interrupted the question on numerous occasions and she had sought the protection of the chair.