Senator SCULLION (Northern Territory—Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (14:00): We've indicated that we will be taking a view similar to the one we've taken in the NPARIH process, which is that it's done on the number of houses that are required to take the overcrowding down to whatever notional level has been applied. So it's just down to the number of houses. Each one of the bilaterals will be based on the amount of funding that is required to do those houses. I don't wish to affect the negotiations, but I've just— Senator Pratt: What negotiations? Senator SCULLION: Well, the negotiations with the states. That's actually who we're negotiating with in this. You should try to keep up, Senator. I've just finished meeting with the housing minister, Minister McCarthy, from the Northern Territory, literally an hour or so ago, and the negotiating base is that we want to see what the Northern Territory government are going to put up, and they've put up some substantive funds and we're matching those funds. I indicated yesterday that the fundamental difference in the negotiation is that we want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people standing there. We want Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people actually being a part of this deal, and I want them to be ensuring that— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Scullion, please resume your seat. Senator Cameron. Senator Cameron: The point of order is on direct relevance. What the minister has been asked is: what amount of Commonwealth funding is the Turnbull government prepared to provide? He has not gone to that issue. The PRESIDENT: Senator Birmingham, on the point of order. Senator Birmingham: The minister has been very clear in explaining that the government is negotiating agreements that relate to the number of houses that would be supported, and of course the amount of funding relates to the number of houses. He is clearly being directly relevant. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Birmingham. I consider the minister to be directly relevant. I can't instruct the minister how to answer a question that is asked by another senator, but I remind him of the terms of the question asked, which I was assisted on from the chamber. Thank you. Senator SCULLION: We have an independent report to guide the parliament on these matters. The independent report indicated that the funds should be on a 50-50 basis between the jurisdictions of the states and territories and the Commonwealth. On that basis, we are entering into bilaterals where we're putting a 50-50 basis on the table. We are currently in negotiations. The Northern Territory government have indicated that they're putting about $1.1 million a year on the table. If that's going to be the case, and I indicated today it would be, then we would be matching that. That's the quantum of funds that has been broadly agreed to so far, and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the negotiations. The PRESIDENT: Senator Dodson, a supplementary question.