Senator CASH (Western Australia—Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education) (14:38): I thank Senator Hanson-Young for the question. Senator Hanson-Young, I completely reject the proposition of your question. I have to say I think in all of the portfolios in this chamber we back the millions of Australians that you referred to. In relation to the specific issue that you have raised, you would be aware that the bight is one of the most promising frontier oil and gas regions in the world. Australians needs oil and gas from the bight for—as you might be interested to know; the Australian people you referred to would certainly be interested to know—energy security, but also to protect the jobs in manufacturing. And, yes, that is something that we're prepared to do. Australia has one of the best and safest offshore regimes in the world. And, in fact, Senator Hanson-Young, your former partners-in-crime, in ALP senators Chisholm and Urquhart, said last year in a Senate inquiry into oil and gas in the Great Australian Bight, 'The Australian offshore oil and gas industry is subject to one of the most rigorous environmental and safety regulatory regimes in the world'— The PRESIDENT: Senator Reynolds on a point of order. Senator Reynolds: I'm sitting right behind the minister and I cannot hear what she is saying, so I suspect others cannot either. The PRESIDENT: I was calling colleagues to order at the time. If they could keep quiet while I'm repeatedly doing so, that would be much appreciated. Senator Sterle interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Take a breath, Senator Sterle. It is Thursday; you're going home soon. Senator CASH: As I was stating, the government is committed to encouraging the safe and responsible development of Australia's offshore oil and gas resources. This includes the Great Australian Bight, where offshore petroleum exploration activities have been occurring since the 1960s and they've been occurring safely since then. You may be aware that 13 wells have actually been drilled in the region since 1972, and those were drilled in the region without any incident. Not only is the bight one of the largest underexplored basins in Australia, it is considered by many in the petroleum industry to be one of the most prospective new basins in the world. The PRESIDENT: Senator Hanson-Young, a supplementary question.