Senator PAYNE (New South Wales—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women) (14:14): I thank Senator McAllister for her question. I think anyone with a basic appreciation of the trajectory of the gender pay gap understands—and I'll explain this for those opposite—that the gender pay gap, whilst still too wide, is absolutely heading in the right direction. The latest figures of the gender pay gap show that it has fallen to 14 per cent, which is a record low. Indeed, it's fallen by 3.2 percentage points since November of 2013. It was only last year that, for the first time, the government produced a Women's Economic Security Statement, of which we were very proud, led by my former colleague the then Minister for Women, the Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer. That statement contained a range of initiatives to further close the gender pay gap by boosting women's earning potential. It provided $8.6 million in additional funding to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to make workplace gender reporting easier. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator McAllister on a point of order? Senator McAllister: My point of order is on relevance. I was asking whether or not the minister considers that the Treasurer's remarks yesterday were correct, and she has not answered that question. The PRESIDENT: You reminded the minister of that part of the question. With respect, I cannot instruct a minister how to answer a question as long as the minister is being directly relevant. In my view, discussing the issues of the gender pay gap, which you referenced in your question and which the minister is discussing in some detail, is directly relevant. But you've reminded the minister of the part of the question that you wish highlighted. Senator PAYNE: Thank you very much, Mr President, and I want to reinforce the statements I've made about the Women's Economic Security Statement, because what the statement contained—as I advised the chamber, but those opposite are apparently disinterested—was a range of initiatives to further close the gender pay gap by boosting women's earning potential. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Wong on a point of order? Senator Wong: The point of order is direct relevance. We're not disinterested in women's issues. We had a Women's Budget Statement, which you stole. We are interested in you being relevant to the question. Could the minister respond to the question, please. The PRESIDENT: As I said, Senator Wong, I think I cannot instruct a minister how to answer a question. In this case, it was a very tightly worded question. I am listening very carefully to the minister, and the minister has, as far as I've heard, for 1½ minutes spoken about the very issue raised in the question, that being the gender pay gap. I cannot instruct a minister to provide an answer that a question asker would prefer. I have to keep them directly relevant. In my view, the minister is being directly relevant. Senator PAYNE: Thank you very much, Mr President. I know those opposite don't want to hear about the successes that the government has had in ensuring that the trajectory of the gender pay gap is in a downward direction. Let me reiterate that it has fallen by 3.2 percentage points since November 2013. That means that under this government it has fallen by 3.2 percentage points. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Wong on a point of order? Senator Wong: Seven seconds. I wonder if the minister could answer the question as to whether the Treasurer was correct when he said, 'The gender pay gap has closed.' The PRESIDENT: Senator Payne has completed her answer. Senator McAllister, a supplementary question?