Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:40): I thank Senator Rice for her question. Our government stands by our approach in terms of the modernisation of regional forest agreements, regional forest agreements which provide for an approach to forest management through greater transparency, through outcomes based reporting, and through long-term sustainability of a renewable resource in terms of our forestry sector. RFAs protect threatened species through establishing and subsequently growing a conservation and reserve system and requiring states to implement sustainable forest-management practices outside of the reserve system. RFAs provide certainty to the forest industry and support the thousands of jobs associated with that industry. Our government knows that we need to create and continue to provide certainty in those sectors to make sure that those jobs are secure and sustainable, as we want and expect those resources to be as well. Since RFAs were first signed 20 years ago, conservation reserves in RFA areas have doubled from over five million hectares to more than 10 million hectares in that time. This means that 50 per cent of native forests found within RFA areas are now protected with the comprehensive and adequate representative reserve system. Of the remaining native forest in RFA areas, less than 0.5 per cent of that is harvested annually. States, of course, are responsible for the day-to-day forestry operations in line with state forest management frameworks under RFAs. Indeed, RFA responsibility— The PRESIDENT: Senator Rice, on a point of order. Senator Rice: On relevance: my question specifically went to forests and climate, and the impact of logging our forests on climate, and the minister has not mentioned climate once. The PRESIDENT: Senator Rice, with respect, it would be hard for the minister to talk about forests and not be relevant to the very lengthy preamble to that question. I've been listening carefully—Senator Whish-Wilson, I'm ruling on the point of order made by the person sitting next to you. If senators' questions have lengthy preambles of that nature, then it is much easier for a minister to be wide-ranging and directly relevant. With respect, Senator Rice, that was a long preamble and the minister is being directly relevant. Senator BIRMINGHAM: Just very briefly then, if Senator Rice wishes, in relation to climate: I would highlight to her my answer given yesterday which points out what matters in relation to climate is what we do to meet our targets overall; not picking out sector by sector, but— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Rice, a supplementary question?