Senator CORMANN (Western Australia—Minister for Finance and Vice-President of the Executive Council) (14:41): What the government accepts is that we are doing our bit to help address the global challenge of climate change, and we're doing so through a policy agenda that is designed to be environmentally effective and economically responsible. What we will not do is ask the Australian people to make sacrifices which we know would harm them while making the world environment worse off. The PRESIDENT: Senator McKim, on a point of order? Senator McKim: Senator Waters' question was simple, brief and specifically around tracking towards three degrees of global warming, as the scientists are saying, and asking Minister Cormann whether he accepted that. He's not yet been relevant to that question in his answer. The PRESIDENT: I don't accept the interpretation that the minister hasn't been relevant. I do accept that it was a very specific question, and I'm listening very carefully to the minister. He was interrupted mid-sentence then. I will call on him to continue, and I have given you the opportunity to remind him of the question. Senator CORMANN: The directly relevant point I made is that climate change is a global challenge and can only be addressed in an appropriately globally coordinated fashion. Australia is making its contribution to that global effort, and we're making a significant contribution. But we're doing it in a way that is designed to be environmentally effective and economically responsible. We will not be asking the Australian people to make sacrifices which will harm— The PRESIDENT: Senator McKim, on a point of order? Senator McKim: It is also on direct relevance, and it's the same point of order I made to you earlier. The question was not, 'Is climate change a global phenomenon?' which is the one Senator Cormann is addressing. It was, 'Does he accept that we're on track to three degrees of warming?' That was the question and, respectfully, he hasn't yet been relevant to that. The PRESIDENT: I respectfully disagree, Senator McKim. The question, if I recall correctly, referred to if Australia's stated targets were met and then referenced the three degrees of global warming. I think the minister, by responding in this form, is being directly relevant to that question. I can't instruct him on how to answer a question nor to the content of an answer. Senator CORMANN: Let me make that final point again: what this government will not do is ask the Australian people to make a sacrifice which we know would actually not only harm our economy but also harm the global environment.