Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:13): As I just said in the answer to the first question, and as I said yesterday: the government is very clear about what it is we are doing. They are feasibility studies—feasibility studies and business cases that will look into these projects. And, of course, for business cases and feasibility studies, if they stack up, then you would expect to see investment that will flow to projects that stack up. That is how the commercial market works. We identified in the last election that, in relation to those regions of Queensland, there are questions about the reliability of energy. There are pressures in terms of the affordability of energy. These are issues it seems that the Queensland state Labor government has happily overlooked over a period of time. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Watt on a point of order. Senator Watt: On relevance: the question was clearly about a taxpayer funded indemnity, and we haven't heard anything about that point from the minister. The PRESIDENT: On the point of order, I cannot instruct a minister how to answer a question nor to use a particular word. I believe the minister is being directly relevant if he is talking about funding arrangements for this. He doesn't have to use a word that is used in the question. It is not appropriate, however, to talk about state government policies in this place and be directly relevant. Senator Wong: On the point of order, I'm not clear what you've ruled, Mr President, but I would just draw to your attention: the only aspect of funding that was asked about was a taxpayer funded indemnity. The PRESIDENT: I appreciate that, Senator Wong. And I've ruled that discussion of matters of state government policy in this regard that aren't directly related to funding of this particular issue that's been raised in the question are not directly relevant. I have been listening carefully to the minister's answer and I do believe he was being directly relevant talking about funding arrangements for this particular project. I can't instruct him how to answer a question or to use a particular word in the answer, but it was a specific question so the answer must relate to funding. Senator BIRMINGHAM: I know those opposite seem to want us to pre-empt the outcome of feasibility studies or business cases and, of course, their mates in the Queensland state government didn't even support such work happening. We are, standing on what we took to the election— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Birmingham, time for the answer has expired. Senator Walsh, a final supplementary question.