Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Minister for Families and Social Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:15): I can absolutely confirm that I have a responsibility to support Australians who require assistance through the social welfare system. A hundred and eighty billion dollars of taxpayers' money is provided to Australians in need every year, and I have a responsibility to make sure that that is targeted to the people who need it in an appropriate way and that they are supported at a time when they may need a little more support than the average Australian. But we also need to realise that we have a responsibility— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Siewert on a point of order? Senator Siewert: I draw the minister's attention to my question. I was very clear: do the minister and the government have a duty of care to income support recipients and all Australians? I didn't ask about responsibility; I asked about duty of care. The PRESIDENT: With the minister's answer to the first question, I may have misinterpreted your second and third questions, in the sense that I was interpreting them in the common meaning of the words rather than as a legal term. I was allowing the minister to answer the question on that basis. I'm happy if you would like to correct me on that, but that's the basis on which I have been allowing the minister to answer the question. Senator RUSTON: Absolutely I have a responsibility to make sure that Australians who need my support and the support of the government and the support that is afforded to them through social security payments— Senator Pratt: A point of order, Mr President. The PRESIDENT: Yes, Senator Pratt. Senator Siewert: Senator Siewert made it very clear that she was asking about the legal duty of care, and the minister is obliged to answer, because legal professional privilege is not a grounds for not answering the question. The PRESIDENT: There are a couple of points. I'm sorry. That was my offer to Senator Siewert before. Senator Siewert interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Sorry, I didn't see you nod on that basis. On that basis, I do have to advise senators, as the Clerk has just reminded me, that one can't ask a minister for a legal opinion. But, on the basis you would like the question interpreted that way, I will remind the minister of the specific nature of your question and what that term entails. Senator RUSTON: On the basis of that reinterpretation of the question, I would refer back to my previous answer to the first question, and that is that, if you are referring to the legal matter that is currently before the Federal Court, I cannot comment on that.