Senator COLBECK (Tasmania—Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians and Minister for Youth and Sport) (14:26): I quite clearly stated in my statement to the Senate yesterday afternoon that 693 Australians have died as a result of COVID-19 and that it is an absolute tragedy in every single circumstances, and I just repeated that a moment ago. The response that we tabled yesterday was on the measures that were requested by the royal commission. It was our response to the royal commission report. That's what we tabled yesterday. In my statement to this chamber yesterday, I acknowledged, as I have done on many occasions— The PRESIDENT: I have Senator Urquhart on a point of order. Senator Urquhart: It's on relevance. The minister was asked why the document failed to state that 685 older Australians had died from COVID-19. I would like that question answered. The PRESIDENT: I have allowed you to restate the question, Senator Urquhart. While the minister is talking about the number you referred to and the content of the report, I can't instruct him to answer a question in that form. I think he is being directly relevant to that, but I have allowed you to restate it and remind him of it. Senator COLBECK: I am not interested in the political games that the Labor Party are seeking to play with respect to this issue. As I said a moment ago— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Wong? Senator Wong: I have a point of order on direct relevance. Minister, we asked you why your report did not include a reference to 685 Australians who died in your system. I would ask you to have the decency to respond to that. The PRESIDENT: Senator Birmingham on the point of order? Senator Birmingham: Mr President, on the point of order, Senator Colbeck has been consistently directly relevant in his response to this question. Senator Colbeck, in responding to this question, has indeed identified this was a government response to the specific recommendations of the royal commission. He has equally identified that, in tabling that response and the statement made, the number that was referenced was cited. I fail to see how a senator could be any clearer or any more directly relevant in responding to an answer than Senator Colbeck is being. The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, your point of order was substantively the same as Senator Urquhart's. I allowed you as leader to make the point again and to restate that concluding part of the question. In my view, while Senator Colbeck is talking about the report that was tabled and while he is talking about the number of Australians who have passed away due to this, I don't think I can instruct him as to how to answer a question that specifically. He is being directly relevant to the question at the moment. Senator COLBECK: As I said, the report that I tabled yesterday responded directly to the recommendations of the royal commission's COVID-19 special report. In the statement I gave in tabling that document I directly referenced all of the 693 who've passed away as a result of COVID-19 in aged care—685 in residential aged care and eight in home care—and acknowledged again, as I have done on many occasions in this chamber, the individual tragedy it is for each of those families and their friends and communities. We continue to work in the interests of all senior Australians in aged care in responding to the virus and managing its effects on the community. This government, as I outlined a moment ago, since the outbreak of COVID-19 has been working closely with the aged-care sector to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have continued to develop our plan as that process has continued. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Urquhart, a supplementary question?