Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Minister for Families and Social Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:44): I thank Senator Chisholm for the question—and inform him that there's no 'H' in my name. But thank you very much. You raise a very important issue. Aerial firefighting plays an extraordinarily important role in protecting communities' essential infrastructure and providing the wider support that our bushfire fighters on the ground so importantly need. Also, the National Aerial Firefighting Centre is an effective method for the government to deliver critical emergency management capacity. I know that the commissioners and the chief fire officers within each jurisdiction work very closely with that centre to determine the type and location of aerial firefighting assets on the basis of the assessed bushfire risk. This collaborative approach is absolutely essential right now as we enter into the bushfire season. We remain absolutely committed to supporting this important emergency management capability and we know that our aerial firefighters are integral to the safety of our communities as they fight fires and deliver important resources when and wherever a disaster might strike. In fact, we announced a permanent increase in funding of $11 million a year to the centre, taking the annual contributions to in excess of $25 million. Additionally, the government supplements the operating costs of aircraft through the disaster recovery funding arrangements with the states and territories. The PRESIDENT: Senator Gallagher, a point of order? Senator Gallagher: Mr President, we've had more than half the time now, and my point of order is on relevance. The question was specifically about the recommendation from the bushfire royal commission and why the government had dismissed it. If the minister wants to table the brief she's reading from, we're very happy to allow that to be tabled. But an answer to the question would be preferable. The PRESIDENT: I am listening to the minister's answer. I've allowed you to restate that. But I think, when a question is asked as to why a particular action is taken or not taken, that is relatively open-ended. And as long as the minister is directly relevant to the subject matter—and, if I correctly understand, she is talking about aerial firefighting capacity—I believe she is being directly relevant. Senator RUSTON: The government has noted recommendation 8.3 of the bushfire royal commission's final report concerning the Commonwealth, state and territory governments' adoption of procurement and contracting strategies to develop a broader sovereign aerial firefighting capability. The government has clearly stated that it has no intention of taking over the role of the states and territories, but it will work closely with them to ensure that we support aerial firefighting to keep Australia safe. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Chisholm, a supplementary question?