QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE › Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience
Senator McKENZIE (Victoria—Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education and Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) (15:04): I will have to get back to you with the totality of the budget allocations. Obviously, my last three weeks, as you can see from the brief time we've had to spend together outlining the programs that I'm responsible for and who makes decisions—I've got a lot more to go through, about which I'm happy to give you a private briefing, if that would assist you. But I think the heart of your question, Senator, might actually been going to ministerial discretion in a Westminster democracy. As I've said on the public record, ministerial discretion is absolutely key to how our government functions. Ministers should take the advice and recommendations of departments and agencies and then exercise ministerial discretion appropriately, and my ministerial discretion, in other programs I've administered, resulted in a fairer outcome for Australian taxpayers. (Time expired) Senator Birmingham: I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.