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) (14:47): The Inland Rail project is one of the most iconic nation-building projects that Australia has ever seen and is being delivered by the National Party in a Liberal-National government. Warren Truss announced the project as infrastructure minister. Since then it has been a very proud government that has stood by and watched this project proceed through the various iterations to see its fulfilment. We've now got track being laid out right through north-west New South Wales, as it makes its way north and south between Brisbane and Melbourne. It's a once-in-a-lifetime investment in regional Australia. As the current Deputy Prime Minister calls it, it will absolutely be 'a corridor of commerce'. I know some of the senators who take an interest in regional Australia's growth and development will have seen a fantastic— The PRESIDENT: Order, Senator McKenzie. Senator Keneally on a point of order. Senator Keneally: The point of order is on relevance. I know the minister is speaking to something important, but it is a very tightly worded question. It just seeks to know: when did the Deputy Prime Minister make the final decision and when did he advise Mr Littleproud and Senator MacDonald? There's no embroidery. It's just a simple factual question. The PRESIDENT: I think the question goes to the decision-making, the alignment and the passing on of that to others. There are multiple elements of the question, but it goes to that. I have been listening, but I'm going to ask you to turn to those elements of the question, Senator McKenzie—having been speaking for a minute—rather than a general description of the project. Senator McKENZIE: In terms of the route decision, there has been no change to where that has been planned through a whole variety of infrastructure ministers over many, many years. There have been many studies and plans done, particularly on the border to Gowrie route. Cabinet agreed to a route and we as a government are sticking to that. We don't need more reviews into this. The local community has been consulted. The local MPs have been consulted, and my understanding is that— The PRESIDENT: Senator McKenzie, I have Senator Keneally on a point of order. Senator Keneally: Again, on relevance: it was a very specific question. When did the Deputy Prime Minister make the final decision? The PRESIDENT: I think, with respect, the question did ask that. It asked about the alignment, and it asked about whether others were advised. I do believe the minister was being directly relevant when she was speaking about the route. I can't instruct them how to answer a question. The minister referred to decision-making upon a route by the cabinet. I can't rule that as not being directly relevant to the question being asked. Senator McKenzie. Senator McKENZIE: I'm very happy to table the alignment of the Inland Rail route, which has been agreed for a long period of time. Cabinet has re-examined that and absolutely backs the decision of the infrastructure ministers on the current route as it stands, and that will not be changing. The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, a supplementary question?