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) (14:30): Thank you very much for another hit out and another chance to respond on behalf of rural and regional Australia. People are berating the Nationals right now. You can't pick up a newspaper in this country without it saying, 'You know what? The Nats are the last man—man and woman—standing.' The PRESIDENT: Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Wong, you have a point of order? Senator Wong: Thank you, Mr President. Direct relevance. This is a question about whether or not the Deputy Prime Minister, whom the minister represents, agrees with a statement the Prime Minister has made. I would ask you to draw the minister to the question. The PRESIDENT: On the point of order, Senator Birmingham? Senator Birmingham: The minister has had 16 seconds to respond. The minister is responding, as the Minister representing the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Leader of the National Party, to a series of questions that are clearly related to National Party decisions and National Party deliberations and discussions. The minister was clearly on a trajectory of talking about those National Party decisions, those National Party discussions, and, in doing so, obviously addressing the broader issues that are raised. It is certainly very premature, and probably erroneous, for the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate to suggest that the minister is at any point yet not being relevant. The PRESIDENT: I was going to make the point that the minister had only been addressing the question for around 16 seconds. You have had the opportunity, Senator Wong, to bring the minister's attention to the question. Senator McKenzie, you have the call. Senator McKENZIE: Thank you very much. And within the first 20 seconds I shall address the sacrosanct nature of weekends to rural and regional Australians, and the fact that we like to— Opposition senators interjecting— Senator McKENZIE: Honestly! Opposition senators interjecting— Senator McKENZIE: Rural and regional Australia, and, indeed, the broader Australian public are very thankful for the National Party. There are no friends for the National Party at the moment—not a friend in the country. The peak bodies have deserted us; there's not a friend internationally. But do you know what? If it wasn't for the National Party, our country would have a carbon tax right now. It had the Labor Party's carbon tax. And do you know what our country, under a Liberal-National government, has been able to achieve without a carbon tax since it came to government? A 20 per cent decrease in emissions— Opposition senators interjecting— Senator McKENZIE: you don't want to hear that, do you?—while increasing our mineral exports, while increasing jobs in agriculture. So for you to argue that the only way, back then, to actually lower emissions in this country was to tax us was wrong. And you admit it now because it's your own policy! It is the Labor Party's policy not to instigate a carbon tax. So you need to be saying thank you— The PRESIDENT: Minister. Senator McKENZIE: to the National Party— The PRESIDENT: Minister. Senator McKENZIE: for saving you from yourselves. The PRESIDENT: Minister! Please resume your seat. Minister, I would ask you, when I call you, to resume your seat. Senator Watt? Senator Watt: We've given the minister a good go on relevance. It was a simple question about whether the Deputy Prime Minister agrees with opinions expressed by the Prime Minister. We haven't had an answer remotely close to that, and I'd ask you to bring the minister to order. The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, you've had a chance to remind the minister of the question. Senator McKENZIE: I think that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, as I alluded to in an earlier answer—the coalition between the Liberal and National parties has been the most successful political partnership this country has ever seen. It has delivered more and has kept us more secure for the 75 years it has been in place, and long may it continue. The PRESIDENT: Senator Green, a supplementary question?