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) (14:36): I don't know how you're going to rule on this if I say that's a hypothetical question. Once again, Senator Wong is scoping out using question time to cheaply score political points. What I would like to know from the Australian Labor Party is whether they actually support regional jobs, whether they actually back Meryl and Joel and actually back the mining industry in this country. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! On my left! Senator Wong! Senator McKENZIE: At least the forestry division of the CFMMEU has the guts to stand up for workers. Why doesn't the mining division? Why doesn't the construction division? If you actually cared about workers in this country, you would be standing up— The PRESIDENT: Minister! Senator Wong: Mr President, a point of order. The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, I was calling the minister to order. Senator Wong: Thank you. I just note that, over that period of time, more time was wasted, again, on matters entirely irrelevant to a question that was clearly about her obligations as a cabinet minister. How can what the CFMMEU forestry division does be relevant in any way to this minister's obligations as a cabinet minister? Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Minister! Senator Wong: Yes, I was an officer of that union. What's that got to do with anything? It's about her as a cabinet minister. The PRESIDENT: No. This is not a time for debate across the chamber. Senator Wong, please resume your seat. Minister, you have 17 seconds left. Senator Wong has called your attention back to the question. Senator Wong interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Wong, please do not interrupt me when I'm making a ruling. Senator McKenzie, Senator Wong has brought your attention back to the question. You have 16 seconds remaining. Senator McKENZIE: I'm sorry that my comments and me not accepting the premise of your question actually upset you so much, Senator Wong. I know it's been a while since you've been in cabinet, but the Cabinet Handbook— The PRESIDENT: Minister! Senator Wong, go ahead. Is this a point of order? Senator Wong: It is a point of order on direct relevance. You gave the minister the courtesy, as the President should, of reminding her that I had drawn her to the question. She has abused the graciousness of the chair and simply then proceeded on exactly the same tack. The PRESIDENT: No. I disagree, Senator Wong. The minister is entitled to reject the premise of the question. Senator McKenzie, you have three seconds left. Senator McKENZIE: I, more than any other, am very aware of cabinet standards— (Time expired)