Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management) (14:44): Now I did a fair amount of preparation for question time, and I anticipated the kinds of questions that I might receive from the opposition. But never in my wildest dreams did I hope that I would get a question from Senator Cash about lawlessness and the rule of law when it comes to industrial relations. But there you go! There you go—we've had it. It is well understood that this government consulted prior to the election about its policy in relation to the ABCC. What is also well understood about the ABCC is that it has been an utterly ineffective organisation— The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Cash. Senator Cash: Thank you, Madam President. I rise on a point of order, in relation to direct relevance. The question was quite specific. It was not in relation to the abolition of the ABCC, it was in relation to the announcement on Insiders on Sunday 24 July— The PRESIDENT: Alright, Senator Cash, the practice is not to repeat the question— Senator Cash: It was a very concise question, Madam President— The PRESIDENT: Thank you very much— Senator Cash: and the minister is in no way being directly relevant. The PRESIDENT: Senator Cash, thank you, please resume your seat. You used the words in the initial part of your question as 'consultative with business' and then you went specifically to the ABCC. Senator Watt is, I think, presently describing the consultative piece, so I think he is being broadly relevant but I shall continue to listen carefully. Thank you, Senator Watt. Senator WATT: Thank you, President. As I said, I don't think it could have come as any surprise to anyone in the building industry or anyone in the opposition that this government's agenda was to abolish the ABCC. And why is that? That is because we have seen a gross waste of taxpayers' funds prosecuting workers for stickers on their helmets and flags on their worksites. This organisation has spent nearly $500,000 pursuing Lendlease over the display of Eureka flags. The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Cash. Senator Cash: Thank you, Madam President. Again, I rise on a point of order in relation to direct relevance. It is very clear that the minister is not going anywhere near the actual question. The question, as I stated, was in relation to— The PRESIDENT: I understand the question, Senator Cash— Senator Cash: a specific announcement on a specific day that came into effect yesterday. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Cash— Senator Cash: In relation to your previous ruling: if that is to stand, I would ask you to review it tonight and report back to the chamber tomorrow. The PRESIDENT: Senator Cash, please resume your seat. I can't direct the minister to answer your questions. I can ensure that the minister is relevant to the points that you've outlined in your question, and I believe that Senator Watt is being relevant. I am listening carefully and if he's not being relevant I will draw him back to the broad basis of your question, which went to consultation with business, the construction industry and the ABCC. Senator Watt. Senator WATT: Thank you, President. As I said at the outset of my answer, there was wide consultation across the industry before the election about the policy. And I understand it may well come as a shock to people in Australia to have a government that delivers on its election promises! Because Senator Cash— The PRESIDENT: Order. Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Opposition senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Order! You are being disorderly! Please allow the minister to continue to answer the question. Senator WATT: As I said, it may come as a shock to the people of Australia to have a government that delivers its election promises because, of course, that stands in great contrast to the former government, one of whose leaders was Senator Cash, who promised an independent corruption commission and never got around to doing it. Unlike that, we are delivering on our promises— The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt! Senator Brockman on a point of order. Senator Brockman: Yes, President, on direct relevance. There have been repeated rulings of this place which you know very well, which say that the minister should not use the opportunity to attack those opposite. That is exactly, what the minister is doing— The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Brockman— Senator Brockman: and I— Senator Wong: You allowed that over and over again! Senator Brockman: Senator Wong! Order! The PRESIDENT: Senator Brockman, please resume your seat. Thank you. Senator Watt, I would remind you to come back to the question that Senator Cash asked. Senator WATT: Thank you, President. As I said, we have widely consulted about our policy. We went to the election saying that we would do the policy. We are now delivering our policy. As I say, I, for one, am shocked that Senator Cash, of all people, would come in here and ask questions about workplace rules and workplace lawlessness when she— Senator McGrath interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Watt, please resume your seat. Sorry, Senator Cash, please resume your seat; I'll come back to you. Senator McGrath, you are constantly interjecting in a very loud manner to the point that I have to keep sitting the minister down. I would ask you to refrain from doing that. Senator Cash? Senator Cash: Again, in relation to a point of order on direct relevance: again, I did not ask a question about the Labor Party's decision to abolish the ABCC. I asked a very specific question in relation to a very specific decision that came into force yesterday— The PRESIDE NT: Thank you, Senator Cash. You are now starting to repeat your question. Senator Cash: Thank you, Madam President. In relation to your previous rulings, I would ask you to reconsider them and report back to the Senate tomorrow. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Cash. I don't intend at this point to review my rulings. I have asked Senator Watt to be direct. Your question contained the words 'consult' and 'business', and that is what Senator Watt was just outlining when I had to sit him down because of the disorderly nature of the Senate, and then I entertained your point of order. Senator Watt was being directly relevant about the consultation. Senator WATT: Now, as I say, I'm heartened that all of a sudden Senator Cash thinks consultation is important or giving people a heads-up is important. I don't remember her or her office giving the AWU a heads-up before they leaked the police raid on their offices. Senator McGrath interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt— Senator WATT: I don't remember them giving the AFP a heads-up before they leaked their raid to the media and put those police officers in danger. The PRESIDENT: Senator Watt! Just a moment, Senator Brockman; please resume your seat. Senator McGrath, I have specifically called you out for being disorderly and you've completely ignored me and continued to be disorderly. I would ask you to respect my ruling when I ask you to just tone it down a slight decibel or two. Senator Brockman? Senator Brockman: Point of order on direct relevance: Minister Watt is clearly ignoring your instruction to return to the question. The PRESIDENT: Senator Brockman, he is not. He is being directly relevant. Senator Watt, please resume. You have five seconds. Senator WATT: I am advised that since the election there has been further consultation with the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council— (Time expired) The PRESIDEN T: Senator Cash, first supplementary?