Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management) (14:27): Thank you, Senator Scarr, for reminding us of something that your government had nine years available to do and didn't actually do until its dying days in government. And thank you again for reminding us that Senator Cash has apparently been ruled out from asking any questions about the portfolio that she's the shadow minister in. It is interesting that we continue to see members of the opposition talk up the ABCC when its record was about prosecuting trivial matters, going after unions, going after workers, rather than actually doing anything to improve the lot of workers in the industry. Senator Scarr: Point of order: it was a very specific supplementary question about whether or not the government would double the fines. A yes or no answer should be perfectly able to be delivered on that sort of question. Senator Wong: On the point of order, these are getting spurious. The minister responded on the subject matter, which was fines. If the opposition wish to chew up question time by taking ongoing points of order on spurious grounds, it's a matter for them, but I put you, President, that there is no point of order in the point of order that's just been made. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Scarr. The minister is being relevant. He may not be giving the answer you require, and I can't direct him to directly answer your question, but he is being relevant to the subject matter of the question. Minister Watt, please continue. Senator WATT: Senator Scarr knows very well the policy we took to the election in relation to the ABCC, and that was to abolish it. And the reason we intend to abolish it is that it has been a gross waste of taxpayers' money, prosecuting minor issues involving workplaces, workers and unions, and it has done nothing whatsoever to deal with the labour productivity issues that exist in the industry. For all the opposition's talk about the ABCC, productivity has fallen on construction worksites. (Time expired)