Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management) (14:51): We may need Senator Smith to run his eye over some of those questions to make sure they comply with standing orders, something that we know he takes very seriously. The Suburban Rail Loop is a once-in-a-generation infrastructure project. We're doing something that the former government never chose to do, which is to honour election commitments. Remember that funny, old tradition of honouring your election commitments? I know that it didn't happen under you mob, but we actually take these things seriously. We went to the people with an election commitment to spend— Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: I ask those particularly on my left to listen to the answer in silence. Senator WATT: We went to the election with a very clear commitment to spend $2.2 billion towards early works for the Suburban Rail Loop East. That was on the back of the fact that the Victorian government had prepared a detailed business and investment case for the Suburban Rail Loop, which was released last year and demonstrated a cost-benefit ratio of up to 1.7, meaning— Senator McKenzie: A point of order on relevance: Senator Watt is simply reading out the talking points that he has read out all week. The PRESIDENT: That is not a point of order. Senator McKenzie interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Let's get straight to the point of order, Senator McKenzie. Senator McKenzie: On relevance: the question went to quoting Senate estimates evidence at the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee, where departmental officials listed how much the government has actually put on the table in its budget for this project, which is directly contradicted by the Premier of Victoria. The PRESIDENT: The question went to the rail project and estimates, and the minister is being relevant. Please continue, Minister. Senator WATT: I know that the opposition chooses to ignore this, but we have repeatedly made the point that the business case provided by the Victorian government demonstrates a benefit cost ratio of up to 1.7, which means that $1.70 would be returned for every $1 invested. It's interesting that the opposition is so hung up on projects, involvement with state governments and things like that, because it wasn't that long ago that former Prime Minister Turnbull—someone I know they all choose to forget and pretend was never a member of their party—announced that the Commonwealth would commit $5 billion to the Melbourne Airport rail link project without even speaking to the Victorian Premier first. In March this year, the coalition announced a $1.6 billion commitment for the direct rail line from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, which the Queensland government described as a bit of a surprise, and the money appeared plucked out of the sky. Again, if we're seriously going to be relying on the Liberal and National parties to lecture people about the appropriate spending of public money, we're going to have to be waiting a fair while. The PRESIDENT: Senator Van, a first supplementary question?