Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Minister for Emergency Management) (14:36): Thanks, Senator Cadell. These questions have been answered now for the best part of two weeks, so I'm not really sure what further light can be put on the question. I read the transcript from Minister King, and my recollection of it is that she said those incidents—those extremely more-than-regrettable, more-than-unfortunate incidents involving women, that shouldn't have occurred—were context for her decision. That's what I remember Minister King saying in that transcript. She, and many other ministers, have said repeatedly that the decision was made in the national interest and that there was no one factor. I'm not sure what we can add to the previous answers that we've given on this point. What we can add on matters involving airlines, as I've already indicated, is that one airline was held to account today for its behaviour, and it was an airline that had the full support of the former coalition government when it went about outsourcing labour and sacking its workers through the pandemic, treating them with utter disrespect. We know— The PRESIDENT: Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Scarr? Senator Scarr: A point of order on direct relevance, President. The PRESIDENT: Yes, I will remind the minister of the question. Minister Watt, I will take you back to the question. Senator WATT: With respect, President, I believe I have largely answered the question in the first part of my answer and that I'm entitled to use the remaining 45 seconds of my answer to remind the coalition about it turning its back on Qantas workers during the pandemic— Senator Birmingham: President— The PRESIDENT: Minister Watt— Senator Birmingham: President, a point of order— The PRESIDENT: Senator Birmingham, there's no need to shout it more than once. I saw you on your feet and I was drawing the minister's attention to your point of order. Senator Birmingham: President, we did have a matter last week where a minister—and it may have been Minister Watt or a different minister—behaved in the same way, which was to say, 'I've answered the question therefore I can talk about anything I want.' As was raised in a point of order at that stage, ministers need to be directly relevant throughout their answer. There has been acknowledgement from the chair that they can make glancing references to other factors, but it's not within the standing orders for a minister to say, 'I've addressed the question, now I can make whatever points I want.' If they've given the answer, or they believe they've given the answer, it's time to sit down. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Birmingham, I appreciate your point of order. When it was raised last week, I completely agreed with you. I have drawn the minister back to the question and I will remind the minister of the point of order you made. I agreed with it last week and I'm not deviating from the custom. I remind Minister Watt of the need to be relevant to the question. Senator WATT: Thank you, President, you know how I always obey your rulings and listen very respectfully to them. I dare say that it's so on this occasion as well. As I said, Minister King has made clear the basis of her decision, as have a number of other ministers over the last couple of weeks. But the question does go to the government's decision regarding Qatar Airlines. I take the opportunity to remind the chamber of when the coalition were in power and Mr McCormack was then the transport minister. In fact, in just the last couple of weeks he said: 'When I became Deputy Prime Minister and transport minister in February 2018 I made a decision to put on hold an application by Qatar Airways,' so this concept that it's only a Labor government that has ever done this is absolute rubbish. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Cadell, first supplementary?