Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:13): As I said, the advice I have is that the Australian Human Rights Commission was not required to seek approval for the substance of its submissions, which it makes as an independent body, and was abundantly clear that these did not represent the views or the position of the Commonwealth of Australia. So, what we have is Senator Cash trying to put forward a proposition that an independent body— The PRESIDENT: Senator Cash? Senator Cash: The point of order is in relation to relevance, and I am happy for the minister to take it on notice and do appreciate that you may not have the answer. But, in relation to my point, it wasn't about the permission in relation to the submissions; it was in relation to the submissions and whether the Attorney-General was able to see or comment on them or was advised of the nature. The PRESIDENT: I think the minister is being relevant, Senator Cash, but I'll continue to listen carefully. Senator WONG: Very helpful, President and Senator Cash. What I can advise is this: (1) the Human Rights Commission was granted leave by the High Court to make submissions in the NZYQ case; (2) the commission is independent of government, and one of its legislated functions is to intervene in court cases that raise human rights issues. I am advised that neither the Attorney-General nor any other minister sign off on what those submissions say. Third, I'm advised that the Attorney-General approved the commission's request for an exemption in relation to its interventions in the terms I have already indicated. (Time expired)