Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (15:14): I will make a few comments in relation to Senator McDonald's suspension motion. I will probably take the same broad-ranging approach that she did, so I would ask for the same latitude on indulgence. How wonderful it was to have the Prime Minister of Canada here today and see the welcome that he was given here in the parliament by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition's comments were welcome. It was good to see him talking about somebody at Oxford or Cambridge—or wherever it was—who he actually did meet. We can trust that we can verify this because there is independent verification of it this time. In relation to Senator McDonald's substantial resolution and the One Nation and National Party— Senator McKenzie interjecting— Senator AYRES: Well, we let it go on. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Minister, resume your seat. Senator McKenzie, on a point of order? Senator McKenzie: On relevance, the minister has gone nowhere close to debating the motion on suspension before the chair. As has been noted by the chamber this entire week, whenever non-Labor senators have stood up to debate suspension motions, they have been pulled up by shop stewards one and all on our relevancy to the topic. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator McKenzie, I will bring the minister back to the matter at hand on the point of order. Senator AYRES: I did indicate at the beginning that we did not seek to constrain Senator McDonald's contribution because I expect this debate will take its normal course. We took that approach. I expect the chamber to take the same approach. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, this is a debating point now. Senator AYRES: No, I am just indicating what we did. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, resume your seat. I'm happy to rule, but, Senator Cash, I'll give you the call. Senator Cash: On the point of order, let us be clear. Your intention is, quite frankly, irrelevant. The Albanese government side did not raise any points of order in relation to Senator McDonald, which means you condoned what she was saying. We are raising points of order in relation to what you are doing, because you are not, as you always point out to us, directly addressing the suspension. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I will remind the minister that we need to direct the matter before the chair. I am happy to rule now. I don't think we need anymore contributions on this. Thank you for your help. I'll bring the minister back to the matter at hand, which is the question of the suspension of standing orders. Senator AYRES: One good turn deserves another, I suppose. This suspension is not warranted. This government has taken more action in relation to fuel security than any government in a generation. This suspension is not warranted because this government has acted in a practical way. There is, I reported, 1½ billion litres of petrol and three billion litres of diesel for the first time because we've implemented minimum stockholding obligations. There is, of course, as today's visit indicated and also the conflict in the Middle East underscores, the rationale for the government's broader Future Made Australia, our broader critical minerals approach, our broader approach to making sure that we have fuel reserves, not in Texas as Mr Taylor had sort of delivered under the previous government—the El Paso approach—but in Australia, with Australian fuel reserves in Australia. There is no suspension warranted here because what is really going on is the extreme-right-wing One Nation Party-National Party-Liberal Party approach to this, which is to deceive Australians about what is really going on here. They were silent as church mice while Mr Taylor was the minister for energy. If there was any urgency about this, they would have been up and about then. But there has been deadly silence from the Liberal's best friends, the One Nation Party—absolute silence. They have been abjectly silent over the course of that period and suddenly they have discovered fuel security. After four out of the six refineries closed, they act now as if Australia has reserves of crude oil that would make a difference! Do you know what is making a difference for ordinary households? It's being able to access electric vehicles. They drive past petrol stations, and see the signs on the petrol stations. That is a fuel security measure right there, for Australia and Australians. It takes the pressure off petrol and diesel. And those families themselves get to access the benefits of that. This suspension is not warranted, because behind it sits a nasty, mean-spirited, disruptive, dishonest campaign— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, resume your seat. Senator McKenzie? Senator McKenzie: He doesn't have to be our friend, he doesn't have to like us, but he shouldn't be reflecting so adversely on the senators. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Minister, I think it would help the chamber if you directed your comments through the chair rather than directly across the chamber at individuals. However, I don't think there was a matter that needed withdrawing. Minister, you have the call. Senator AYRES: Of course, Mr Taylor's leadership of this portfolio is not the most embarrassing thing about Mr Taylor; I accept that that's true. Out of all the failures in his record and out of all of the reasons why Australians should be sceptical and scared of Mr Taylor's leadership of the Liberal Party, his failure on energy security, his failure on fuel security, is not the greatest reason but it's a pretty good reason to give this bloke a big miss.