Senator CROSSIN (Northern Territory) (15:11): I just want to remind the Senate that Minister Arbib answered the questions put to him during question time today. In fact, he reiterated that the questions were not within his area of portfolio responsibility as the Minister for Sport and his answers are on the record. I am going to take this opportunity to take note of Senator Evans' answer to the first question that Senator Abetz asked him today—that is, the record of the Gillard Labor government. Senator Brandis: Mr Deputy President, on a point of order: there is a question before the chair. The question is that the Senate take note of two nominated answers to two nominated questions. Senator Crossin is not at liberty to raise other questions which are not the subject of the question before the chair. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Crossin, I do remind you of the question. The motion is that the Senate takes note of the answers given by Senators Arbib and Evans in response to questions by Senators Ronaldson and Fierravanti-Wells. Senator CROSSIN: That is the problem that we have in this chamber. We have on record the answer from Minister Arbib where he quite clearly said that the questions asked of him did not come within his area of portfolio responsibility. Therefore, what we really have is an opposition that are not prepared to debate the real policy issues, because they have no policies—that is the issue. What I was trying to helpfully do was redirect the opposition's attention to matters of substantial policy—the issues to which Minister Evans referred to today in his answers—but instead we are going to spend half an hour debating answers to questions which Minister Arbib repeatedly said he could not answer because they did not come within his area of portfolio responsibility. What we have is an opposition that cannot ask any questions at all about sport. They have never asked any questions at all about how fantastically well the Australian netball team did in Singapore to win an international trophy. They cannot ask any questions at all about how fantastically well the cycling community is doing— Senator Brandis: On a point of order, Mr Deputy President: Senator Arbib did not say that he could not answer those questions; he said that he would not answer those questions. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Brandis, we are moving into a debating point. Senator Ludwig: I will just say on the point of order that there is no point of order. Senator Brandis is now debating the point. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Ludwig. Senator Crossin is now addressing the question, after being reminded a first time. Senator CROSSIN: What I am trying to highlight again is that the opposition have no matters of policy they want to debate, because they are a policy-free zone. They have time and time again shown to us in this community, particularly in the last 12 months, that all they are good at is saying no, no, no, no. They have no positive policies at all, except of course that if they got elected they would rip $70 billion out of the coffers of the federal government. In order to do that they would need to cut services, cut public service jobs, cut access to Medicare, cut access to pension payments, cut access to the family tax benefits and cut access to programs. So what they want to do is ensure that we talk about anything in this chamber except their policies, because they have none. They cannot come up with anything at all that they could use to get out there and positively say to the Australian public: 'If we were elected as a government, this is what you could get from us as a benefit.' They are saying, 'In fact, all you are going to get from us is a ripping away of $70 billion of services and benefits that are already provided.' So this opposition is going to go to any lengths, any means at all, to ensure that we debate anything other than alternative policies, because there are no alternative policies. So what are their alternative sports policies? I do not think I have heard the opposition ask Senator Arbib one question in relation to his sports portfolio—not one question, as I said, about the Australian netball team's triumph in Singapore, not one question at all about the cycling fraternity's success or celebrating Cadel Evans's success in France, not one question at all about World Cup soccer, not one question at all about what the AFL are doing to promote the game overseas. There have been no questions about sport at all from the opposition to Senator Arbib, and how disappointing is that? I think once upon a time— Senator Brandis: I never got a single question all year when I was the minister for sport. Senator CROSSIN: History will tell us that Senator Brandis was the minister for sport once upon a time, so you would think he would be in the best position to now be able to ask Senator Arbib a whole raft of questions in relation to his portfolio of sport, but there have been none—no questions, not at all. Maybe they do not care about sport. Maybe they do not care about the contribution of sporting fraternities and clubs to our community. Senator Fifield: You've got to keep it going for another 30 seconds. Come on! You can do it! Senator CROSSIN: I can certainly do it. I am happy to stand here and debate you all day, every day and every minute of every day. I find that speaking for five minutes is totally easy because all we have to do is reiterate time and time again that you cannot ask questions of decency in this chamber. You cannot ask questions of policy as an opposition. You have to scramble in the race to the bottom— (Time expired)