Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:44): The government has included the MRRT revenue figures in its budget and the shadow minister would be aware of that, which is more than I can say for any of the costings of which he has been a part. He is critical of the government on the question of having a consultation process with the mining companies. How is this not relevant? Senator Cormann: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I understand that the minister enjoys getting stuck into me and the opposition more than she does providing an answer to a difficult question, but this is not in accordance with standing orders— Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Cormann, you are entitled to be heard. I cannot hear what you are saying. Senator Cormann, continue. Senator Cormann: Thank you. I understand that Minister Wong enjoys getting stuck into me and the opposition more than providing an answer to a difficult question, but it is not consistent with standing orders, which require her to be directly relevant to the question. The question is why the government is refusing to release revenue assumptions related to the mining tax, despite successive orders of the Senate requiring the government to do so since 30 September 2010. What have you got to hide? Senator Ludwig: Mr President, on the point of order: the minister has been directly relevant in answering the question asked by Senator Cormann. Senator Cormann misses the point that the question he asked was very broad and included a part which he is now and was previously screaming across the chamber about. But that does not mean that the minister has to provide the answer that Senator Cormann is seeking directly. She is able to provide an answer to the whole question rather than to the piece that Senator Cormann seems to be plucking out in his interjection. So, Mr President, you should rule him out of order. The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister is answering the question. The minister has 33 seconds remaining to answer the question. Senator WONG: The first point I would make on the question to which I was directly responding is that the senator made a comment about the government dealing with three companies. I was directly responding to the political assertion in that question by making the point that in a significant reform such as this of course it is appropriate that the government consults with industry. I would have thought that that, in fact, would not be a controversial proposition.