Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:21): We yet again have a range of false assertions in a question, including the last point in relation to the carbon price. It is quite extraordinary, isn't it, that we see people who used to come into this place arguing for a carbon price, who used to be sensible when it came to economic policy, now going down the populist route that Mr Abbott is taking. This is on a day when the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate has described the surplus as an extravagant promise. Senator Abetz today, as part of the opposition walking away from the surplus, described the surplus as an extravagant promise. How embarrassing. That just shows the extent to which the sensible economic thinkers on that side—there is at least one and he is sitting on the back bench—have lost all ability to influence coalition policy. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. How long are you going to allow this incompetent minister to keep pretending to answer questions when she does not go anywhere near the subject of the questions she is asked? This is typical of this minister. She always spends the first half of any answer attacking the questioner, because she is simply incapable of answering any question. Mr President, I seek your help in making this chamber work and in making question time work by making sure government ministers actually address questions. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order.