Senator CONROY (Victoria—Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity) (14:54): I should not be churlish, so I thank Senator Macdonald for his question. There is an excuse for Senator Boswell having never met Ms Bishop, but there is none for you. Do you have a bumper sticker, 'Save our marine life'? Have you joined up with Ms Bishop on this? I mean, seriously: the National Party can play this game, but certainly the Liberal Party cannot. Senator Brandis: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. It may well be relatively early in the answer, but merely abusing the person who asked the question—in a smart alec, larrikin way, as Senator Conroy does—cannot be regarded as relevant, either directly or indirectly, to anything Senator Macdonald asks. Senator Chris Evans: Mr President, I rise on this point of order. I did not do so during Senator Macdonald's question, although I thought about doing so. When the senator ask the question in which he accuses foreign fishermen of 'raping and pillaging', he does actually invite a debate or an answer at the rhetorical level rather than at the level of clear analysis. Senator Brandis: Don't you know what the word 'pillage' is? Senator Chris Evans: I am not sure 'raping' is part of that process. I know what pillaging is. I am not sure that the use of the term 'raping' was appropriate. Honourable senators interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! This is not the time for debate. Senator Chris Evans: Nevertheless, I suggest that, given the breadth and the cerebral nature of the question, Senator Conroy is perhaps in order to respond in whatever way he feels like. Senator Ian Macdonald: My question is clearly about how you police those borders. It has nothing to do with Ms Bishop or any flyer or anything else. As a former fisheries minister, I am aware of how foreign fishermen do rape and pillage our fisheries. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. Senator Conroy has the call. Senator CONROY: I also draw the attention of those in the chamber to the fact that Mr Peter Lindsay has been publicly advertising in support of the government's position—the former member from out that way. You may have met Mr Lindsay. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, it does not need me to raise this point of order. I am not arguing about the decision to create marine reserves; I am asking how they are going to police them. It is a very specific area of questioning, and the minister has not gone anywhere near it in the time he has been going. It does not need me to raise these points of order. You should hold the minister to account. The PRESIDENT: The minister has the call. Senator CONROY: Senator Macdonald just might want to ignore members of his own current parliamentary party. He just might want to ignore former members who are very well known to him, and their position on this issue. He is trying to create an issue. We will work with the industry and we will work with the relevant authorities to ensure that there is policing in this way. The network of marine parks will have little to no impact on recreational fishing—as I have already stated—while securing our ocean environments for the future. Senator Ian Macdonald: Mr President, I again ask you to ask the minister to refer to the question. I did not mention recreational fishing. I spoke about commercial fishing, about how the minister and his government are going to police the boundaries and about the rules he has put in place. Senator Jacinta Collins: Mr President, on that point of order, Senator Conroy has highlighted that this will be a matter for consultation. That he has gone broader than that in his answer is obviously a response to the nature of the question. When Senator Macdonald chooses to ask a question accusing foreign fishermen of 'raping and pillaging', he cannot be surprised by the response, as Senator Evans says. The PRESIDENT: I am listening very closely to the minister's answer. The minister has 43 seconds remaining on the clock to address the question. Senator CONROY: The recreational, charter and commercial fishing industries will also have their say on plans to manage the use of the reserves. The government will work with the recreational sector and with the charter sector, who access these marine environments, to get the management arrangements right. We will consult with all affected parts of the industry to ensure that we get this right. We will work constructively with the industry. That is what we are committed to.