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) (14:31): I congratulate Senator Joyce on campaigning in his own portfolio area. The government is building on the $4.3 billion investment announced in the 2011-12 budget by continuing to invest in regional health initiatives, education, liveability, skills and infrastructure in the 2012-13 budget. The 2012-13 budget invested in regional Australia with projects including $3.7 billion for the national Living Longer. Living Better aged-care plan—including improving aged-care service delivery in regional, rural and remote areas, recognising special regional needs and including zero real interest loans and a viability supplement to assist providers in targeted areas; $1.5 billion for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program to provide a more integrated— Senator Joyce: I rise on a point of order, Mr President, obviously on relevance, and maybe he has got the wrong briefing note or he is just making it up. The question is: are you going to deliver all promises to regional Australia in the time frame you promised the Independents? Don't worry about the palaver, just give us the answer. The PRESIDENT: The minister is answering the question. The minister has 55 seconds remaining. Senator CONROY: Thank you, Mr President. As I was saying, $1.5 billion for the Remote Jobs and Communities Program to provide a more integrated and flexible approach to employment and participation services for people living in remote areas of Australia; a billion dollars over four years to start the first stage of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, providing people with disabilities in up to four regions personalised care and support; $524 million to strengthen Australia’s biosecurity system, which underpins our unique biosecurity status— Senator Joyce: Once more I have a point of order on relevance, Mr President. He is reading out a form guide but he is not answering the question: is he going to deliver all the promises to regional Australia in the time frame they promised the Independents? Senator Chris Evans: On the point of order, Mr President, Senator Conroy is exactly responding to that question by detailing the delivery of the commitments made to regional Australia. He is providing the detail of those commitments, of the delivery of those commitments and of the record of huge investment in rural and regional Australia, for the first time in many years, across a range of portfolios. So I would suggest, Mr President, that Senator Conroy is exactly responding to the question asked, which was about commitments given to invest in regional Australia. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. Senator CONROY: Thank you, Mr President. As I was saying, $524 million to strengthen Australia’s biosecurity system, which underpins our unique biosecurity status— (Time expired)