Senator STERLE (Western Australia) (15:16): I also rise to make my contribution. Before I go any further, Mr Deputy President, I have absolutely no idea what Senator Joyce spent the first three minutes babbling on about in relation to putting underpants on heads. I have to be really honest with you, Mr Deputy President: it is quite embarrassing. Opposition senators interjecting— Senator STERLE: I see there is a bunch of schoolchildren up there. God bless you, but this really is appalling. This is the chamber of legislation but, sadly, over the last few years, Mr Deputy President, the way that the conversations have been conducted in this chamber is becoming very, very embarrassing. I am not the first one to have a good stoush across the chamber, and I welcome the opportunity to have a blue across the chamber. I should not use the word 'blue', sorry, because one of the MPs on the other side might run off to the papers and say that I am threatening someone. From a knockabout point of view, when I talk about a blue I mean an argument. As to Senator Joyce's contribution on the questions that were asked of Minister Ludwig about effects on farmers and agriculture of the carbon tax, God help me. You might be able to direct me outside, Senator Joyce, as to what the heck you were talking about. Let us have a fair dinkum conversation. It would be nice to have a political conversation about the future of this great country, where the next generation of kids are going to wallow in the wealth that is being created and not about the nonsense—the one-liners, the ridiculous, childish carry-on that we have seen from leaders in the parliament. I go back to the last election, in 2010, and I think that if you were a visitor to this great country and you clicked on the radio or turned on the TV and heard or saw Mr Abbott and his cohorts from the other side running around, spending six months of an election campaign talking about what they were not going to do—they were not going to have a mining tax, they were not going to let asylum seekers, they were going to turn boats back even if it meant sinking them—it was just a disgraceful conversation. On a brighter note, let us talk about the Nationals. If they really want to have some conversation about what is best for Australian farmers, why is that we have found ourselves in this situation in 2012 after having bipartisan agreement in 2008—well, not quite bipartisan; we had half of the opposition—where the Liberals were supporting the government's move to deregulate the export wheat market? We had the Greens, who at that time supported the deregulation of the wheat export market. We had the Nationals, and they have never hidden their hatred for Western Australian farmers being able to— Senator Nash: Oh! Oh! Opposition senators interjecting— Senator STERLE: Mr Deputy President, I hear the collective sighs of, 'Oh!'— Senator Nash: Mr Deputy President, I rise on a point of order. I would ask the senator to withdraw that remark. He is misleading the Senate. Senator Sterle: I didn't even get it out! Senator Nash: He did indeed! We have very, very close relationships with Western Australian farmers. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Nash, that is a debating point. There is no point of order. Senator Sterle, you have the call. Senator STERLE: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. That gives me great heart, because I can now quote Senator Nash saying she has great respect for Western Australian farmers. I take it that the Nationals have now agreed to support the Labor government's motion to deregulate the wheat export market. I am sure the PGA in Western Australia, the Western Australian— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Sterle, I draw your attention to the question before the chair. Senator STERLE: Thank you, Mr Deputy President. As I go back, I would say quite clearly that this is a bad message being sent to Western Australian farmers. Let's get this out on the record; let's make this very clear: it is Western Australian farmers who export their wheat. I believe it is costing $6 million a year around the country to continue with the wheat export levy, knowing that about $3 million of that is paid by Western Australian farmers. I would really be lifted if I could, in this chamber, hear those on the other side actually support Western Australian rural communities, Western Australian farmers and Western Australian agricultural businesses, rather than have Mr Abbott, four years after Mr Nelson allowed the Liberals to vote with their hearts to deregulate the wheat market, being tweaked and pulled around the country by the nose by, what, six or seven Nationals, if there are that many. It has nothing to do with what is best for Western Australian farmers. It is all about saying—and they are my words, not Ms Bishop's: 'Shut your mouth. Just be quiet to the Western Australian senators over there. Be quiet to the Western Australian people. Shut up and do what the Nats tell you.' (Time expired)