Senator WONG (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:38): I thank the senator for the question. I have been looking forward to a question—it has taken until Wednesday. I realise it is because Senator Cormann is at home! The PRESIDENT: Can we keep other people out of this? Please just addressed the question. Senator WONG: Senator Fifield and I are noticing the absence of Senator Cormann. We were talking about that. I get more questions when he is here. The decision to take a dividend is taken after consultation with the board of the Reserve Bank, and I would refer the senator to the 2012 annual report, which clearly states that this decision—the one to which the senator referred in his question—was taken after such consultation. It is the Treasurer's determination, and he made a determination as to the proportion of the RBA's earnings in 2011-12 which should be transferred. The dividend declared for 2011-12 is, in fact, quite modest when compared with the historical level of dividends paid, particularly those paid under the previous government. I point out that these are figures that Mr Koukoulas, who is a market economist, has indicated, so not figures that I have been provided as formal advice. He made the point that the average RBA dividend to this government over the last three years has been 0.13 per cent of total revenue and the average dividend paid during the previous governments was one per cent of total government revenue. So I think it would be wrong to suggest this is a massive increase. The approach that the government takes will always ensure that the Reserve Bank is in a position to continue to play its vital role in supporting the Australian economy. I trust that, despite some of the strange economics on the other side of the chamber, at least on the issue of the institution of the Reserve Bank there could be a modicum of appropriate consideration by the opposition.