Senator CROSSIN (Northern Territory) (15:08): I rise this afternoon in response to the answers that were given in question time and in response to Senator Brandis and, no doubt, speakers that will follow him. I take offence at some of the comparisons that Senator Brandis used then in relation to one of my colleagues—in fact, in relation to any senator in this chamber. It is an unfortunate position you find yourself in when you cannot actually take note and debate the facts and you have to resort to some personal intimations. I think people listening to this do not appreciate that. There are just two things I want to say before I talk about foreign affairs. One is that, of course, Senator Bob Carr has not been Premier of New South Wales for nearly seven years now, so people out there will probably be thinking, 'What is this all about now that he is not only a member of the federal parliament but also Australia's foreign minister?' So let us get that on the record. Secondly, I just want to say something in relation to what happened today, when we spent 15 minutes on this first question in the Senate—which, of course, was not related at all to any policy matter or any significant area of reform that this government is trying to undertake. One thing I know is that, when we all come into this chamber as senators, we are asked to complete accurately—always accurately and truthfully—our declaration of senators' interests. One of the things we know, which is now fact, is that one senator in this place, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, did not complete his register of senators' interests correctly—surprisingly, you may say, because he was former Prime Minister John Howard's chief of staff. Why would he not have done that? Surely it was not because he did not know to do it; he clearly did. Senator Brandis: Mr Deputy President, on a point of order on relevance: the question was directed entirely to Senator Carr's conduct and reputation as the Premier of New South Wales. I might remind you, Mr Deputy President, that when Senator Carr, in answer to that question, sought to do what Senator Crossin is now doing—that is, cast aspersions at another senator—the President drew him to the question and, by doing so, ruled that that matter was not responsive to the question. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Brandis. There is no point of order, as Senator Crossin is responding to the answers given—whether they be in order or not in order—by Senator Carr. Senator CROSSIN: You see, it is relevant, because all roads in relation to the declaration of interests by Senator Sinodinos lead to Mr Obeid and to the fact that Senator Sinodinos had shares in a business that was owned significantly by that gentleman and they were not declared on his interests. The point I simply want to make here is that we can spend forever and a day trying to throw aspersions at Senator Carr, throw mud at Senator Carr and malign his nature and his character, but he has been out of New South Wales politics as the Premier for seven years now. He is Australia's foreign minister and, as much as you want to argue about Mr Obeid and what has happened with ICAC in New South Wales, if you are going to have a look at what is going on at this side of the chamber—or purport to look at what happened on this side of the chamber—then you want to have a really good look at what is happening a couple of seats down from you and the failure to declare in your declaration of interests any interests you might have had in this matter at all. But last week we celebrated International Women's Day, so let us try and turn this debate now to something positive that Foreign Affairs is doing in this country. It gives me a chance in relation to Senator Carr and his portfolio to talk about what work we are doing overseas in supporting women. In the context of International Women's Day, we have through AusAID made a significant commitment to— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Crossin, I did rule that you were in order in the first part when there was a point of order taken, but now I think you are straying from the topic, as Senator Carr did not mention that in any of his answers at all. So I just draw you to the fact that we are taking— Government senators interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! We are taking note of the answers given by Senator Carr. So you cannot have it both ways, Senator Crossin. Senator CROSSIN: I do not want to reflect on the decision of the chair, but what the coalition is clearly trying to do is suggest that somehow, in some way, Senator Carr at some stage in his past has been involved in activities that are not scrupulous. That is seriously not the case. It is seven years ago. We have debated this topic, and no doubt it has been raised in the media. But, if we want to talk about Senator Carr and his performance, let us talk about his performance as foreign affairs minister. Why are we not talking about that during question time? Why are we not asking Senator Carr, on the back of International Women's Day, about the role we play for women overseas— Senator Brandis: Mr Deputy President, on a point of order, it can hardly be relevant for a senator, in addressing a question before the chair, to ask rhetorically why we are not talking about a different question which she then poses to herself. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you. Senator Crossin, you have the call, and I will remind you of the matter that we are taking note of: the answers given by Senator Carr. Senator CROSSIN: What we are taking note of, I would have thought, is the foreign minister's integrity. As often as Senator Brandis might want to pop up like a jack-in-a-box and suggest that we ought to talk about some negative aspect of this person's integrity and his judgement, we can also talk about the positive role this foreign minister has played. We could also talk about some of the outstanding achievements we have made, particularly when we talk about our commitment to women overseas on the back of International Women's Day. Or we could talk about all of the other senators in this place who actually do lodge a declaration of interest when they are required to, and it is accurate and it is truthful and it does not miss out aspects of our lives that we know have to be recorded in this parliament. (Time expired)