Senator WONG (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister for Finance and Deregulation) (14:57): I am sure the senator could easily jump on the Treasury website and have a look at past budgets. All of this information is on the public record. But I would make the point that the senator seems, as the opposition often do, to have forgotten a thing called the global financial crisis. It is quite extraordinary the way those opposite seem to airbrush that. Senator Abetz: How can this be relevant? Senator WONG: I will take the interjection from the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. How can this be relevant? Why don't you go to Washington and say, 'How can this be relevant?' Why don't you go to Brussels and say, 'How can this be relevant?' This is ridiculous. Senator Fifield: Mr President, I raise a point of order on relevance. The question was very straightforward: can the minister name which financial years the government forecast a budget surplus in their budgets? Senator Jacinta Collins: Mr President, on the point of order: of course the answer the minister is giving is relevant to this question. She is providing very relevant context to any question around our economic standing and, indeed, our position with respect to a surplus. The PRESIDENT: Order! I am listening closely to the minister's answer. The minister still has one minute 22 to answer the question and I will listen closely to the minister's answer. There is no point of order at this stage. Senator WONG: If I could explain the relevance—obviously I need to—the fact that the government had to alter its fiscal strategy— Senator Ian Macdonald: He didn't ask you that. Senator WONG: Fiscal strategy is relevant to budgets, Senator. That might be news to you, but the fact that the government had to alter its fiscal strategy to respond to the global financial crisis is entirely relevant to this question and entirely relevant to the jobs which have been created, the jobs which have been saved and the growth which has been maintained as a result of those fiscal decisions. Those opposite might want to jump up and take pathetic points of order to try to make themselves look like they are part of a schoolboy debating team—I use 'schoolboy' advisedly until Senator Fierravanti-Wells might stand up!—but it demonstrates their complete lack of understanding of what this economy faced during the global financial crisis— The PRESIDENT: You need to come to the question, Minister. Senator WONG: which, of course, resulted in the government making a decision in previous budgets to put stimulus into the economy. Senator Brandis: Mr President, I rise on a point of order on the question of relevance. This was the only question: can the minister advise the Senate how many of this government's budgets forecast surpluses at the time of their presentation to the parliament? You did a few seconds ago ask the minister to come to the question. She entirely ignored you. She has got 15 seconds left of the time available to her. She has had plenty of context. Now can she answer the question? How many budgets forecast a surplus? Senator Conroy: Mr President, on the point of order: Senator Wong is giving a comprehensive response, not a little twee 'give us one word, yes or no', not a little twee 'give us the answer that we want'. Senator Wong is comprehensively debunking the question that she has been asked, and I ask you to rule there is no point of order. Senator Fifield interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Brandis was quite correct: three seconds ago I did draw the minister's attention to the question and the minister still has 15 seconds. I do draw the minister's attention to the question. I cannot tell the minister how to answer the question, though. That is something I cannot do. Minister, you have 15 seconds. Senator WONG: Thank you. As I said, all of this information is available on the Treasury website. It is well known that in 2012-13 a surplus has been forecast. It is also well known that the Treasurer has made very clear, as a result of what is occurring with revenue— (Time expired)