Senator ABETZ (Tasmania—Leader of the Government in the Senate, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Minister for Employment) (14:01): The government's position on this is very clear. For any change to occur to the GST distribution, there requires to be a unanimity of view between the premiers, chief ministers and the Prime Minister. Indeed, the view that was expressed by Senator Mark Bishop, a former Labor senator from Western Australia—not unsurprisingly, has found a degree of support in Western Australia. But let's be exceptionally clear on this: the government's view on this is well known and the agreement between the states and the Commonwealth is well known. Senator Moore: Mr President, I rise on a point of order. My point of order is on direct relevance to the question. It was about the statement from the Minister for Defence about the GST and asking whether the minister agreed with his comrade, the Minister for Defence. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Moore. The minister was asked also about the GST and in relation to the defence minister's comments. The minister is being directly relevant. Minister, you have the call. Senator ABETZ: Mr President, Senator Johnston is not a comrade; he is a brother to me, and I am delighted to see Senator Johnston working with this government to try to achieve the very best outcome. It stands to reason that the Senate, which is the states house, will from time to time have people championing their specific state. However, the government's view—and that is what I was seeking to express prior to Senator Moore's point of order—in this area is very clear, and question time is usually devoted to matters of government and government policy, not to my personal views on somebody else's personal views.