QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:25): We're very familiar with the ASU—in fact, I'm a member of the ASU—and I'm also familiar with the campaign that the ASU ran in relation to social and community workers, who have seen Labor governments deliver for working people again in terms of better wages and better conditions.

For those workers particularly and workers more generally—and in the case of gender bias in the industrial sector and the work of women particularly being undervalued, also something that this government has acted on— The PRESIDENT: Senator Waters? Senator Waters: A point of order on relevance. I'm an ASU member as well.

My question was about why you aren't listening to them and why you're punching down on disability families. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Waters. I remind you it's not okay to make statements.

The minister is being relevant to your question. Senator WONG: I am surprised that you interrupted me when I was talked about gender undervaluation, because that is something that matters and that that union cares about, but, anyway, I'm happy to continue to talk about it. What I would say to you is that the government has been very clear that, in the middle of a fuel crisis and the biggest shock in global energy markets that we have lived through—it is the largest shock in global energy markets that we have lived through— Senator Waters interjecting— Senator WONG: You might interject and dismiss that— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Waters, second supplementary?