QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (14:23): Thank you, Senator O'Neill, for your advocacy for industrial development in New South Wales. Tomago Aluminium is Australia's youngest and largest and most efficient aluminium processing facility. This deal delivers certainty for that facility beyond 2028 through to 2038-39.

It delivers jobs and investment for the 1,000 direct employees and the 5½ thousand jobs that rely upon that facility. In December, the Prime Minister stood with me in the rain at Tomago Aluminium, a facility that I've been going to for the last 25 years, and he said to those workers, some of whom I know very well, 'We have your back.' Senator McDonald interjecting— Senator Wong: I have a point of order going to disruptive behaviour.

Could Senator McDonald perhaps at least pause in her interjections? The PRESIDENT: I quite agree with you, Minister Wong. I have been calling for order.

Senator McDonald, I am appealing to you directly to cease and desist. Minister Ayres, please continue. Senator AYRES: Today, in a shared approach with New South Wales—never forget that, when this facility was established, it was established by the Labor government of Neville Wran, who built the electricity infrastructure that was required to deliver that colossal investment.

And it falls to two Labor governments to do that again—to build the electricity infrastructure that was never built by those people over there that will sustain this facility and those thousands and thousands of jobs for years and years to come. Senator Colbeck interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Order! Senator AYRES: We have industrial investment in the Hunter for as far as the eye can see.

Hundreds and hundreds of apprenticeships will be delivered because of the decision of this government to deliver, in the national interest, not just a future made in Australia but a future made in the Hunter that will strengthen Australia's industrial capability and, in uncertain times, make Australia stronger and make Australia fairer. Senator Colbeck interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator Colbeck, I have called and called you during question time.

I appreciate you have strong feelings on this matter. I invite you to find a place in the agenda next week to make your views known to the chamber, but not at question time. Senator O'Neill, first supplementary?