QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (14:33): Thank you for the question. Assistant Minister Charlton's speech would have, I expect, gone to the government's priorities in this area. I take the point about the questions around taxation arrangements for large tech companies, and I suppose they are ultimately a question that should be directed towards the Minister representing the Treasurer here, but I can say for the government's part that every firm that invests in Australia is required to pay its fair share of tax.

Australia has led the world, including in the OECD processes, as we try to develop an approach that is fair and consistent around multinational tax arrangements. You will be aware—the Assistant Minister's speech went to these issues—what the focus of the government's approach is in relation to legislating artificial intelligence standards in particular for data centres and what it is that motivates and mobilises the national interest around those questions.

It goes to making sure that we capture the benefits of this technology for Australia and for Australians, and capture the economic resilience benefits of that for our future security, making sure that data centre investments occur in the right places and are a net positive for the rollout of our new modern electricity grid. The PRESIDENT: Senator Pocock, first supplementary?