QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for the Environment and Water) (14:23): Thanks, Senator Hodgins-May. Again, it is only the Labor government that has ever taken action on these issues, including by significantly investing in dozens of new recycling facilities. It wasn't a Greens political party government that was doing that.

It was a Greens political party that was holding up a few signs, while we were actually getting on with the job of making these investments and building the recycling industry in Australia. Now, if you want to split into two groups and some of you hold hands and some of you refuse to hold hands around protecting native forests or taking action on plastic— Senator Hodgins-May: I raise a point of order, President.

Can you get him to speak through the chair but also be relevant? This is not relevant to my question about fairness. The PRESIDENT: Minister Watt, I will ask you to address the chair, and I remind you of the question.

Senator WATT: I know it's a matter of profound embarrassment for the Greens political party that last week they couldn't decide if they wanted to save native forests or not. I know that they want to move on from that—and here's one of them. The PRESIDENT: Please resume your seat.

Senator Shoebridge? Senator Shoebridge: It is a point of order, on relevance but also on the fact that the minister just flouted your direct ruling. He just ignored you.

The PRESIDENT: Senator Shoebridge— Senator Shoebridge: You're the President and I'd hold him to account if I was you. The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Shoebridge. I would also state there are many senators in here who flout my rulings when I make them.

Minister Watt, I will remind you to address your comments to the chair. I have previously, Senator Shoebridge, directed the minister, as you would have heard, back to the question. Senator WATT: As I was saying, through our investments in waste and recycling, Australia's recycling capacity is increasing by more than 1.3 million tonnes per year.

So we'll leave it to the Greens political party to disagree amongst themselves about whether they want to protect the environment or protect native forests or do something about packaging. We're getting on with the job. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Hodgins-May, second supplementary?