Mr O'KEEFE —My question is directed to the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. Given that your colleague the Minister for Finance either did not understand or was unable to answer the question, I ask you: do you agree with the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Seafood Industry Council that any reduction in the diesel fuel rebate would constitute an increase in the tax burden on mining and agriculture and that `any change to the scheme would represent a breach of the coalition's unequivocal commitment not to increase taxes or to introduce new ones in government'? Will you rule out any such change?

Mr ANDERSON —I thank the honourable member for a question that he has already effectively put in this place and I give him the broad answer: you know, perfectly well, our policy objectives of undoing the damage that you did to rural and regional Australia. The directions that we set during the campaign were quite clear. I am fully able to argue the case for rural and regional Australia but I simply say beyond that, as I have said before, that I play the game with an absolutely straight bat. I will not engage in speculation, nor encourage speculation, and that is all there is to it.