Senator MURPHY —My question is directed to the Minister for Resources and Energy representing the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy. I remind the minister of a statement from his senior minister when announcing the new woodchip licences in October, when he said export licence conditions would require all exporters to give preference to woodchip sourced from sawmill residues and silvacultural thinnings. Minister, I put it to you there are no conditions in the new licences that require exporters to give preference in sourcing, and I ask: will the government now amend the licences to ensure there is? Will the government take action to ensure that exporters comply with those new changes?

Senator PARER —Madam President, I—

Senator Robert Ray —I'm lost, yes.

Senator PARER —You're right.

Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Order!

Senator Faulkner —Another folder; come on.

The PRESIDENT —Order! We will proceed, Senator, when there is sufficient silence to enable me to hear you.

Senator Herron —Madam President, on a point of order: it is very difficult over this side to actually hear anything let alone a question because of the noise on the other side. So I would ask you, Madam President, to speak to them so that Senator Parer has a chance to review his question.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Senator Faulkner —Madam President, on the point of order—

The PRESIDENT —Order! I did not hear what the point of order was.

Senator Faulkner —On the point of order, Madam President I understood that Senator Herron was indicating that it was difficult for him to hear anything: we certainly did not hear anything from Senator Parer either, basically because he said nothing because he did not know how to answer the question.

The PRESIDENT —Order! There is no point of order.

Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Senator Parer, we will wait until there is silence in the chamber.

Senator PARER —As Senator Murphy said, the new hardwood chip licences encourage value adding processing by encouraging exports for woodchips sourced from sawmill residues and silvaculture thinnings.

I think that what Senator Murphy is alluding to is that he wishes to see some encouragement—

Senator Murphy —I raise a point of order, Madam President. I did not say that the licence had conditions.

Senator Panizza —That is not a point of order.

The PRESIDENT —Order! Senator Panizza!

Senator Murphy —The point of order is to assist the minister representing Mr Anderson. What I read out for Senator Parer was that the minister had said the licences would contain conditions. I put it to Senator Parer that there are no such conditions in the licences.

Senator Panizza —Sit him down.

The PRESIDENT —There is no point of order.

Senator PARER —Thank you, Madam President. I might say that I had great difficulty understanding the first part of the question.

Senator Faulkner —It was pretty obvious because you did not say anything.

Senator PARER —I could not hear it because your big mouth should have a hook in it, Senator.

Senator Schacht —Is that a professional observation as minister in charge of fisheries?

Senator Bolkus —Get him to withdraw the hook.

Senator PARER —We'll try a gaff next time.

Senator Faulkner —That is the biggest gaffe. You are about 10 on the Richter scale of gaffes.

The PRESIDENT —Senator Faulkner!

Senator PARER —As I was about to say in regard to the question by Senator Murphy and the point he made about Minister Anderson's statement, I have not seen the statement by Minister Anderson, but I will refer it to him for his response. I presume the basis for your question, Senator Murphy, which may explain the supplementary question that you may well ask, concerns downstream processing, which, I know, is of interest not only to you, Senator, but also to Senator Calvert and Senator Gibson—

Senator Faulkner —Let us have another two minutes of waffle.

Senator Kemp —You used to be able to.

Senator Faulkner —I was good at it; he is not.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Senator PARER —Senator Murphy nods because that is what Senator Murphy is interested in. Senator Faulkner could not give a damn—hence these inane remarks from the monkey, while the organ-grinder sits up the back calling the shots.

Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Order!

Senator PARER —Perhaps Senator Faulkner and other Labor people may allow Senator Murphy to hear this answer because he is interested in it. He may be the only person on the other side who is interested in what the hell is going on in Tasmania. Certainly, Senator Faulkner is not. This is the basis of the question: what Senator Murphy is doing is speaking the language of the coalition because the coalition has a vested interest in downstream processing. It is something that I personally have been pushing well before I came into this place. It is a pity that Senator Murphy was not speaking the same language for 13 years when they were in government—when they went down the road not of creating real jobs but of destroying jobs.

Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Order!

Senator Murphy—I raise a point of order, Madam President. I have been watching the clock and waiting for Senator Parer to actually answer the question, and time had almost expired. I would like an answer to the question. The point of order is that Senator Parer has not answered in any way, shape or form the question that I asked.

The PRESIDENT —The time has expired for answering the question. Do you wish to ask a supplementary question?

Senator Murphy —Yes, I do, Madam President.

The PRESIDENT —Order! It must be almost impossible for Hansard to hear what is going on with the level of noise in the chamber.

Senator Murphy —I made the point to Senator Parer that the licences currently have no conditions—

   Honourable senators interjecting —

The PRESIDENT —Senator Murphy! I cannot hear you!

Senator Murphy —I made the point to Senator Parer that the licences currently have no conditions that require preferential sourcing. I asked: will he ensure that the government now amends the licences to make that occur and will it take action to ensure that exporters comply with it. I further ask: once you have found out, Minister, that there are no such conditions, how does Mr Anderson's statement stand with Mr Howard's ministerial code of conduct?

Honourable senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Order! All sides of the chamber! Silence!

Senator PARER —Madam President, I have already answered the first part of the question.

Senator Hill —And well answered too.

Senator Faulkner —You really are a comedian, aren't you!

Senator PARER —As for drawing some long bow with regard to the Prime Minister's code of conduct, that is typical of the inane sort of questioning we are getting from these people from the other side, who have not yet learned that they are in opposition. You have been there for eight months, and yet you come up with this silly sort of questioning which has no relevance whatsoever to the subject matter in hand.