Senator CHRIS EVANS —My question is to the Minister for Family and Community Services. In an earlier answer to a question from me about the impact of the tax package on your department's clients and the failure of the department to do any work on that matter, you tried to depict the secondment of one officer from your department to the Treasury as being your evidence of the department's involvement.

The PRESIDENT —Senator, your question should be directed through the chair.

Senator CHRIS EVANS —Sorry, Madam President. Despite that, Minister, are you aware that at the estimates committee the officer made it very clear that he was seconded on the basis of his skills, not as a representative of the department, not to represent the department's view? He was seconded to use his particular skills. Will you now confirm the evidence given by your department that you have done no modelling on the impact of the tax package on your department's clients?

Senator NEWMAN (Family and Community Services; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —The answer I gave previously was perfectly truthful and straight up and down. There was a very senior officer from my department seconded to Treasury. He spent a number of years gaining experience in social security issues. He was an invaluable member of the working party on tax reform, and the tax package shows the results of his expertise working with the Tax and Treasury people.