Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, it is a free world and the gentleman is of course entitled to his views. Secondly, while all ministers in the national government bring their respective perspectives as citizens in their respective states and representatives of their respective states, they do have a responsibility to take a national perspective on things, and that is what we do. Of course all of us from Western Australia, whether we are ministers or backbenchers, work every single day on how we can appropriately advance the best interests of our home states, as other senators and members in the other place would be doing. As cabinet ministers and as ministers in the national government of course ultimately we have a responsibility to focus on the national interest as well as on the interests of the respective electorates that we represent in this place.