Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Allow me to assist the minister. On page 27 of the Hansard of the hearings on this bill conducted on Tuesday, 11 March 2008 by the Senate Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, my good friend and colleague Senator Fisher asked:

Has the department provided to the government any economic modelling on the wages impact of this bill?

The answer was:

As Mr Pratt indicated before, the department has not, at this stage, undertaken any economic modelling on the issues—

Senator Fisher asked:

At all on the bill?

Mr Kovacic’s answer:

On the bill.

So it is quite clear the department said before the Senate standing committee on 11 March 2008 that no economic modelling had been done. I trust, or can I assume, that that answer remains the same, or was economic modelling undertaken between 11 March and Tuesday, 18 March—in the last seven days?