Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Hansard source

The $2.5 million is for this work over three years. Having some understanding of the way in which ABS collect data, and the way they have done it in other areas, I would have great confidence in their ability to collect the correct data and to design the form in which the material collection is presented—some of it may be electronic—because this would be a new data series, presumably. And then they may change the way that it is collected. That is part of their normal process for any data collection. I cannot give you any detail beyond that. Perhaps I could give you more information. We could approach the ABS to give us a report about where they are up to at this point in time, how they believe the data will be collected and the form it will be presented in. It is probably a bit early. We are halfway through the year, and it is due for completion in December. The consultations with the wheat industry are not concluded. But we have confidence in the ABS to do the work. If we get some further update about how it will be done and the form it will be presented in before December then I will be very happy to provide that.