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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. If the minister will not listen to Sir Gustav Nossal or UniQuest or Cochlear, will he at least listen to his former colleague and former Labor senator and science minister, Chris Schacht, who said recently in a letter to me:

The loss of these grand schemes will have a significant long-term negative impact on the Australian biotechnology industry.

Will the minister today commit to immediately reinstating the Commercial Ready program and will he apologise to Sir Gustav Nossal for his dismissive approach to his very well considered comments?