Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Universities and Research) Share this | Hansard source

All right—

The CHAIRMAN: Order, Senators! Rather than just go across the chamber, could you wait till I call you, for two reasons: it keeps the debate under a degree of control and it also enables the people in the audio room to switch the microphones on and off.

Mr Chairman, you are not implying, are you, that I am speaking too softly? That does not happen very often, but let me raise my voice! I ask, then: can the minister explain why HASS—that is, humanities, arts and social sciences—is gaining greater priority than it once had?