Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Exactly! It does. That is why I am asking this question. I will ask it for the fourth time. The question is: if we accepted Labor's amendment to maintain the existing capacity-to-contribute arrangements in the act then what would those estimates be? That is the only way we can highlight exactly what this minister is doing. He is still gaining savings by shifting the existing arrangements. In the past he has explained them as special deals. I have explained, I think quite clearly to the chamber, why they were structured in the way they were at the time. I do not believe they were special deals. I understand the policy justification for why the existing formula is in the act. You are asking us to change that formula. I am asking you to quantify the impact of that change rather than just try and hide it in these integrated factors. If the department needs more time to go away to answer that question then that is fine—we will be back here at 4.30—but a non-answer is not adequate.