Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator McKenzie for the question. Obviously, this is a decision that was a decision of Ms King's. I've made the point that this was a decision that, in fact, changed nothing. It was a decision that went to the status quo, and Minister King made that decision as the Minister for Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

Minister King has confirmed she consulted with a number of colleagues and weighed a range of matters to determine whether an expansion was in Australia's national interest. As Minister for Foreign Affairs, I was one of the ministers consulted. I do not intend to go into the detail of those consultations. I can probably point you, Senator McKenzie, to many occasions where Senator Payne said the same thing in answer to my questions.