Eric Abetz Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment
2:00 pm
by leave—I inform the Senate that Senator Johnston, the Minister for Defence, will be absent from the Senate today. He is attending the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium hosted by the Chief of Navy.
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Opposition Senators:
Opposition senators interjecting—
Eric Abetz Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment
And, yes, it is in Perth. For the purposes of question time I will be representing infrastructure and regional development portfolio and Senator Brandis will be representing the Minister for Defence.