I advise the Senate that Senator Fierravanti-Wells will be absent from question time this week. In her absence, Senator Colbeck will take questions on her behalf.

I seek leave to make a short statement in response to that.

Leave granted.

I thank the Leader of the Government in the Senate for the advice. I would make this point: this will make it six out of 19 days that Senator Fierravanti-Wells has been absent from question time since she was appointed to the ministry. There may well be very important reasons for her absence, but I would like to place on record again that the expectation that ministers have is that they are available for Senate question time, because—

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

I appreciate that Senator Bernardi may not agree with the principle of accountability, but many in this chamber do. As I said, I appreciate that—

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Order! You have the call, Senator Wong.

As I have said—I am trying to be courteous here, Senator Bernardi, unlike others—I appreciate there may well be very good reasons for her absence. I raise it simply as a point for the government to recognise—that six out of 19 days being absent is a fairly high proportion.

by leave—I think it is a shame, it is regrettable, that Senator Wong made the remarks she just did.

Why is that?

I will tell you why, Senator Carr, if you would have the manners to listen. For some of the six days to which Senator Wong has referred, Senator Fierravanti-Wells was suffering a serious injury. She had a very serious fracture of her arm, and that was the reason she was away on most of those six days. Honourable opposition senators ought also to be aware that Senator Fierravanti-Wells, as the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, has more responsibilities to travel overseas than most ministers do and in fact today is at a meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Frankfurt.