What we’ve just seen is that this is a display of what the Labor party has descended into. Here we are. We’ve got communities across large parts of Australia, large parts of Australia fighting, fighting bushfires.

We are dealing with some serious, serious challenges. Senator McKenzie, today, is due to depart Australia to attend a food ministers meeting in New Zealand.

When the the arrangements were made, when the arrangements were made, as to who would represent Senator Canavan today, when Minister McKenzie was also to be absent, obviously the arrangements were put in place as I’ve advised the chamber, but to suggest that there is some sort of conspiracy here is juvenile.

It is desperate, and it just shows the Labor party has completely lost the plot.

I mean, we are a strong and united coalition.

Senator McKenzie is an outstanding minister. And if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was due to depart Australia for New Zealand earlier, the representative arrangements would have been different. But I’m sure that any question the Labor party wants to address to Senator McKenzie, she will as always respond to, with absolute distinction.