Robert McClelland (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I pick up and note that admission. It is an admission that the government rorted the oil for food program and the sanctions against Iraq. That is why the invasion was necessary. The government is a disgrace in that respect. It is a disgrace that no charges have been laid relating to the oil for food program and the rorting carried out by AWB—no charges. We suspect that the Crown prosecutors will give a report after the next election. It is a disgrace that no public servants have been sacked as a result of AWB having rorted that program. In addition, it is a disgrace that ministers have not been held accountable for what—even taken in the very best of light—has been a gross neglect of their obligations in overseeing the work of AWB.

In effect, the invasion of Iraq occurred as a result of a falsehood. There were no weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations had not been permitted to exhaust and complete its weapons inspection. It became necessary because of the failure of the sanctions. The sanctions were unquestionably rorted and Australia, under this government, were the biggest rorters. But after four long years in Iraq, the government is yet to admit responsibility for this gross foreign policy failing—indeed, an outrageous abuse of power in the sense that those sanctions were rorted.

The Prime Minister says: ‘Look, forget the past. I’m not going to apologise, but forget the past. What we have to do is fight the terrorists who are in Iraq.’ Again, the representations in this respect are misrepresentations. Why do I say that? Firstly, before the invasion of Iraq, there was no evidence of a substantial presence of al-Qaeda in that country. Indeed, security reports have confirmed that. Secondly, the Prime Minister, with respect, is misrepresenting the nature of the conflict that is occurring in Iraq. Iraq is essentially facing a civil war, and that civil war is between a Shiite majority and a Sunni minority.

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