Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Did the government provide any documents from the Wheat Export Authority to the Volcker inquiry?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With reference to this matter, I repeat again what I said today and yesterday: the government cooperated fully with the Volcker inquiry, with the investigators when they spent two weeks at DFAT going through the documentation and the electronic files down here.

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on a point of order—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has just begun his answer.

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes or no?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I have not called the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition on a point of order?

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, relevance. It was a very simple, direct question. This answer is not related—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The minister has just begun his answer and he is relevant.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, Mr Speaker. Just because the Leader of the Opposition wants a yes or no answer does not mean that he can demand that from the minister. Ministers are—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House is debating the issue. Does the Leader of the House have a point of order?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is that disorderly points of order are being regularly taken by the Leader of the Opposition—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat!

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, Mr Speaker, both sides of this House deserve equal treatment. Deal with him!

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition does not have the call. The Deputy Prime Minister is in order. As I have said, he has only just begun his answer. He is relevant and he deserves the opportunity to be heard.

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just make a couple of points here. If the Leader of the Opposition were prepared to keep on board his frontbenchers who knew something about this matter, he would understand the answer. They should know—

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. With respect, this is the fourth time we have asked this question. It requires a simple answer and the Deputy Prime Minister is making a mockery—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order. There is no point of order and if the member for Griffith continues to take that type of point of order I will deal with him.

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point I want to make is that the WEA, in terms of their inquiries and the work that they do, have certain restrictions imposed on them by the Wheat Marketing Act. The member for Hotham knows that, and I am sure the member for Corio knows that, but, because of the way the Leader of the Opposition is treating them, they are not likely to tell him. As I have said, the government has handed over all the documents and has assisted the Volcker inquiry fully.

The WEA analysis, I am advised, was being undertaken while the Volcker inquiry was under way. That analysis—and they only look at AWB information—was based on AWB contract data, and they found no problems. The chair, Tim Besley, has already stated that. They found nothing untoward. When he gave that response the Labor Party attacked him personally in Senate estimates. The WEA analysis is based on AWB contract data. They do not have any information of their own; it is only AWB data. The government had encouraged AWB to cooperate fully with the Volcker inquiry, and DFAT cooperated fully with the Volcker inquiry.