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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Is the Prime Minister aware that Mr Brendan Stewart, the AWB chairman, told Mr Volcker in a letter dated 20 September last year that:

AWB did not make or conceal any illicit payments to the former Iraqi regime.

And elsewhere:

For example, it is obvious from your latest report that the committee is concerned about the use of fees for fictitious trucking services paid to alleged transport companies. AWB played no part in this. We did not sit within this category.

Given these statements and many others that I could have read out by Mr Stewart, which have now been shown to be demonstrably false, why did the Prime Minister yesterday invite Mr Stewart to join the delegation to Iraq?

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not have direct knowledge of that letter, but I will have a look at it. But let us accept for the purposes of the question that the letter was written. It remains the assertion of Mr Stewart—repeated to me and to my colleagues yesterday—that he was not aware of the matters that are the subject—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I have been asked a question. I am precisely responding to the question that was asked.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

The Prime Minister has the call.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It goes, Mr Speaker, to an orderly investigation of this matter. I know that a lot of evidence against AWB people has been given before the Cole commission, but unless and until the company and all of its officers, including its chairman, its former chairman and its managing directors, and any other directors who may be called, have had an opportunity to give their evidence and until the Cole inquiry has made a finding in relation to these matters, we must respect the process. We are big in this place, when it suits our political purposes—the Labor Party is a good example of this—on saying, ‘Let’s have a process. Let it be examined.’ I know it does not look good at the moment for AWB, but let them have their full day in court. That is what is meant to be the rule of law that governs this place. It is meant to be the rule by which all of us live. Let us have a full laying out of all of the facts before the Cole inquiry, and let this very fine lawyer bring down his findings.

The Leader of the Opposition asked me against that background why Mr Brendan Stewart will accompany the Deputy Prime Minister to Iraq. It is for the very simple reason—and I thought the Leader of the Opposition would have understood this; I would have thought it was obvious why he is to accompany us—that AWB Ltd holds the pool. The advice I currently have is that, if you are to sell wheat into Iraq and you are to participate in the latest tender, the only wheat that is available is the wheat legally controlled by AWB Ltd. Unless the Leader of the Opposition is into acquisition of property on unjust terms, unless the Leader of the Opposition is into breaking the Constitution of Australia, we have to deal with the legal holder and controller of that wheat.

So I would say to the Leader of the Opposition that, of all the questions he has asked on this issue, that really is a very silly question to ask. Mr Brendan Stewart is going for that reason. In the delegation there will be representatives of the wheat industry and there may be others who represent the interests that are involved in this issue. But this is a government mission. It will be led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. The purpose of the mission is not to score political points, like the Leader of the Opposition. The purpose of the mission is to look after the Australian wheat growers.