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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Given that the cables we have been referring to point exactly to the circumstances of AWB’s potential involvement in the breach of the sanctions regime of the United Nations and that you have stated a general awareness of it at the time, did you not fundamentally mislead this House when you said, ‘The allegations raised came to my attention as a result of the Volcker inquiry’? Isn’t this just another part of your personal cover-up?

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

Before I call the Deputy Prime Minister, I remind the Leader of the Opposition again that he should address his remarks through the chair.

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

The answer to the Leader of the Opposition’s question is no. The Labor Party continue to selectively quote from material that has been presented to the Cole inquiry, so I am going to selectively quote. In one of the cables they have been referring to, the OIP, the Office of Iraq Program, noted it had no way of judging the accuracy or otherwise of the claims.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Danby interjecting

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

The member for Melbourne Ports is warned!