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 again to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I refer to the minister’s advice to AWB last year that AWB ‘can’t be responsible for what happened to the money after it was paid to Alia’. I note that, after three questions on this, the minister has not denied the content of that advice. I also refer to the minister’s confirmation that the government knew AWB had made payments to Alia and that the government also knew Alia was a front for Saddam Hussein’s regime. Given that the minister had formal legal obligations under Australian domestic law through the Customs Regulations 1958 to enforce sanctions against Iraq, why did the minister tell AWB that they could not be held responsible for what happened to the money they paid to Alia when in fact they could be held responsible and under law they should be held responsible?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First of all, these alleged comments were in 2005. Secondly, I have made it perfectly clear on a number of occasions, including yesterday, that obviously I do not recall the exact words that were used in the conversation. I made that clear yesterday on a number of occasions and I make it clear again today. But I make the obvious point that AWB Ltd had made it clear to the government throughout, for example, 2005 in the context of the Volcker inquiry and right up until the end of last year that they had not in any way deliberately endeavoured to bribe Saddam Hussein’s regime through phoney payments to a trucking company and that any payments that might have been made were made inadvertently and unintentionally. That is what they said.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Honourable members may laugh, and your laughter can well be directed to AWB Ltd if that is how you feel about it. According to the allegation of what I was supposed to have said at this meeting, I understand that the words that the member for Griffith chose not to use were that apparently I said to AWB Ltd, ‘Tell us the truth.’ Apparently I demanded they tell us the truth.

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

Mr Rudd interjecting

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

Order! The member for Griffith is warned!

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did they tell us the truth? That is what the Cole inquiry is all about.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Has the minister completed his answer?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.