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

My question, for the third time, is to the Minister for Trade. I refer the minister to this email released by the Cole inquiry, from AWB to the Acting Ambassador in Washington just prior to the 2004 federal election, which states that AWB had ‘briefed staff for Ministers Downer and Vaile and at their request lodged a formal request for intervention’—that is, to try and block the US congressional inquiry. Further:

AWB have been advised today by Minister Downer’s office and Minister Vaile’s office that they endorse this approach.

Minister, why did you abuse Australia’s alliance relationship with the United States, given that six months before you had personally received a ministerial submission from your own department warning of what the AWB was up to, on top of the 33 other warnings your government had received by that time?

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

Mr Downer interjecting

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

You are a fraud. You are a total fraud.

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

Order! The member for Griffith is warned!

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

Mr Speaker, on a point of order: why wasn’t the Minister for Foreign Affairs warned?

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

That is not a point of order.

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

I can only repeat that the government did not seek to stop any inquiry in the United States. We just sought to ensure that Australian companies were treated fairly in that inquiry. I might add that the member for Griffith is referring to an email, a document, that has been released by the Cole inquiry. Can I point out that, of the 66 countries and the 2,000 companies involved in the oil for food program, I think Australia is the only country that has established this inquiry, the Cole inquiry, that has now sat for 65 days—

Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Adams interjecting

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

Order! The member for Lyons is warned!

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

with over 70 witnesses, thousands of pages of evidence—

Chris Bowen (Prospect, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Bowen interjecting

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

And so is the member for Prospect!

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

including that which has been used by the member for Griffith today. This government has done everything it can to ensure that a fair and open inquiry is undertaken. We look forward to the results of the Cole inquiry.