House debates Questions without Notice
Oil for Food Program
Kevin Rudd Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security
2:59 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the notes of a meeting between his foreign policy adviser and senior AWB representatives last May when his office advised AWB about dealing with the UN Volcker inquiry in the following terms:
... keep your response narrow, technical ... complain about the process ... keep narrow, be a small target ...
I also refer to the Prime Minister’s reply to a parliamentary question six months ago when he said that his foreign policy adviser did not entirely agree with the accuracy of these notes. Can the Prime Minister, six months later, now tell the parliament definitively which elements of this record are inaccurate about the advice his staff gave to the AWB—the ‘keep your response narrow’ bit, the ‘keep the response technical’ bit, the ‘be a small target’ bit or the ‘complain about the process’ bit?
David Hawker Speaker
Order! The member for Griffith will resume his seat. The last part of that question was not necessary.
John Howard Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I have every confidence in my former foreign affairs adviser. Paul O’Sullivan is now the Director-General of ASIO. He is doing an excellent job. As to other matters raised by the member for Griffith, he will be aware that we have established the Cole inquiry. We have been totally transparent about this issue. We alone of Western governments have established a body to inquire into these matters. I wait with interest for the outcome of the inquiry.
Kevin Rudd Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security
Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Not an element of that answer was relevant to the question.
Kevin Rudd Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security
The Cole inquiry—
David Hawker Speaker
The member for Griffith will resume his seat! That is not a point of order.
Kevin Rudd Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security
Mr Rudd interjecting