House debates Questions without Notice
Oil for Food Program
Gavan O'Connor Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries
2:41 pm
My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and it follows the statement of the Prime Minister that the Liberal and National parties are the best friends the wheat growers of Australia have ever had. I refer to the Cole inquiry report which finds, as a result of this $300 million wheat for weapons scandal: AWB wheat grower shareholders have lost half the value of their investment; trade with Iraq worth more than $500 million per annum has been forfeited; AWB is threatened by lawsuits both in Australia and overseas, with potential liabilities running to hundreds of millions of dollars; there are potential further restrictions on AWB’s trade overseas; and AWB has cast a shadow over Australia’s reputation in international trade. As the minister responsible for approving all 41 AWB corrupt contracts with Saddam Hussein’s regime, do you accept any responsibility for the cost to Australia’s hardworking wheat farmers?
Alexander Downer Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
My answer to the Australian wheat growers is: as the Prime Minister has said, the Liberal and National Party government is the best friend that the wheat growers have—
Brendan O'Connor Gorton, Australian Labor Party
Mr Brendan O’Connor interjecting
Alexander Downer Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
and we stand up for wheat growers over and over again. In fact, part of the Labor Party’s narrative was that we turned a blind eye to or we were complicit in illegal activities of AWB because we were standing up for the wheat growers. That used to be the Labor Party’s narrative.
Alexander Downer Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
That was the argument the Labor Party put for why we apparently thought the kickbacks were okay.
Bernie Ripoll Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations
Mr Ripoll interjecting
Alexander Downer Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
The fact is that at least some people in AWB Ltd, on the conclusions of the Cole commission report, may have broken the law. That of course is a matter to be investigated. Charges may or may not be brought; we will just have to wait and see. But AWB Ltd comprehensively misled the United Nations and the Australian government, particularly the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The honourable member is right to ask the question. Their behaviour was disgraceful. We condemn their behaviour in the strongest terms. So vigilant has the government been that it set up a royal commission to examine what AWB Ltd may or may not have done, and the government has very successfully got to the bottom of this matter.