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 statement overnight by the Republican head of the US Senate inquiry investigating corruption under the UN oil for food program, Senator Coleman, that the US Senate would now reopen its investigation into AWB’s dealings with Iraq and in Senator Coleman’s words:

Another major concern is whether Australian officials were less than honest. We will examine the report to ensure that no one lied to this subcommittee.

Will the minister guarantee to the Australian parliament that when Australian officials told the US Senate in September-October 2004 that the Australian government rejected the allegations against the AWB entirely and unequivocally dismissed the allegations concerning the AWB those officials did not mislead the US Senate?

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

As it happens, I make two observations. The first is the observation the Prime Minister makes—that it is the character of the Australian Labor Party always to stick up for foreign interests against Australia. On this side of the House, we are on the side of Australia—

Duncan Kerr (Denison, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Kerr interjecting

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

Order! The minister will resume his seat. The member for Denison will remove himself under standing order 94(a).

The member for Denison then left the chamber.

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

The second observation I make is that Senator Coleman, whom I spoke to personally at the end of September about these matters, expressed the view to me in that conversation we had in New York that the Australian government, unlike other countries which had been mentioned in the Volcker report, had done precisely the right thing to set up a commission of inquiry into this whole matter. The third observation I would make is that I appreciate the honourable member asking about Senator Coleman, because on 27 November this is what he said: ‘I “formally” applaud the efforts of the Cole commission, which examined the facts in a thorough and comprehensive manner.’

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

This is what Senator Coleman said. You may not like Senator Coleman. He said:

My subcommittee will review the Cole report with a fine-tooth comb to determine whether US interests were hurt by AWB’s gross misconduct.

The point I make is that, by setting up the Cole inquiry and subjecting officials to the fine-tooth comb, with all of the documents produced and made public, with public hearings and a long list, of course, of painful appearances by officials before the Cole commission—and many of the officials of my department, not surprisingly, did find it a very painful experience—we have been applauded by Senator Coleman for doing that. This, I think, casts Australia in a very good light—a point that Commissioner Cole himself made. The final point I would make is that the member for Griffith accuses an official of my department of lying. This official was Peter Baxter. He did not lie; he told 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 Speaker, I rise on a point order. Under the standing orders, I asked the minister to guarantee that in fact officials had not misled the Senate; I did not accuse that official of lying.

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

The member for Griffith will resume his seat! That is not a point of order.