Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

I can tell the Senate that AUSTRAC is assisting the Cole inquiry. It has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cole inquiry to provide that assistance, so that answers the first question. That is what AUSTRAC doing. The second part of the question represents a total misunderstanding of the answer that I gave yesterday. That was that payments made overseas—not payments taken out of Australia but payments made in foreign jurisdictions—do not fall within the jurisdiction of AUSTRAC. Of course payments which are made into Australia and out of Australia and domestically within Australia fall within AUSTRAC’s jurisdiction. AUSTRAC is assisting the inquiry and has signed a memorandum of understanding.

What the people of Australia should realise is that, in this beat-up that the opposition are engaging in, they are hurting Australian wheat growers by the sensationalism. It is the Australian wheat growers who will suffer at the end of the day. What people have to remember when the opposition criticise the government in relation to the Cole inquiry is that, if they had their way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power. That is what people should remember. We remain resolute, as we have said time and time again, that the Cole inquiry should take its course, and we will provide every assistance to it, which we are doing.