Bruce Baird (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

You might talk about ignorance being bliss but, if you are able to prove it, put it on the table. If you can provide a clear linkage, do so. Of course, we have had all this huff and puff about what should have happened.

I think Senators Faulkner and Ray were the ones who commented, ‘Let’s investigate this oil for food program and see what it involves,’ although I notice they did not actually talk about the AWB. Look through all the evidence that has been provided to date—the Hansard of all the committee inquiries and Senate estimates. If this were so important, you would expect members of the Labor Party to have gone through it forensically. You would have expected them to ask questions: ‘Did you review our contract with the UN to provide wheat to Iraq? Did you find any aberrations or abnormalities in this?’ You would have expected Senators Faulkner and Ray, in Senate estimates, to have quizzed the Wheat Board and the minister responsible on how the program was developed and whether there were any aberrations, but at no stage was that done.

It is very easy to be wise after the event, but those opposite cannot prove that at any time they actually pointed the finger and said, ‘What’s going on here?’ They never did that at all. They are exhibiting after-the-event, concocted rage about what they would have done and what they expected us to do. It comes back to the point that, if this government had not acted as part of the coalition of the willing, Saddam Hussein would still be in place. When those opposite go that bridge too far and say, ‘This actually provided money to pay off suicide bombers,’ that is an outrage, because it was the opposition who continued to oppose the attack on Saddam Hussein in Iraq and who would have allowed them to continue to fire their missiles into Israel—if I may make the point rather pointedly to the member who made that comment. Under Saddam Hussein’s leadership, as that member and I both know, 300,000 people lost their lives. Those opposite were prepared to allow him to continue in power. In addition, one million people lost their lives in the war between Iraq and Iran.

Those opposite are prepared to turn their backs on all of that and would have allowed Saddam Hussein to go on in his way.

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