Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. I refer the minister to statements released yesterday by the Chair of the Wheat Export Authority, Mr Tim Besley, that in mid-2004 the Wheat Export Authority became aware that AWB was supplying wheat to Iraq under an arrangement that included overland transport by a Jordanian trucking company at inflated contract prices well above the global benchmark and that, as a result of that information, the WEA undertook an investigation of these arrangements. Given this investigation by the WEA, why did the minister tell the House on 9 November last year:

The WEA has had no material which suggested additional scrutiny was warranted.

Why did the minister mislead the House?

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