Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

On Monday I asked our ambassador to Iraq to make representations to the Iraqi government over wheat sales during the Cole inquiry. The ambassador met with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Chalabi overnight. Mr Chalabi has assured us that the Iraqis want to continue to buy Australian wheat. I note that Iraq has rejected a tender from the US wheat growers in recent days, while another of our top five markets, Egypt, has just confirmed another order with AWB overnight.

The message that I am hearing from Australian wheat growers is that they want the National and Liberal parties to keep Ruddy’s hands off their interests and the single desk. As the Grains Council of Australia said in a recent media release, ‘grain producers refuse to suffer the consequences of the political grandstanding and loose talk’—particularly that coming from the ALP.

More than 80 per cent of Australian wheat growers support the single desk. We know the Labor Party’s view about the single desk. The member for Hunter has made some comments on the Labor Party’s website about the single desk.

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