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

When issues of concern were raised, they were responded to. We have continued to make the point that the government was not aware of and had no knowledge of any kickbacks being paid by AWB or any other Australian company. No evidence was provided of that. We went through the process and the Volcker inquiry was established. Not only did we cooperate with the Volcker inquiry but we continued to encourage AWB, who were protesting innocence at the time, to cooperate fully with the inquiry. All through the process of the oil for food program we continued to remind AWB of their responsibilities under the oil for food program and the sanctions resolution. As soon as Volcker had reported, we moved very quickly to establish the Cole commission of inquiry here in Australia, as was suggested by Volcker and by the United Nations, to test in Australia whether any domestic laws had been broken. We have given the Cole commission of inquiry wide-ranging powers—powers almost of a royal commission in terms of how they can conduct their inquiry. They are part-way through that. The Australian Labor Party should let the Cole commission of inquiry run its course, continue to gather evidence, interrogate the people it has called before it to give evidence, find its conclusions and then deliver those conclusions to the Australian people in terms of what it believes has actually happened as far as the oil for food program is concerned. (Time expired)

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