Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Hansard source

My question, for the third time, is to the Minister for Trade. I refer the minister to this email released by the Cole inquiry, from AWB to the Acting Ambassador in Washington just prior to the 2004 federal election, which states that AWB had ‘briefed staff for Ministers Downer and Vaile and at their request lodged a formal request for intervention’—that is, to try and block the US congressional inquiry. Further:

AWB have been advised today by Minister Downer’s office and Minister Vaile’s office that they endorse this approach.

Minister, why did you abuse Australia’s alliance relationship with the United States, given that six months before you had personally received a ministerial submission from your own department warning of what the AWB was up to, on top of the 33 other warnings your government had received by that time?

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