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

This is a previous statement of the foreign minister’s; there are many to pick from with the foreign minister. The statement in question by the foreign minister was that he said I had been untruthful when I said that the Office of National Assessments had not done an assessment on Iraq within the last 12 months. The following brief exchange occurred in Senate estimates on Monday of this week when the Office of National Assessments appeared before a Senate estimates committee. The questions to the director of the ONA were:

Senator CHRIS EVANS—When was the last time you did one on Iraq?

Mr Varghese—Probably a year ago.

Senator CHRIS EVANS—Around October 2005?

Mr Varghese—I would have to check.

Senator CHRIS EVANS—Roughly a year ago—is that right?

Mr Varghese—In the last quarter of last year.

That, I think establishes the case.

On the second issue of a misrepresentation today, the foreign minister said that my question concerning the six Australian companies now being investigated by the AFP over possible breaches of Australia’s sanctions obligations to Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq potentially compromised the AFP investigation. The question I asked the foreign minister dealt with whether or not the minister or his department had approved any such contract. The question did not ask any matter of detail concerning the activities of these corporations. In fact, the minister is seeking to hide behind the AFP in order to avoid parliamentary accountability.

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