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

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. After 10 years as foreign minister, and as the minister responsible under Australian law for enforcing UN sanctions against Iraq, does the minister accept any responsibility whatsoever for the following damning conclusion contained in Commissioner Cole’s report:

The critical fact that emerges is that DFAT did very little in relation to the allegations or other information it received that either specifically related to AWB, or related generally to Iraq’s manipulation of the Programme. DFAT’s response to the information and allegations was limited to seeking AWB’s assurance that it was doing nothing wrong.

Minister, having refused to accept any responsibility whatsoever for the other failures referred to in Commissioner Cole’s report, do you accept any responsibility for this failure also identified in Commissioner Cole’s conclusion?

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