John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

It is not a bad point of order from a former Keating government minister! I make the point in reply to the member for Denison that within a matter of a few weeks of when we introduce the legislation to extend the minister’s veto power there will be ample opportunity for the House to fully debate the issue. I want to conclude my answer by saying that the new arrangements will maximise the returns to growers whilst securing our overseas wheat markets against strong international competition. I have often made the comment in the past, and it remains my very strong view, that a retention of the status quo with AWB, given the circumstances revealed in the Cole inquiry, would not have been acceptable to the government, would not have been acceptable to me and would not have been acceptable to the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party. Can I also say that, if this country is at some time in the future to move away from a single desk operation, it will need in order to justify that decision to get something decent in return from the corrupted international wheat markets that have worked so heavily against the interests of Australia.

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