Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. It follows the last answer that he gave to the member for Griffith, in which he said that the government assisted in every way the Volcker inquiry. Can the minister confirm that the government’s Wheat Export Authority, whose job it is to scrutinise Australian wheat contracts, did not provide any documents to the Volcker inquiry? Given that the minister failed to answer this question when he was asked twice yesterday, surely he is able to answer it now.

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

As I said yesterday, when the Volcker inquiry came to Australia the investigators spent two weeks at DFAT going through the documentation. We assisted them and gave every bit of information that they had on this whole issue. That was recognised by Volcker.

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

Mr Howard interjecting

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Of course it is relevant, Prime Minister. The question was not about what DFAT gave; the question was about the Wheat Export Authority.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Deputy Prime Minister has only just begun his answer. He is in order.

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tell the truth!

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Fowler will withdraw that.

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, is telling the truth unparliamentary? This minister should resign.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fowler is warned!

Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is the people’s parliament and he should be telling the people’s parliament the truth.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Fowler will remove herself from the House under standing order 94(a).

The member for Fowler then left the chamber.

Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I notice that you have asked the member for Fowler to withdraw. The remark that I heard her make was, ‘Tell the truth.’ I cannot see how asking someone to tell the truth is unparliamentary.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the Chief Opposition Whip would be aware, standing order 94(a) applies to disorderly conduct. The member was displaying disorderly conduct in defying the chair. That is why she was asked to withdraw.

Roger Price (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I have no difficulty with that explanation. You asked her to withdraw her interjection—which I admit was disorderly—that the minister should tell the truth. You asked her to withdraw that.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have ruled on that incident and I do not intend to revisit it. I call the Deputy Prime Minister.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Deputy Prime Minister has the call, and members will show the respect that is expected of them.

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

As I was saying, I answered this question from the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. The answer is the same today, in that the government cooperated fully with the Volcker inquiry. Volcker investigators spent two weeks at DFAT going through documentation. Those were DFAT documents but documents from across government. We now have established the Cole commission of inquiry, which is the Australian inquiry. The government is cooperating fully with the Cole commission of inquiry.

Kim Beazley (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order going to relevance. There was a very simple, clear thing asked of him. He was asked this yesterday, as he rightly said. The Wheat Export Authority—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition is well aware that when he takes a point of order he does not have to repeat the question. Once the chair is aware of what the point of order is, the chair is able to rule.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, further to the point of order raised by the Leader of the Opposition: I wish to make the point that, just because the opposition do not like the answer, that does not entitle them to take a point of order on it.