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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister confirm that Australia has lost the opportunity to bid for the current Iraqi tender for the importation of 500,000 tonnes of wheat, worth about $100 million to Australian wheat farmers?

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

I will not confirm that.

John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Prime Minister. Would the Prime Minister advise the House of the outcome of the discussions of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade with the Iraqi government on the future of wheat sales to that country?

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

I thank the member for Forrest—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

The Mallee, I am sorry. I have done it again! I apologise to my esteemed colleague the member for the Mallee for that mistake. Can I say that the member for the Mallee is one of many members—all on this side of the House—who actually know something about the Australian wheat industry. There are a couple on the other side who do, but we may not have them much longer—and I think that will be a great shame.

I want to very warmly welcome the announcement made yesterday by the Iraqi government that it will continue to buy Australian wheat. This excellent outcome is due to the visit to Iraq by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. I want to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister, very ably supported by Senator Jeannie Ferris, the chairman of the government members’ committee on these matters, for the excellent work they have done in very difficult circumstances over the weekend. They should be commended by all Australians who are interested in the future of the wheat industry.

In a joint statement released yesterday by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Chalabi, the two governments ‘reaffirmed their strong desire for the longstanding ... wheat trade to continue into the future’. The statement also said:

In this context, the Iraqi Government will continue to welcome offers to supply high-quality Australian wheat through participating in competitive tendering in Iraq.

The government will now consider how best to achieve this and we will continue to do all we can to assist Australian wheat farmers to supply wheat to Iraq. This outcome reflects the strong relationship between the two countries, including a very long and fruitful economic relationship, a wheat trade that stretches over half a century, our shared commitment to bringing democracy to this troubled country and Australia’s generous contribution of aid and reconstruction following the fall of the former regime.

The Deputy Prime Minister went to Iraq with the sole purpose of protecting the interests of Australian wheat growers. I believe that he has risen to that occasion in a very effective way. I thank him and I congratulate him on a very successful mission.

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

My question is to the Prime Minister and follows the question he was just asked. I refer to reports published in the national media last week that Iraqi Grains Board chief Khalil Assi had confirmed publicly that Iraq had no problems buying Australian wheat in the future so long as it was not from the AWB while the Cole inquiry was running. Prime Minister, what is the difference between the position articulated by the Iraqi Grains Board last week, before the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to Iraq, and the position articulated by the Iraqi Grains Board this week, after the Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to Iraq?

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

I draw the Leader of the Opposition’s careful attention to the answer I gave to the first question.