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. I refer to his answer to my previous question. Given the Deputy Prime Minister’s admission for the first time today that he expects that his staff would have brought to his attention the contents of the cable of April 2001 from Bronte Moules, didn’t the Deputy Prime Minister mislead the House when he said on 8 November 2005:

The allegations raised first came to my attention as a result of the Volcker inquiry.

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

They are not very smart on the Labor side. You continue to prove it. In answer to the last question I referred the Leader of the Opposition to my answer to a question on 9 November after he referred to a question on 8 November last year. He asked about a cable in April 2001. This is about an issue of port fees. That is the substance of the issue, if you go back to the cable. He is aware of the first cable. He is very well aware of the inquiry that was made by AWB and the advice given by the UN. That was given back to them. It is very easy to ask these questions in hindsight. The answer I gave to the question at the end of last year clearly identified and differentiated between concerns that were raised back then and allegations that were raised in the context of the Volcker inquiry—very different. I refer the Leader of the Opposition again to the answers that I gave him.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You misled the parliament!

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

Order! The member for Ballarat is warned!

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

I did not mislead the parliament. I answered those questions very clearly.