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

My question is to the Minister for Trade. I refer the minister to his statement on 15 January this year about the AWB’s payments to Iraq under UN sanctions. He said:

I think that whilst we’ve all now got the benefit of hindsight and we can look back on who maybe should’ve known what, the reality is that even with the benefit of hindsight the things that were happening at the time were reasonable …

Does the minister stand by his statement?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The honourable member for Griffith has taken out of context many of my statements in relation to these issues over the years. In fact, he produced a document—with 10 ignored warnings et cetera—which includes only five words in inverted commas. The rest are in a context invented by him. The reality is that the Cole commission has been established to investigate serious allegations that have been made about the AWB. Those allegations—

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. It goes to relevance. The question of the member for Griffith was simply—

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

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. I will rule on his point of order. The minister is in order. He has only just began to answer the question.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Cole commission will soon deliver its findings, and that will be an appropriate time to make a judgement about what actions have been appropriate and what actions have not been appropriate.

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

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

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

The minister has completed his answer.