Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

I know it caused the opposition great angst when we advised Senate estimates committees that, given that matters relating to the Australian Wheat Board and the oil for food program with Iraq were subject to a royal commission of inquiry, it was therefore the government’s view that it was not appropriate for ministers or officials to answer questions on that matter at that round of estimates. It is a fact that we made it quite clear at that time that, once the inquiry had reported, of course it would be open to ministers and officials to answer pertinent questions pursuant to the report of the royal commission, if any such questions did arise. The government has not formally considered the matter of the coming round of estimates but I hazard a guess that, given that the royal commission is not reporting until the end of June and that it is the government’s view that we should await that report before this becomes the political football that the Labor Party wishes to make of it, I imagine it may well be the case that the arrangements that pertained at the February estimates may well pertain at the budget estimates.

I make the point that, if one reads the standing orders of the Senate, one notes that the budget estimates are about the appropriations which the government seeks to have approved by the parliament. The agreed methodology over many years is that, rather than debating those matters in the chambers, there is a committee process by which those proposed appropriations are examined by estimates committees. There has been a tolerated flagrant disregard for standing order 26 in the operation of the estimates committees. As a government, we have accepted that that is going to occur. But I have to say that for questions relating to AWB, particularly in light of the fact that there is a royal commission under way and that, certainly in these budget estimates, matters relating to the oil for food program of the UN have absolutely nothing to do with the appropriations that we will be seeking from this parliament, I would have thought it would be better for the opposition to wait until the royal commission has reported.