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

Senator Faulkner asked me a question today about the ONA and any role it may have had in this matter. I undertook to get back to him with some further information. I refer Senator Faulkner to volume 4, page 101, of the Cole report, ‘Conclusion and summary’. At paragraph 30.240, Commissioner Cole refers specifically to the issue of intelligence and refers specifically to the ONA. Specifically, he says:

... the information provided in the unassessed intelligence reports and secret exhibit 4 was not regarded as being of sufficient importance to be the subject of a specific assessment report by the intelligence assessment agencies (such as the Office of National Assessments) and did not specifically relate to AWB or its wheat sales to Iraq.

I invite Senator Faulkner to contemplate those conclusions.