Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, I think we do deserve a medal. We do deserve to be praised. We do deserve to be recognised for acting in an ethical and responsible manner and for looking into the facts of what AWB had done. That has been done through the Cole commission of inquiry, and now the government will move on into a second phase of dealing with the outcome of the Cole commission of inquiry.

One of the approaches Labor seems to use is that this is the end of the matter—that the government has closed the book on this issue. In fact, the tabling of the report is just the end of stage 1 of this matter. The Howard government will establish a task force of relevant Australian government agencies to consider, in consultation with the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, possible prosecutions. Furthermore, the government will introduce legislation and seek its passage in this sitting fortnight to facilitate access by the task force to the many documents held by the Cole commission of inquiry so as to enable prosecutions to proceed.

Commissioner Cole has recommended a number of changes to strengthen Australian enforcement of United Nations sanctions and the conduct of future commissions of inquiry. The government will move speedily to consider those recommendations of Commissioner Cole. Like Commissioner Cole, the government is disappointed that a major Australian company could be involved in such inappropriate conduct. Australia, let me say, does not tolerate corruption—here or in any other part of the world. That is something we as Australians have every reason to be proud of.

Let us look at Labor. We have been told that a couple of Labor MPs told the Australian Financial Review that in private, in the Labor Party caucus room, Kim Beazley conceded that he did not expect the opposition could claim any government scalps. So this is just a beat-up by the Labor Party. It is a fairly disgusting exhibition of gutter behaviour and of larrikins in the street trying to besmirch a very responsible commission of inquiry and a very responsible government. I think you should all be ashamed of yourselves. You should respect the outcome of this inquiry and the integrity of the government in dealing with this matter so speedily. (Time expired)