Cory Bernardi (SA, Australian Conservatives) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, released their 41st quarterly report on 30 October, revealing that billions of dollars in Western foreign aid has been lost to widespread waste, lax oversight and endemic corruption. Special Inspector John Sopko stated that aid had been used to build medical clinics with no power or water, schools without children and programs that hired ghost workers—non-existent bureaucrats, police and soldiers. SIGAR highlighted major probity issues with two key funds: the World Bank's Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and the UN administered Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan. Given the history of the US and DFAT concerns, and Canada declaring on Thursday that it may start its own independent audits, will the minister commit to SIGAR-style independent audits to this parliament?