Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Coonan, the Minister representing the Minister for Trade. Is the minister aware of comments by Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce where he expressed sympathy for the AWB executives on the basis that they were merely doing their job of trying to get a good deal for Australian wheat farmers? Can the minister indicate whether Senator Joyce’s view reflects the government’s trade policy, a policy that saw $300 million funnelled to Saddam Hussein? Isn’t this what the Volcker report said happened when it found that the largest beneficiaries of the kickback scandal, including the $300 million paid by the AWB, were the Iraq ministries of defence and military industrialisation and the Iraqi intelligence agency? Does the minister accept Senator Joyce’s view that ‘you’ll never get anywhere unless the right people are looked after’, even if the so-called ‘right people’ are in Saddam Hussein’s government?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Conroy, for the question. It is based on a completely false premise, of course. This continual approach by—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! There is too much discussion across the chamber while the minister is trying to answer the question. I ask the Senate to come to order.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I was saying was that the ALP and the opposition in this place appears to be persisting in some sort of ‘Get Senator Joyce’ campaign, which is completely—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I was saying before the noise got so loud that I could not be heard was that the ALP appears to be persisting in some sort of ‘Get Senator Joyce’ campaign, but they have framed their questions completely on a false premise. What in fact we know about the AWB wheat contracts is, first of all, that the Australian government was not a party to the AWB contracts. We certainly know that they were administered by the United Nations. We know that there is not a skerrick of evidence to suggest that any government minister was aware of any subsidies in the AWB wheat contracts, and there is certainly no conclusive evidence that any government department or government official was aware.

In any event, as previous answers have stressed, the matter is of course subject to the Cole inquiry. In a moment I will indicate that Justice Cole considers that he has adequate terms of reference to be able to make the findings of fact that need to be made to get to the truth of this matter. That is what the government intend should happen. That is why we have established the Cole commission. I must say that what is very interesting in relation to Senator Conroy’s question is the fact that Senator O’Brien and his colleague Craig Emerson back in 2003 put out a press release to this effect:

In the absence of evidence to support the allegations, Australian wheat growers are entitled to dismiss the claims as an attempt to promote the sale of United States subsidised wheat in the Iraq market.

I must say that that sounds very familiar, and in fact that is what happened.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is far too much noise on my left. I would ask you to come to order.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I was saying was that, while it might be expedient now for the Labor Party to be suggesting that somehow or other this government knew, clearly in the circumstances we have got an inquiry to look at all of the facts and circumstances. This is the most transparent inquiry there has been because the inquiry has all of the documents relating to AWB, it has all of the documents that relate to DFAT or to any government department, and the Cole inquiry has in fact said that they have that. They are entitled to call witnesses. Lest there be any doubt, this is what Mr Cole said last Friday when he looked at the terms of reference to indicate if he was appropriate. He said—and it is a statement by the commissioner:

The terms of reference require and permit me to consider whether any decision, action, conduct, payment or writing of any of the three Australian companies mentioned in the final report—

and he refers to the Volcker inquiry—

might have constituted a breach of any law of the Commonwealth, state or territory—

in fact, that relates to the three companies. But he goes on to say— (Time expired)

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware of an incident reported in the Volcker inquiry in which Saddam’s son Qusay withdrew $1 billion in cash from the Central Bank of Iraq just after the invasion had started, with some of these funds potentially being those obtained through the AWB kickback scandal? Isn’t it likely that this money was used to fund the ongoing insurgency in Iraq? Doesn’t this mean that the AWB’s approach of looking after the right people has increased the risks faced by Australian troops in Iraq?

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I can tell Senator Conroy through you, Mr President, is that the Volcker report found that there was insufficient evidence to make a finding that AWB knew that payments made by AWB et cetera were on account of trucking fees. AWB, obviously, was not found culpable in the Volcker inquiry.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faulkner interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Faulkner, shouting across the chamber is disorderly—you know that. I would ask you to come to order.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When DFAT were interviewed they didn’t tell the truth.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faulkner, are you reflecting on the chair or are you going to come to order?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No.

Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He went on to say:

It necessarily follows that the knowledge of the Commonwealth of any relevant facts is a matter to be addressed by this inquiry and is within the existing terms of reference of the letters patent.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, can you invite the minister to table Senator O’Brien’s press release that she referred to.

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister may do what she likes. I am not in a position to ask her to table any documents, and I will not.