Nick Minchin (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Link to 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.

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

Mr President, I rise on a point of order. I indicate to Senator Minchin that Senator Faulkner had read the report, had read those sections and was after specific information in terms of the government’s response to those issues. I would ask him to meet his earlier commitment to actually answer the question. I am glad he has now read a section of the report, but I can assure him that Senator Faulkner had also read it. That is why he asked the question.

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

I undertook to find out what further information I could, and I will do that. But I just thought I should put on record the reference in the report to the ONA.