Senator COOK (2:16 PM) —My question is to Senator Hill, the Minister for Defence. Can the minister provide an update on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in which 16 Australian personnel are participating? In May this year there was talk that 700 sites remained to be searched. Have all of these sites now been checked? If not, how many remain unsearched? Can the minister confirm that, since the war was declared over 131 days ago, no significant evidence of weapons of mass destruction has been found? What does the minister regard as a reasonable time frame within which weapons will be found and beyond which the search will be stopped? How long will Australian personnel remain in Iraq searching for weapons of mass destruction?

Senator HILL (Minister for Defence) —It is true that the so-called smoking gun has not been found, but a great deal of evidence of Iraq's weapons program has been found. The case is building, not so much as a result of the exploitation of sites, which was the previous way in which it was done, but rather through the interrogation of individuals who have either been captured or come forward. The emphasis in the further exploration has moved to the exploitation of that evidence rather than concentrating on the search. We know how easy it is to dispose of evidence, but what they cannot dispose of is the knowledge of individuals who are in the program—the scientists and others.

It is true that it is taking some time to put the picture together—there is no doubt about that; there is no secret in that. I think the survey group has over 1,000 specialists engaged in the task. I understand that the first report of that survey group is due in the next month or so, and I am expecting that a public statement will be made at that time on the state of the evidence as it is then known. So it is proving to be a difficult task, but the pieces of the jigsaw are gradually being put together. I am confident that the evidence as finally exposed will indicate that Saddam Hussein certainly has had weapons of mass destruction and certainly desired to further exploit that capability in the future.

Senator COOK —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Does the minister recall saying in this chamber in May this year, `We are starting to uncover the evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq'? Will the minister now undertake to provide the Senate with a full statement on the evidence discovered of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq since the end of the conflict? In his answer just now, he appears to be saying that no sites are being checked from now on. How many sites on the original list of 700 sites will not now be checked?

Senator HILL (Minister for Defence) —No, I did not say that no sites had been exploited. What I said was that there is a switch in emphasis. The emphasis now is more on interviews of key scientists and personnel involved in, or with knowledge of, the WMD programs and, similarly, the careful forensic investigation of documents and records. This is a time consuming task. As I said, the Iraqi survey group is preparing an interim report that is expected to be finalised, according to this briefing note, in about mid-September. I hope that something more authoritative may be available on the subject in the reasonably near future.