Senator CONROY (2:20 PM) —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?

Senator COONAN (Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) —Thank you, Senator Conroy, for the question. It is based on a completely false premise, of course. This continual approach by—

Honourable senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —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.

Senator COONAN —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 interjecting—

The PRESIDENT —Order!

Senator COONAN —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:

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

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Senator COONAN —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:

and he refers to the Volcker inquiry—

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

Senator CONROY —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?

Senator COONAN (Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) —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.

Senator Faulkner interjecting—

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

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

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

Senator Faulkner —No.

Senator COONAN —He went on to say:

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

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