The Age
Prime Minister faces AWB inquiry
April 13, 2006 - 2:34AM
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Prime Minister John Howard says his appearance at an inquiry into the AWB corruption scandal shows the federal government has an open approach to the Cole commission.
"The appearance by me, earlier this week by the foreign minister and also by the trade minister demonstrates absolutely how open and transparent an accountable the government is being in relation to this matter," Mr Howard told reporters, ahead of his appearance on Thursday morning at the inquiry.
"Australia alone has established a public inquiry with the powers of a royal commission and that includes compelling the production of documents which is crucial in relation to a matter such as this."
Mr Howard refused to take questions on Thursday morning and would not pre-empt his appearance at the commission.
"I don't intend to say anything this morning about what I will say to the commission - that would not be appropriate," Mr Howard said.
"I will later on today be available to talk to the media about aspects of the Cole commission that is appropriate for me to talk about as well as other matters of public affairs.
"Apart from that I have no more to say."
Mr Howard planned to enter the commission hearing through the main entrance to the city building on Market Street where the inquiry is being held.
There was tight security around the building this morning.
Mr Howard's press conference, held at his Commonwealth parliamentary office, was conducted in part so he will be able to walk through the front door of the inquiry without having to stop and speak to journalists.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer used a back entrance to evade waiting media when he appeared before the Cole commission.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile used the front entrance, but had to run the gauntlet of a massive media scrum.
Treasurer Peter Costello says the government will grant any request by the head of the AWB corruption probe to widen the inquiry's terms of reference.
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ABC News Online
AWB boss quits
The managing director of AWB, Andrew Lindberg, has announced his resignation.
The AWB board has released a statement this afternoon saying it accepts the resignation which takes effect from the end of April.
The board also thanks Mr Lindberg for making the decision, saying it believes it is in the company's best interests.
The board has appointed director Peter Polson as acting chief executive officer while the company searches for a replacement.
It has also announced a review of the controls around its wheat export sales.
The Cole inquiry has been investigating around $300 million in kickbacks paid by AWB to the former Iraqi regime.
Today it has heard evidence that AWB did not disclose its true contractual arrangements with the Iraqi Grain Board to the United Nations.
The Federal Opposition says Mr Lindberg's sense of responsibility is not shared by the Government.
"We've seen Mr Lindberg take responsibility and take action in terms of what he's done in the AWB," he said.
"John Howard's standard is the reverse. That is it's everyone else's fault, not the Howard Government."
Cole Inquiry
Meanwhile, a former AWB executive has told the Cole Inquiry the wheat exporter did not fully inform the Department Of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations about its contractual arrangements with the Iraqi Grain Board.
Nigel Officer was the manager of global sales and marketing at AWB until 2000.
He has told the inquiry the wheat exporter did not disclose its true arrangements with the Iraqi Grains Board in 1999.
Mr Officer said it was a collective corporate decision because AWB knew there was doubt about whether the UN would approve the contracts.
In describing AWB's culture at the time, he said grey or uncertain areas were left that way, so the answers he did not like to hear were not heard.
And a law firm is investigating a shareholder class action against AWB.
Since the start of the Cole inquiry the company's share price has fallen by around 33 per cent.
AWB shares today closed at $4.49.
Parliament
In Parliament today, the Federal Government said Labor had failed to deliver any evidence to link ministers to the AWB kickbacks scandal.
Labor has used all its questions this week to put pressure on the Government over AWB.
The Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has insisted the Government should be able to show what happened to the money and at times alleged it could have gone to funding research into Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or terrorists.
"AWB's payments to Alia were paid into an account held at the same bank used by the Iraqi regime to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers," he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says Mr Beazley promised an aggressive attack but has not delivered any substance.
"No evidence has been produced at all to support these extraordinary extremist and hyperbolic assertions."
The Government insists it knew nothing about the AWB kickbacks.
Blame
The Liberal Senator, Bill Heffernan, has blamed the Wheat Export Authority for not keeping a better track of the AWB's activities.
Senator Heffernan chairs a parliamentary committee into rural affairs and has taken a close interest in the Cole inquiry.
Yesterday the Wheat Export Authority corrected evidence it had previously provided to Senator Heffernan's committee and said it had been investigating the allegations of kickbacks in mid 2004.
Senator Heffernan has called the body a toothless tiger.
"We think the Wheat Export Authority, in using my language and I apologise for it, have been a bed of pansies where we need a cage full of gorillas. They haven't been equipped to do the work," he said.
AWB boss quits
The managing director of AWB, Andrew Lindberg, has announced his resignation.
The AWB board has released a statement this afternoon saying it accepts the resignation which takes effect from the end of April.
The board also thanks Mr Lindberg for making the decision, saying it believes it is in the company's best interests.
The board has appointed director Peter Polson as acting chief executive officer while the company searches for a replacement.
It has also announced a review of the controls around its wheat export sales.
The Cole inquiry has been investigating around $300 million in kickbacks paid by AWB to the former Iraqi regime.
Today it has heard evidence that AWB did not disclose its true contractual arrangements with the Iraqi Grain Board to the United Nations.
The Federal Opposition says Mr Lindberg's sense of responsibility is not shared by the Government.
"We've seen Mr Lindberg take responsibility and take action in terms of what he's done in the AWB," he said.
"John Howard's standard is the reverse. That is it's everyone else's fault, not the Howard Government."
Cole Inquiry
Meanwhile, a former AWB executive has told the Cole Inquiry the wheat exporter did not fully inform the Department Of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations about its contractual arrangements with the Iraqi Grain Board.
Nigel Officer was the manager of global sales and marketing at AWB until 2000.
He has told the inquiry the wheat exporter did not disclose its true arrangements with the Iraqi Grains Board in 1999.
Mr Officer said it was a collective corporate decision because AWB knew there was doubt about whether the UN would approve the contracts.
In describing AWB's culture at the time, he said grey or uncertain areas were left that way, so the answers he did not like to hear were not heard.
And a law firm is investigating a shareholder class action against AWB.
Since the start of the Cole inquiry the company's share price has fallen by around 33 per cent.
AWB shares today closed at $4.49.
Parliament
In Parliament today, the Federal Government said Labor had failed to deliver any evidence to link ministers to the AWB kickbacks scandal.
Labor has used all its questions this week to put pressure on the Government over AWB.
The Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has insisted the Government should be able to show what happened to the money and at times alleged it could have gone to funding research into Iraq's weapons of mass destruction or terrorists.
"AWB's payments to Alia were paid into an account held at the same bank used by the Iraqi regime to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers," he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says Mr Beazley promised an aggressive attack but has not delivered any substance.
"No evidence has been produced at all to support these extraordinary extremist and hyperbolic assertions."
The Government insists it knew nothing about the AWB kickbacks.
Blame
The Liberal Senator, Bill Heffernan, has blamed the Wheat Export Authority for not keeping a better track of the AWB's activities.
Senator Heffernan chairs a parliamentary committee into rural affairs and has taken a close interest in the Cole inquiry.
Yesterday the Wheat Export Authority corrected evidence it had previously provided to Senator Heffernan's committee and said it had been investigating the allegations of kickbacks in mid 2004.
Senator Heffernan has called the body a toothless tiger.
"We think the Wheat Export Authority, in using my language and I apologise for it, have been a bed of pansies where we need a cage full of gorillas. They haven't been equipped to do the work," he said.
