GARDNER:
Prime Minister good morning to you, thanks for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Morning Georgie.
GARDNER:
The Cole Commission's call for statements from two of your most senior Minister's brings the wheat scandal right to the Government's front door, it's embarrassing for you isn't it?
PRIME MINISTER:
No it's not embarrassing. I quite expected that this would happen. I've said all along that I would be perfectly happy for Minister's to appear. And what this development proves is that everything the Labor Party has said about the restrictive nature of the commission is completely wrong. Mr Beazley and Mr Rudd have been saying for weeks that the commission has been designed by the Government to shield Minister's from investigation. Well Minister's are providing statements and if as I expect they'll also be called to give evidence in relation to those statements. Now that is not shielding Minister's, that is not rorting the commission, as Mr Rudd has falsely alleged, to protect Ministers-quite the opposite. So this development completely refutes the whole opposition attack on the Government. I've said all along the Government has nothing to hide. I've said all along that if Minister's were called they would attend. I've said all along that the Government would cooperate and what has happened over the past 24 hours completely repudiates everything that the Opposition has said.
GARDNER:
Alright well if indeed they are called, are you confident Mr Downer and Mr Vaile will be cleared of any impropriety?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't believe they've done anything improper but we have a commission to examine all of these matters. I mean we are the only government in the world that has established a transparent inquiry of this nature. We have been completely upfront. What other government's have done in relation to their companies that have broken these sanctions is to refer the investigations to an in house police inquiry, not a public inquiry presided over by an eminent lawyer. We have been totally open and I think the Government has not received enough acknowledgement and credit for the open, candid way in which we have conducted this inquiry.
GARDNER:
Mr Howard if Mr Cole's findings are indeed unfavourable, what will be the consequences. Will you sack those two senior Ministers?
PRIME MINISTER:
Georgie, Georgie, let us wait until we get the results of the inquiry. I am not going to hypothesise about what I might do in relation to findings which have not been made and I have no idea of the content of. So let's just wait. See I'm quite confident that a proper process has been established. Mr Cole is a very qualified lawyer. He's got all the power he needs to get to the bottom of this matter. He's calling Ministers. If they have to give evidence they'll be cross-examined by other people. Now this is a rigorous process. So far from protecting unreasonably Minister's from scrutiny, or the Government scrutiny, it's quite the opposite and just completely blows to smithereens this claim by the Labor Party that in some way this whole things been set up to protect the Government. Now if that were the case Ministers wouldn't be providing statements or potentially being asked to appear.
GARDNER:
Mr Downer was saying very confidently yesterday that indeed someone would be eating humble pie. You obviously don't think it'll be him?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I'm not going to speculate. I have said all along Mr Cole should be allowed to do his job. He's a very good lawyer, he's got all the power he needs, he clearly is calling people who he thinks can shed some light on what happened and let him do his job and let us stop giving daily commentaries. And that observation is made not only of myself but also of the Labor Party. I mean it's very odd. You have an inquiry and yet they give this daily commentary and try and force conclusions down the throats of the public. Now I think the public has worked out that you've got a good lawyer running this inquiry. He clearly doesn't feel constrained about who he calls and let him get on with his job and lets see what he finds.
GARDNER:
Alright. Prime Minister your Office received information about kickback allegations. Why haven't you been asked for a statement for a statement by the commission? And are you prepared to provide one and appear if asked?
PRIME MINISTER:
I subject myself to the same processes as anybody else. Of course if I were asked to provide a statement I would and if I were asked to appear I would. I've said that for weeks. The question of whether people are asked to provide statements or asked to appear is a matter for the commission. It's not for me, or you, or Mr Rudd, or Mr Beazley to tell Mr Cole how to do his job. He's quite capable of doing that himself. He's a very strong, independently minded, highly intelligent capable lawyer. He'll conduct the thing properly and whoever he asks to provide statements should do so, and whoever he asks to appear should also do so.
GARDNER:
Prime Minister John Howard thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]