Putting Trade before Lives

Scandal Files has started an in-depth look at aspects of the UN ‘Volcker Report’. The main focus is on the Australian wheat exporter, AWB, and just what is involved in the allegations.
Our background briefs, the long and winding road, are a work in progress, but already show reason why the Australian Government must extend the terms of reference for the inquiry it has launched to investigate this affair.
The conditions set out for the inquiry specifically preclude it from looking at the involvement of ‘government ministers, their advisors or public servants.’ Yet there are clear indications that officers of the department of Trade and Foreign Affairs were complicit to some degree and that Minister for Trade was aware of the allegations in 2002.
Although outside the scope of an Australian inquiry, it is clear that members of the Bush administration were also aware of the allegations at that time.
It seems that, rather than treat this as a scandal potentially undermining war plans by those countries, it was merely seen as a trade war. That perception speaks volumes about the values of the countries involved; obviously dollars are worth more than lives to out leaders.
We will be following this story closely, and updating regularly on Scandal Files.