The Wire

The future monopoly of the Australian Wheat Board over the country’s wheat exports is now under review, following the results of the Cole Inquiry – where it was found AWB had paid three hundred million dollars in bribes to the Saddam Hussein regime as part of the oil for food campaign. The Australian Government has handed veto power over to the Minister for Agriculture Peter McGauran and American farmers are calling for the single desk to be abolished. President of the National Farmers Federation David Crombie says what Australian farmers were thinking about the Government controlling their access to the wheat market.