The Editor,

The Australian.                                                                               January 31, 2006. 

James Judd, AWB legal counsel, contends that winesses to the “wheatgate” inquiry have been victims of “procedural unfairness” (‘Inquiry may urge criminal charges’, Australian, January 31). 

Surely any sense of ridicule experienced by witnesses is more a function of their embarrassing answers to inquiry questions, rather than the questions themselves?

From the ABC

Mr Long says Alia trucking effectively moved 300 million tonnes of wheat from the port of Umm Qasr to 18 government areas in Iraq.
Alia has been named in a United Nations inquiry as the company used as the conduit to get money to the former Iraqi regime in breach of sanctions.
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From the Gus Channel
300 million tonnes! That's a lot of bloody wheat! that's about 15 tonnes of wheat per capita above age four...

So. Did Mr Long said that or was it badly reported?
The total production of wheat per annum in Australia is 25 million tonnes at full bore... 300 million ttonnes represent about 15 good and bad years of production...

Someone needs to go and wash their mouth with soap...