Appointment of Commissioner for the commission of Inquiry into Manipulation of the Oil-for-Food Programme by the Iraqi Regime (Cth)

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth:

TO the Honourable Terence Rhoderic Hudson Cole AO RFD QC

WHEREAS it is desired to have an inquiry into certain matters relating to decisions or actions of Australian companies mentioned in the Final Report ("Manipulation of the Oil-for-Food Programme by the Iraqi Regime") of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme:

BY these our Letters Patent issued in Our name by Our Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on the advice of the Federal Executive Council and pursuant to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Royal Commissions Act 1902 and other enabling powers, We appoint you to be a Commissioner to inquire into and report on:

(a) whether any decision, action, conduct, payment or writing of any of the three Australian companies mentioned in the Final Report ("Manipulation of the Oil-for-Food Programme by the Iraqi Regime") of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme, or any person associated with one of those companies, might have constituted a breach of any law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory; and

(b) if so, whether the question of criminal or other legal proceedings should be referred to the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory agency.

AND We declare that in these Letters Patent:

A person is associated with a company if the person is:

(a) a member, officer (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001), employee, agent or adviser of, or a contractor to, the company; or

(b) another company that is, in relation to the company, a related body corporate or related entity (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001); or