Wheat scandal spreads

A fifth Australian Government department has been drawn into the Australian Wheat Board kickbacks scandal, with Defence Minister Brendan Nelson confirming he passed documents to the Cole inquiry.

He declined to comment on reports that a defence official warned the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that the board could be involved in kickbacks to Saddam's regime. The departments of defence, agriculture and foreign affairs and trade, and the tax office, have now been drawn into the scandal.