Federal Government backbenchers are calling for Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran to be replaced over his handling of the AWB wheat scandal and Australia's wheat export system.
Acting Chairman of the 30-strong Coalition Backbench Agriculture Committee, Alby Schultz, says the minister has lost the support of many rural MPs and believes there are other people better suited to the job.
He has stopped short of publicly endorsing the push to move Mr McGauran, but says the Prime Minister is aware of backbench concerns that the minister out of touch.
"The Prime Minister is making some changes at the moment, he's got to look at some of the performance of some of his ministers and certainly he's got to understand that when the backbenchers raise issues of concern about ministers to him they raise it in an environment where they have legitimate cause to express their concerns about the attitude of some of the ministers and the Primary Minister needs to look at that and act on it," he said
But Peter McGauran says he still retains the support of the majority of Coalition parliamentarians and the Prime Minister.
He says while he is aware of the growing debate with his own party about AWB and the single desk, he is not concerned about any push to unseat him.
"No, not coming from Alby Shultz, there's never been a National Party Agriculture Minister he hasn't criticised and I don't believe he speaks on behalf of the committee, nor I would think very many if any of his colleagues," he said.
Inquiry
Meanwhile embattled wheat exporter AWB has a 24-hour reprieve, while another company involved in the Iraq oil-for-food scandal appears before the Cole Inquiry.
Rhine Rhur is alleged to have paid kickbacks to Saddam's Hussein regime through the sale of pipes worth $250,000.
But it is not over yet for AWB's managing director, Andrew Lindberg.
On Friday, Commissioner Cole adjourned the testimony of Mr Lindberg to a date to be fixed.
The adjournment came after it was revealed AWB paid an agent in Pakistan $US4 million as commission on the sale of 1 million tonnes of Australian wheat to the Pakistani Government.
The inquiry also heard AWB had approached ex-employees who might be called to give evidence, offering to pay their legal costs if they signed a deed of release.
But the deed required them to repay the money if the commission makes any findings against them.
AWB executives, Peter Geary and Michael Long, are scheduled to give evidence tomorrow.
ABC Online
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