1. Australia‘s inquiry, to be chaired by Terrence Cole, a former NSW Supreme Court judge of appeal, will begin soon and is due to report by March 31 2006.

2. Australia‘s inquiry, to be chaired by Terrence Cole, a former New South Wales Supreme Court judge of appeal, will begin soon and is due to report by March 31 2006.

3. RELATED Iraq wheat scam: Ministers called FACT BOX . The Howard government set up what is known as the Cole inquiry in November 2005 to investigate possible breaches of Australian law, in response to the findings of the Volcker report on the U.N. oil–for–food program. . The inquiry is headed by Terence Cole, a former Judge of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court. . The three companies under investigation are Australia‘s monopoly wheat exporter AWB; Kingaroy company Alkaloids of Australia; and Melbourne manufacturer Rhine Ruhr. . The AWB was controlled by the Australian government up until its privatization and listing on the stock exchange in July 1'''. . The Cole inquiry is looking into the alleged payment by AWB of about $220 million in kickbacks to Saddam‘s regime, at a time strict U.N. sanctions were in place, to secure about $1.725 billion in wheat contracts.

4. RELATED Envoy ‘lobbied to end wheat probe‘ Howard rejects link to wheat scam Oil inquiry hears of wheat deal AWB ‘knew about Iraq kickbacks‘ FACT BOX . The Howard government set up what is known as the Cole inquiry in November 2005 to investigate possible breaches of Australian law, in response to the findings of the Volcker report on the U.N. oil–for–food program. . The inquiry is headed by Terence Cole, a former Judge of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court. . The three companies under investigation are Australia‘s monopoly wheat exporter AWB; Kingaroy company Alkaloids of Australia; and Melbourne manufacturer Rhine Ruhr. . The AWB was controlled by the Australian government up until its privatization and listing on the stock exchange in July 1'''. . The Cole inquiry is looking into the alleged payment by AWB of about $220 million in kickbacks to Saddam‘s regime, at a time strict U.N. sanctions were in place, to secure about $1.725 billion in wheat contracts.

5. RELATED Gallery: Oil–for–food program explained THE COLE INQUIRY . The Howard government set up what is known as the Cole inquiry in November 2005 to investigate possible breaches of Australian law, in response to the findings of the Volcker report on the U.N. oil–for–food program. . The inquiry is headed by Terence Cole, a former Judge of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court. . The three companies under investigation are Australia‘s monopoly wheat exporter AWB; Kingaroy company Alkaloids of Australia; and Melbourne manufacturer Rhine Ruhr. . The AWB was controlled by the Australian government up until its privatization and listing on the stock exchange in July 1'''. . The Cole inquiry is looking into the alleged payment by AWB of about $220 million in kickbacks to Saddam‘s regime, at a time strict U.N. sanctions were in place, to secure about $1.725 billion in wheat contracts.