The Prime Minister John Howard has defended his foreign minister for withholding confidential cables from the United Nations investigation into payments made by the Australian Wheat Board to the former Iraqi regime.
The federal opposition claims Mr Howard lied to parliament when he declared his government had fully cooperated with the U-N's Volker Inquiry.
It has been revealed that Alexander Downer initially refused to hand over confidential cables or grant access to the U-N to interview Australian officials.
During an interview on Sydney Commercial Radio, Mr Howard, said the foreign minister acted appropriately.
"You have to see that in the context of Downer's legitimate concerns about making available foreign intelligence. And that was a reasonable concern. And bear in mind -and these remarks are not directed at Mr Volker in any way, I have great regard for him- but bear in mind that the United Nations itself, in a lot of its agencies, was up to this thing to its ears."