Tag Archives | Australia

Oil Search Ltd Suspends Operations in Kurdistan

By John Lee. The Australian-based company Oil Search Limited has reportedly suspended its activities in Iraqi Kurdistan due to an armed attack on the company’s work base in the Nawjul District in Kfri. According to the report from AKnews, the Director of the district, Wahab Ahmed, confirmed the incident and denied that it was linked […]

400 Australian Scholarships for Iraqis

The Iraqi Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister, Ali Al Adeeb, has confirmed its agreement with Australia to grant 400 masters and Ph.D scholarships for Iraqi students in majors such as medicine, engineering, science and agriculture, according to a report from Alsumaria TV. On Friday he met with the Education Minister of Victoria state, an […]

AWB CFO Admits to Iraq Payments

The former CFO of Australia's AWB has admitted to authorising payments to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi government. According to a report in the Herald Sun, Paul John Ingleby, aged 60, admitted he failed to "join the dots" and question payments disguised as inland transport fees before approving the transactions which ultimately went to Hussein's regime. The […]

Ex-AWB boss Admits to Iraq Bribe Breaches

After almost 10 years, the former chief executive of Australia's AWB Ltd has admitted to four breaches of the law relating bribes paid to Saddam Hussein's government between 2001 and 2005 to secure wheat sales. According to the report in The Australian, Andrew Lindberg's four admissions relate to his having failed to tell the AWB […]

Australia to Invest $2.5 billion in Iraqi Agriculture

Australia will make an initial investment of $2.5 billion in Iraq's agriculture sector, according to a report from AKnews. Lyndall Sachs (pictured), Australia's Ambassador to Iraq, made the statement during a joint press conference with Wasit Governor, Mahdi al-Zubaidi. The government will start with soil reclamation projects in Wasit, Dhi Qar, and Diwaniya provinces, and […]

Iraq Buys Wheat and Rice

Reuters reports that Iraq has bought 300,000 metric tons of wheat and 150,000 tons of rice According to Hassan Ibrahim, Director General of the Iraqi Grain Board, the rice was all from Thailand, while the wheat was: 150,000 tons from Australia; 100,000 tons from Canada; and, 50,000 tons from Kazakhstan. (Source: Reuters)  

Iraq to Pay 1980s Wheat Debt over 17 Years

Payment for wheat exports to Iraq in the late 1980s will finally be distributed to growers in Australia, according to a report from Weekly Times Now. Grain growers will share in about $48m in repayment of debt owed by Iraq relating to three wheat pools run by the former Australian Wheat Board, and affecting 52,000 […]

Australia Supports Taking Iraq Out of Chapter VII

The Australian ambassador to Baghdad, Lyndall Sachs (pictured), said her country supports the lifting of United Nation's Chapter VII sanctions on Iraq, a decision on which is expected to be made by the UN Security Council in June. Sachs said: "My country has good relations with Iraq, in particular [because] it received the largest Iraqi communities […]

Leighton Alerts Police to Possible Bribery in Iraq

Leighton Holdings Limited (Leighton) has announced that it has reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) a possible breach of its Code of Ethics that, if substantiated, may contravene Australian laws. The possible breach related to payments that may have been made by Leighton’s subsidiary company, Leighton Offshore Pte. Limited, in connection with work to […]

Leighton Engineering Awarded $10m Iraq Contract

Leighton Offshore officially launched its new engineering business in Malaysia. DPS Leighton Engineering Sdn Bhd (LE), a fully owned PMC subsidiary of Leighton Offshore, provides engineering and PMC solutions for Leighton's international EPCIC and LOFS business. Leighton's detailed engineering and PMC arm has grown from the former oil and gas engineering consulting business of DPS […]

Australian Company Sues US Contractor on Iraq Deal

Morris Corporation, owned by Brisbane-based Robert McVicker, is suing one of the biggest US military contractors, Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), for millions of dollars following the abrupt termination of an Iraq deal in mid-2003. According to the report from the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian company that provides mass catering for US troops and […]

Australia Plans Consulate in Basra

Australia is planning to open a consulate in the oil-rich province of Basra in order to boost Australian-Iraqi business relations in the area, according to a report from AKnews. Australia's Ambassador to Iraq, Lyndall Sachs (pictured), is currently visiting Basra to examine the possibilities for a consulate, as well as for an airline connection. "This […]