One of the most telling lines in the AWB story is quoted by The Age today. The unnamed wheat exec goes on to say that if he is charged he will call Minister Downer as a witness, at which point "My QC will rip him to shreds.

On the same day as Commissioner Cole handed down his findings, another muddy inquiry became clearer, as the Australian ran a leak that the verdict into the death of Private Jake Kovco would be that the soldier had killed himself with his own firearm... just like the minister and the MP's said.

For those who don't know the story of Breaker Morant, it's of an Australian army captain who was executed for murdering a prisoner of war, according to many because of political expediency in maintaining the co-operation of Germany. And the two inquiry cases both deserve some comparision.

In the Kovco case, Defence Minister Nelson ran to the media to tell them the wound was self-inflicted while MP's drafted "fiil-in-the-gap" statements and coerced witnesses to agree with the Minister's version.

In the AWB case the inquiry heard of repeated advice being given to ministers which they claim to have never received or cannot recall.

While Kovco's mother states that there is greater evidence that another weapon was involved in her son's death and calls for a coronial inquiry, she knows that this would include the failure of MP's to hand over or even tell them of a second gun found in the room at the time.

The AWB execs, not confined by the Cole Commission's terms of reference, will no doubt be keen to have Downer under oath again to restate his claimed innocence.

The Howard Cabinet's scapegoats have been far from silenced.

Dedicated to Captain Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant of the 2nd South Australian Light Horse Regiment.