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The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:10): A politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public—

The PRESIDENT: I need a question.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Yes, it is. In relation to the response from the Treasurer about a politically exposed person, who is someone entrusted with a prominent public function, will the Treasurer, or the Attorney-General, now have discussions with ICAC?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:10): The honourable member has his version of what that particular phrase means. That is of interest but whether that's the view of AUSTRAC and others who are more intimately involved in this process I guess is the more important issue. The honourable member is aware of issues in relation to ICAC and the acts that govern that and I am sure that he is aware of the quite strict provisions that relate to public discussion about those issues. I'm sure he is mindful of that.

Certainly, I can't add anything further to the fact that the responsible officer in this case, the Commissioner for Consumer and Business Services, has had discussions with AUSTRAC, so I am advised, and has put on hold their review of the current operations pending AUSTRAC completing their investigations. As I said earlier, it is their view—and I think everyone would accept that AUSTRAC is the appropriate body under the legislation to look at allegations of money laundering and related issues, and they also have the expertise and responsibility for undertaking any such investigation of allegations.