Vic: Wooldridge again denies AIDS vaccine leak

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2001
Vic: Wooldridge again denies AIDS vaccine leak

MELBOURNE, April 9 AAP - Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge has again denied
any role in the leaking of a $27-million grant to an Australian consortium, and challenged
Labor to "put up or shut up" over the issue.

"I think it ran its course last week," Dr Wooldridge said. "The Labor Party has to
put up or shut up.

"The share price went down for the entire week after I made my comments, not up.

"It was a thing to which there were many, many parties in the negotiation, which I wasn't one."

Accusations revolve around the fact that a consortium of Australian companies had won
a $27-million grant from the United States National Institute of Health (NIH) in June
last year to develop an AIDS vaccine.

In the weeks leading up to the official announcement of the grant on June 28 last year,
the share prices of two companies in the consortium soared.

Opposition health spokeswoman Jenny Macklin last week called for a full inquiry into
the issue by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

She also asked if the minister had discussed the consortium or the grant at a dinner
on June 8, 2000.

"What did you say at that dinner about the Australian AIDS vaccine consortium and funding
from the US NIH?" she asked.

"Are you aware that the following morning Virax made inquiries of the chair of the
management committee of the AIDS vaccine consortium to ask what the minister had said
the previous night?"

Ms Macklin said Dr Wooldridge's speech at the dinner was also discussed at two meetings
of AIDS advisory bodies in June.

Dr Wooldridge today repeated that he did not mention the AIDS consortium at the dinner
because he did not know about it at the time.

AAP db/gfr/mg/br

KEYWORD: AIDS WOOLDRIDGE

2001 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.