the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory agency. Commissioner and Counsel The Royal Commissioner was Justice Terence Cole , a former Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The Cole Inquiry was the second Royal Commission where Justice Cole was the sole Commissioner. The 2001–2003 Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry is commonly referred to as the Cole Royal Commission hence to avoid confusion the 2005–06 Royal Commission is commonly referred to as the Cole Inquiry. Cole was supported by John Agius SC, Counsel Assisting and three other barristers, Gregory Nell, Michael Wigney and Miles Condon. The three Australian companies adversely mentioned in the UN report (AWB, Alkaloids of Australia Pty Ltd, and Rhine Ruhr Pty Ltd) were granted leave to be represented by counsel before the Royal Commission Hearings Prior to the public hearings the commission held a series of closed hearings in December 2005 and January 2006. Some witnesses who were examined in the closed hearings also gave evidence in the public hearings. The commission's public hearings commenced on 16 January 2006. During the first six weeks of public hearings evidence led by Agius and cross examination by him of witnesses brought out a series of revelations that showed the conduct of AWB's executives and directors in a very poor light. Apart from interrupting assisting counsel's question to ask witnesses his own probing questions, Cole frequently made reproving comments about the behaviour and evidence of witnesses particularly those in responsible and often highly remunerative positions with AWB and the Wheat Export Authority, who among other things frequently claimed memory loss, inability to locate diaries and notes and notoriously, in the case of former AWB board chairman Trevor Flugge, hearing loss. On 6 February 2006 the inquiry's terms of reference were extended to include the activities of BHP Billiton in relation to the Oil for Food Program. On 16 February 2006 Commissioner Cole invited broadcast media into the inquiry's hearing room to record an invitation to anyone with information about kickbacks or the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal to appear before his inquiry. Cole emphasised that this appeal applied to anyone saying: "I am extending a specific invitation to any Member of Parliament, any member of the media, any public servant, or any member of the public who believes that they have information relevant to this aspect of the inquiry to provide any such information to