Mr CREAN (2:09 PM) —My question is to the Prime Minister. Why did the Prime Minister repeatedly tell the parliament that, at the meeting with Mr Honan on 1 August, he did not discuss the import of Brazilian ethanol? Is it not the case that the censored record of the meeting, which has been released specifically, contains a reference to `the payment of a producer credit to ethanol producers to enable Australian ethanol producers to compete with cheaper Brazilian product'? Why does the Prime Minister continue to mislead the parliament and the Australian people about the discussions that he had with Mr Honan? Will the Prime Minister now release in full the documents that were censored in the freedom of information process? Will he also release the 16 documents that he referred to last September?

Mr HOWARD (Prime Minister) —I start my answer by correcting something that the Leader of the Opposition said. What I have claimed and continue to claim is that the denial I gave in answer to questions last September was of a discussion with Mr Honan about the pending shipment of ethanol from Brazil by Tra-figura. Let me remind the opposition lead-er again: that was the context in which the question was asked by the member for Chisholm. I did not discuss the Trafigura shipment with Mr Honan during our meeting on 1 August because neither of us were aware of it. That is why I did not mention that meeting in my parliamentary answers and that is why I do not believe that I have misled the parliament.

The SPEAKER —The Leader of the Opposition has an obligation to hear the Prime Minister in silence.