Senator VANSTONE (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation) (3:30 PM) —by leave—This statement is on behalf of the Hon. Mark Vaile, the Minister for Trade. The order arises from a motion moved by Senator Nettle, as agreed by the Senate on 9 October 2003. It relates to the proposed free trade agreement with the United States and the regulation of labelling of genetically modified goods in Australia and/or the United States. I table a number of documents relevant to the order. Where this includes correspondence between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and private individuals, the names have been removed for reasons of privacy. With respect to a number of other documents relevant to the order, I wish to inform the Senate that the government considers it would not be in the public interest to disclose them on the grounds that they relate to an ongoing negotiation between Australia and the United States and to release them would damage international relations. The government has also decided not to release a number of other documents which were prepared for deliberative processes involved in the functions of government, on the grounds that disclosure would be contrary to the public interest.