104 Cabinet Sub-Committee on Trade and Employment Conference to Australian Delegation, Geneva

Your I.T.O. 79, 80. [1]

1. Subject to the elimination or adequate modification of Article 24, paragraph (b) [2], you are authorised to proceed in accordance with your conclusions 2 and 3 of I.T.O. 79. Approval is given on the assumption that you will press for adequate exceptions for administrative purposes as foreshadowed in Commonwealth discussions in London.

2. It might be a considerable undertaking to seek out and eliminate all present practices in Australia which contravene Article 15. On the other hand, it is quite reasonable that we should take appropriate action in specific cases which are both within the competence of the Commonwealth Government and the subject of representations by other countries affected. In fact it would be in our interests to be able to raise such matters with other Governments in order to protect Australian exports. We see no reason why we should seek to save existing practices provided there is no onus on us to take the initiative in seeking them out.

Subject to these considerations, therefore, the substance of Article 15 is acceptable.