Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith has accidentally tabled secret details of Government plans to export more uranium to China.

The confidential list of Australia's treaty negotiations with other countries includes details of negotiations between Australia and China about boosting exports of uranium from BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.

It also lists the current status of negotiations between Australia and Indonesia on a new defence treaty.

"Indonesia has provided a first draft of the proposed agreement and Australia is currently preparing a counter-draft document," says the document.

The document states the contents are potentially sensitive to Australia's relationship with other countries and should not be made public.

It was tabled with Mr Smith's authority in both houses of federal Parliament on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Mr Smith says the document was tabled in error. The Government says it is contacting countries affected by the accidental release.

BHP Billiton plans

The document says DFAT officials attended talks in Beijing in January this year, on BHP Billiton's proposal to send uranium-infused copper concentrate to China from its Olympic Dam mine.

"The nuclear transfer agreement is focussed primarily on supply of uranium in uranium ore concentrates," it says.

"Annex D of the nuclear transfer agreement allows for extraction of uranium from other ores and concentrates (e.g. copper concentrates), but only for non-nuclear purposes."

The document says Australia's nuclear transfer agreement with China would have to be amended to make sure the uranium is properly accounted for.

"An amendment or supplementary agreement is required to ensure Australian uranium is satisfactorily accounted for during the extraction process, and that any uranium extracted becomes nuclear material subject to the provisions of the nuclear transfer agreement," it says.

BHP Billiton has been pushing for more uranium exports to China as part of its plan to expand the Olympic Dam mine.

Over 11 years, the company wants to take Australia's biggest underground mine and make it one of the world's biggest open pit mines.

It says production of copper, gold and uranium will rise six-fold.

Earlier this month the company released the long-awaited draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the mine.

After a public consultation period, the plans then go to the Northern Territory and South Australian governments for approval.

While the final say on the company's expansion plans will rest with federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson is on record as saying he has no concerns about China expanding its use of uranium for nuclear power generation.

"We will continue to export as much of our commodities we can, including uranium, to countries who are interested in purchasing our commodities," he said last month.

"But obviously with respect to the issue of uranium, there are very clear demands from the Government... which guarantees the safe use of Australian uranium."