Australia's Exports in the December Quarter

Media Release

Australia's trade performance in the December quarter 2007
is analysed in the Autumn 2008 issue of Trade Topics: A
Quarterly Review of Australia's International Trade,
released today by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT).

Key points include:

• The value of exports of goods and services, in seasonally
  adjusted terms, was $54.3 billion in the December quarter
  2007, a 0.3 per cent decrease on the previous
  quarter
  • for the year, exports rose 3.8 per cent to $218
    billion.
• Imports of goods and services rose 3.2 per cent to
  $61.2 billion in the December quarter 2007
  • imports were up 7.0 per cent to $237 billion for the
    year, leading to the third-largest deficit on record for a calendar
    year.
• Australia's terms of trade rose 0.7 per cent in
  the quarter.
• Net exports detracted 1.0 per cent from GDP growth in
  the quarter.

Trade Topics brings together a range of statistical
information produced by Australian government agencies and
international organisations. It includes analysis of the
latest trade developments, designed to keep Australians informed of
market conditions and trends.

The publication includes quarterly and annual data on
Australia's trade in goods and services by commodity, market,
level of processing, and State and Territory as well as selected
macroeconomic, commodity price and investment information. It
contains four articles, including one on Australia's trade
relationship with India and one which examines price rises in a
number of agricultural commodities.

Trade Topics is one of a series of trade publications
published each year by DFAT. Full electronic versions of the
publications are now available free-of-charge on the departmental
website at www.dfat.gov.au/trade.

An option to purchase hard copies of the publications is also
available at the website. For further information, contact
(02) 6261 3114, fax (02) 62613321 or email statssection@dfat.gov.au.