5439.0 - International Merchandise Imports, Australia, Apr 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 18/05/2011   
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APRIL KEY FIGURES

February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
$m
$m
$m

Food and live animals
687
740
684
Beverages and tobacco
101
142
144
Crude materials, inedible, except fuels
152
250
187
Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials
2 811
3 435
3 355
Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes
47
39
47
Chemicals and related products, nes
1 806
2 279
2 017
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material
1 935
1 830
1 778
Machinery and transport equipment
5 783
6 934
5 983
Miscellaneous manufactured articles
2 169
2 135
2 095
Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere in the SITC
1 107
735
1 133
TOTAL
16 599
18 518
17 423





APRIL KEY POINTS


ORIGINAL ESTIMATES
  • In original terms, the April 2011 merchandise imports were $17,423m, a decrease of $1,095m (6%) on the revised March 2011 merchandise imports of $18,518m.


PRELIMINARY BALANCE OF PAYMENTS GOODS IMPORTS
  • Preliminary analysis shows that goods debits (imports) on a balance of payments basis in original terms decreased $1,143m (6%) between March and April 2011. In seasonally adjusted terms goods debits increased $175m (1%) from $18,557m in March 2011 to $18,732m in April 2011. Capital goods rose $489m (12%) with the civil aircraft and other confidentialised items component up $432m. Consumption goods fell $159m (3%) with the non-industrial transport equipment component down $426m (31%), intermediate and other merchandise goods fell $123m (1%) and non-monetary gold fell $32m (8%).
  • The March quarter 2011 issue of Balance of Payments and International Investment Position, Australia (cat. no. 5302.0) and the April 2011 issue of International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia (cat. no. 5368.0) will include goods debits estimates that have been revised since the March 2011 issue of International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia (cat. no. 5368.0) which was released on 10 May 2011. The level of capital goods n.e.s. for goods debits will be increased by approximately $500m in both the December 2010 and March 2011 quarters in original terms. These revisions reflect information recently obtained.
    Preliminary analysis shows that, in seasonally adjusted terms, the revised goods imports volumes remains stable at 0.8% and the implicit price deflator also remains stable at 0.9% during the March quarter 2011.

IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS

Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami
  • The earthquake and tsunami events in Japan occurred on 11 March 2011 but the specific impact of these events on these estimates cannot be quantified. Between March and April 2011 merchandise imports from Japan fell $711m (48%) in original terms, primarily driven by a large fall in the non-industrial transport equipment component, down $494m (81%).
NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE Release Date
May 2011 21 June 2011
June 2011 19 July 2011
July 2011 18 August 2011
August 2011 19 September 2011
September 2011 19 October 2011
October 2011 17 November 2011



INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Olivia Lam on Canberra (02) 6252 7406.