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INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL RECREATION GOODS

International trade statistics are compiled from information supplied to Customs by exporters and importers or their agents. There are 3 million export transactions and 13 million import transactions recorded each year, many of which are small value records. Due to the large volume of transactions involved and the limited resources available to undertake checks, ABS editing resources are mostly focussed on editing large value records. The majority of data about international trade in sport and physical recreation goods relate to small value records, which are 'as reported to Customs'. More information about the quality of international trade data are included in the ABS (2008c) publication Information Paper: International Trade - Ensuring Data Quality, 2008 (cat. no. 5498.0.55.001).

There are some sport and physical recreation goods for which trade data are not separately available, primarily because they are parts of larger product categories predominantly out of scope of the ACLC Product Classification. Two examples that illustrate this are:

1. Various items of sports apparel are not separately identified in trade statistics, but are instead included in parts of more general categories of clothing.

2. Automatic bowling alley equipment, for the purposes of international trade, is part of the category other articles for funfair, table or parlour games. This category is predominantly in scope of the other leisure goods part of the ACLC Product Classification and hence is excluded from data concerning international trade in sport and physical recreation goods.

Australia's trade in selected sport and physical recreation goods is in deficit. Imports of these goods during 2012–13 were valued at $2.1 billion. This is almost six times the $358.5 million in sport and physical recreation goods which were exported during that year.