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International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia

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Provides estimates for 15 months of the major aggregates for, and the balance on, international trade in goods and services

Reference period

December 2019

Released

6/02/2020

View all releases

Key statistics

Goods and services credits rose 1% to $41,293m.
In trend terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $4799m.
In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services credits rose 1%.
In original terms, the balance on goods and services increased $44.7b.

Main features

December key points

Balance on goods and services

In trend terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $4,799m in December 2019, a decrease of $364m on the surplus in November 2019.
In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $5,223m in December 2019, a decrease of $295m on the surplus in November 2019.

Credits (exports of goods and services)

In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services credits rose $557m (1%) to $41,293m. Non-rural goods rose $289m (1%), non-monetary gold rose $266m (14%), rural goods rose $63m (2%) and net exports of goods under merchanting rose $1m (20%). Services credits fell $62m (1%).

Debits (imports of goods and services)

In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services debits rose $853m (2%) to $36,070m. Capital goods rose $376m (6%), consumption goods rose $309m (4%) and intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $64m (1%). Non-monetary gold fell $102m (21%). Services debits rose $205m (2%).

2019 situation

In original terms, the balance on goods and services for 2019 was a surplus of $67.6b, an increase of $44.7b on the surplus of $23.0b recorded in 2018, resulting from a $54.7b (12%) increase in goods and services credits and a $10.0b (2%) increase in goods and services debits.

Key figures

	Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Nov 19 to Dec 19
	$m	$m	$m	% change
BALANCE ON GOODS AND SERVICES
Trend estimates	5 572	5 163	4 799	-7
Seasonally adjusted	3 965	5 518	5 223	-5
CREDITS (Exports of goods & services)
Trend estimates	41 232	40 931	40 701	-1
Seasonally adjusted	40 207	40 736	41 293	1
DEBITS (Imports of goods & services)
Trend estimates	35 660	35 768	35 902	-
Seasonally adjusted	36 242	35 217	36 070	2

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Balance on goods and services ($m)
	Trend estimates ($m)	Seasonally adjusted ($m)
Sep 2018	2,312	2,749
Oct 2018	2,706	2,599
Nov 2018	3,231	2,542
Dec 2018	3,820	4,060
Jan 2019	4,434	4,847
Feb 2019	5,057	5,126
Mar 2019	5,665	4,726
Apr 2019	6,239	4,626
May 2019	6,664	5,976
Jun 2019	6,866	8,110
Jul 2019	6,800	7,541
Aug 2019	6,493	6,293
Sep 2019	6,046	5,793
Oct 2019	5,572	3,965
Nov 2019	5,163	5,518
Dec 2019	4,799	5,223

Balance on goods and services ($m)

["","Trend estimates","Seasonally adjusted"]

[["Sep 2018","Oct 2018","Nov 2018","Dec 2018","Jan 2019","Feb 2019","Mar 2019","Apr 2019","May 2019","Jun 2019","Jul 2019","Aug 2019","Sep 2019","Oct 2019","Nov 2019","Dec 2019"],[[2312],[2706],[3231],[3820],[4434],[5057],[5665],[6239],[6664],[6866],[6800],[6493],[6046],[5572],[5163],[4799]],[[2749],[2599],[2542],[4060],[4847],[5126],[4726],[4626],[5976],[8110],[7541],[6293],[5793],[3965],[5518],[5223]]]

[]

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Bushfires in December

Quality assurance undertaken by the ABS confirmed that the bushfires did not result in any impacts to International Trade in Goods and Services statistics for December 2019. The ABS will continue to undertake additional quality assurance in January and the coming months.

Analysis and comments

Balance on goods and services

In trend terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $4,799m in December 2019, a decrease of $364m on the surplus in November 2019.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a surplus of $5,223m in December 2019, a decrease of $295m on the surplus in November 2019.

The sum of seasonally adjusted balances for the three months to December 2019 was a surplus of $14,706m, a decrease of $4,921m on the surplus of $19,627m for the three months to September 2019. However, if seasonal factors used in compiling the quarterly balance of payments are applied, the preliminary December quarter 2019 surplus was $14,469m, a decrease of $4,962m on the September quarter 2019 surplus of $19,431m.

Goods and services summary(a), seasonally adjusted and trend

				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Change in:
				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019
				$m	$m	$m	$m	%
Seasonally Adjusted
BALANCE on goods and services				3 965	5 518	5 223	-295	-5
Credits
	Total goods and services			40 207	40 736	41 293	557	1
		Total goods		31 597	32 039	32 658	619	2
			Rural goods(b)	4 068	4 022	4 085	63	2
			Non-rural goods(b)	25 499	26 110	26 399	289	1
			Net exports of goods under merchanting(c)	5	5	6	1	20
			Non-monetary gold(c)	2 025	1 902	2 168	266	14
		Total services		8 610	8 697	8 635	-62	-1
Debits
	Total goods and services			-36 242	-35 217	-36 070	853	2
		Total goods		-27 557	-26 620	-27 267	647	2
			Consumption goods	-9 246	-8 629	-8 938	309	4
			Capital goods	-6 640	-6 306	-6 682	376	6
			Intermediate and other merchandise goods	-11 203	-11 205	-11 269	64	1
			Non-monetary gold(c)	-469	-480	-378	-102	-21
		Total services		-8 685	-8 598	-8 803	205	2
Trend(d)
BALANCE on goods and services				5 572	5 163	4 799	-364	-7
Credits
	Total goods and services			41 232	40 931	40 701	-230	-1
		Total goods		32 594	32 271	32 028	-243	-1
			Rural goods(b)	3 961	4 026	4 087	61	2
			Non-rural goods(b)	26 383	26 054	25 819	-235	-1
			Net exports of goods under merchanting	9	8	6	-2	-25
			Non-monetary gold	2 241	2 184	2 116	-68	-3
		Total services		8 638	8 660	8 673	13	-
Debits
	Total goods and services			-35 660	-35 768	-35 902	134	-
		Total goods		-26 937	-27 043	-27 172	129	-
			Consumption goods	-8 894	-8 919	-8 941	22	-
			Capital goods	-6 380	-6 454	-6 556	102	2
			Intermediate and other merchandise goods	-11 032	-11 133	-11 233	100	1
			Non-monetary gold	-631	-537	-442	-95	-18
		Total services		-8 723	-8 725	-8 730	5	-

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
a. For sign conventions, see paragraph 15 of the Explanatory Notes.
b. For all time periods, estimates for sugar, sugar preparations and honey are included in Non-rural goods.
c. This component is not seasonally adjusted.
d. Caution should be used when interpreting recent trend estimates as they may be affected by unusual economic factors. For more details on trend estimates, see paragraph 19 of the Explanatory Notes.

Exports of goods and services

Between November and December 2019, the trend estimate of goods and services credits fell $230m (1%) to $40,701m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services credits rose $557m (1%) to $41,293m. Non-rural goods rose $289m (1%), non-monetary gold rose $266m (14%), rural goods rose $63m (2%) and net exports of goods under merchanting rose $1m (20%). Services credits fell $62m (1%).

Exports of goods

Goods credits ($m)
	Trend estimates ($m)	Seasonally adjusted ($m)
Dec 2015	19,907	19,319
Jan 2016	19,649	19,197
Feb 2016	19,594	19,486
Mar 2016	19,709	20,174
Apr 2016	19,912	20,114
May 2016	20,076	20,328
Jun 2016	20,194	19,905
Jul 2016	20,488	20,680
Aug 2016	21,157	20,870
Sep 2016	22,220	21,763
Oct 2016	23,545	22,319
Nov 2016	24,857	25,218
Dec 2016	25,890	28,038
Jan 2017	26,469	25,923
Feb 2017	26,565	26,206
Mar 2017	26,264	26,532
Apr 2017	25,792	23,545
May 2017	25,363	25,532
Jun 2017	25,070	25,103
Jul 2017	24,848	24,607
Aug 2017	24,688	24,602
Sep 2017	24,703	25,226
Oct 2017	24,945	24,700
Nov 2017	25,376	24,801
Dec 2017	25,921	25,626
Jan 2018	26,479	27,052
Feb 2018	26,986	27,580
Mar 2018	27,416	27,615
Apr 2018	27,769	26,912
May 2018	28,086	27,993
Jun 2018	28,477	28,839
Jul 2018	28,923	28,843
Aug 2018	29,363	29,387
Sep 2018	29,734	29,755
Oct 2018	30,097	30,331
Nov 2018	30,496	30,737
Dec 2018	30,954	30,109
Jan 2019	31,436	32,038
Feb 2019	31,960	32,057
Mar 2019	32,509	31,188
Apr 2019	33,045	31,819
May 2019	33,465	33,395
Jun 2019	33,658	34,045
Jul 2019	33,592	34,518
Aug 2019	33,341	33,055
Sep 2019	32,972	33,311
Oct 2019	32,594	31,597
Nov 2019	32,271	32,039
Dec 2019	32,028	32,658

Goods credits ($m)

["","Trend estimates","Seasonally adjusted"]

[["Dec 2015","Jan 2016","Feb 2016","Mar 2016","Apr 2016","May 2016","Jun 2016","Jul 2016","Aug 2016","Sep 2016","Oct 2016","Nov 2016","Dec 2016","Jan 2017","Feb 2017","Mar 2017","Apr 2017","May 2017","Jun 2017","Jul 2017","Aug 2017","Sep 2017","Oct 2017","Nov 2017","Dec 2017","Jan 2018","Feb 2018","Mar 2018","Apr 2018","May 2018","Jun 2018","Jul 2018","Aug 2018","Sep 2018","Oct 2018","Nov 2018","Dec 2018","Jan 2019","Feb 2019","Mar 2019","Apr 2019","May 2019","Jun 2019","Jul 2019","Aug 2019","Sep 2019","Oct 2019","Nov 2019","Dec 2019"],[[19907],[19649],[19594],[19709],[19912],[20076],[20194],[20488],[21157],[22220],[23545],[24857],[25890],[26469],[26565],[26264],[25792],[25363],[25070],[24848],[24688],[24703],[24945],[25376],[25921],[26479],[26986],[27416],[27769],[28086],[28477],[28923],[29363],[29734],[30097],[30496],[30954],[31436],[31960],[32509],[33045],[33465],[33658],[33592],[33341],[32972],[32594],[32271],[32028]],[[19319],[19197],[19486],[20174],[20114],[20328],[19905],[20680],[20870],[21763],[22319],[25218],[28038],[25923],[26206],[26532],[23545],[25532],[25103],[24607],[24602],[25226],[24700],[24801],[25626],[27052],[27580],[27615],[26912],[27993],[28839],[28843],[29387],[29755],[30331],[30737],[30109],[32038],[32057],[31188],[31819],[33395],[34045],[34518],[33055],[33311],[31597],[32039],[32658]]]

[]

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Goods credits, seasonally adjusted

				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Change in:
				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019
				$m	$m	$m	$m	%
Total goods credits				31 597	32 039	32 658	619	2
	General merchandise			29 567	30 132	30 484	352	1
		Rural goods		4 068	4 022	4 085	63	2
			Meat and meat preparations	1 486	1 550	1 556	6	-
			Cereal grains and cereal preparations	538	514	478	-36	-7
			Wool and sheepskins	239	249	234	-15	-6
			Other rural(a)	1 805	1 709	1 816	107	6
		Non-rural goods		25 499	26 110	26 399	289	1
			Metal ores and minerals(b)	10 129	10 596	10 944	348	3
			Coal, coke and briquettes(c)	4 671	4 538	4 534	-4	-
			Other mineral fuels(b)(d)	5 016	5 209	5 346	137	3
			Metals (excl. non-monetary gold)	993	1 100	1 031	-69	-6
			Machinery	1 103	1 085	991	-94	-9
			Transport equipment	446	452	470	18	4
			Other manufactures	2 149	2 151	2 107	-44	-2
			Other non-rural (incl. sugar and beverages)(a)	853	845	822	-23	-3
			Goods procured in ports by carriers(d)	139	134	154	20	15
	Net exports of goods under merchanting(e)			5	5	6	1	20
	Non-monetary gold(e)			2 025	1 902	2 168	266	14

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
a. For all time periods, estimates for sugar, sugar preparations and honey are included in Other non-rural.
b. From July 2005, this component is seasonally adjusted using seasonal factors derived from a monthly volume series.
c. From July 1971 to June 2005, only a length-of-month adjustment has been applied to this component. From July 2005, this component is seasonally adjusted using seasonal factors derived from a monthly volume series.
d. In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
e. This component is not seasonally adjusted.

Rural goods

In trend terms, exports of rural goods rose $61m (2%) to $4,087m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, exports of rural goods rose $63m (2%) to $4,085m.

The main component contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates was other rural, up $107m (6%).

Partly offsetting this rise was cereal grains and cereal preparations, down $36m (7%).

Non-rural goods

In trend terms, exports of non-rural goods fell $235m (1%) to $25,819m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, exports of non-rural goods rose $289m (1%) to $26,399m.

The main components contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates were:

metal ores and minerals, up $348m (3%)
other mineral fuels, up $137m (3%).

Partially offset these rises were:

machinery, down $94m (9%)
metals (excl. non-monetary gold), down $69m (6%).

For price and volume details, see the Selected commodities section.

Net exports of goods under merchanting

In trend terms, net exports of goods under merchanting fell $2m (25%) to $6m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, net exports of goods under merchanting rose $1m (20%) to $6m.

Non-monetary gold

In trend terms, exports of non-monetary gold fell $68m (3%) to $2,116m.

In original and seasonally adjusted terms, exports of non-monetary gold rose $266m (14%) to $2,168m.

Exports of services

Services credits ($m)
	Trend estimates ($m)	Seasonally adjusted ($m)
Dec 2015	6,357	6,435
Jan 2016	6,354	6,279
Feb 2016	6,342	6,339
Mar 2016	6,331	6,393
Apr 2016	6,339	6,287
May 2016	6,372	6,342
Jun 2016	6,430	6,364
Jul 2016	6,499	6,578
Aug 2016	6,570	6,573
Sep 2016	6,640	6,676
Oct 2016	6,693	6,683
Nov 2016	6,736	6,723
Dec 2016	6,788	6,755
Jan 2017	6,862	6,948
Feb 2017	6,954	6,838
Mar 2017	7,047	6,922
Apr 2017	7,124	7,334
May 2017	7,173	7,223
Jun 2017	7,190	7,172
Jul 2017	7,178	7,122
Aug 2017	7,145	7,135
Sep 2017	7,116	7,164
Oct 2017	7,121	7,122
Nov 2017	7,167	7,143
Dec 2017	7,243	7,090
Jan 2018	7,341	7,375
Feb 2018	7,445	7,576
Mar 2018	7,541	7,537
Apr 2018	7,619	7,627
May 2018	7,679	7,638
Jun 2018	7,732	7,731
Jul 2018	7,787	7,760
Aug 2018	7,847	7,884
Sep 2018	7,904	7,898
Oct 2018	7,959	7,979
Nov 2018	8,013	8,012
Dec 2018	8,067	8,031
Jan 2019	8,124	8,083
Feb 2019	8,184	8,282
Mar 2019	8,247	8,228
Apr 2019	8,315	8,269
May 2019	8,383	8,382
Jun 2019	8,451	8,463
Jul 2019	8,513	8,511
Aug 2019	8,567	8,590
Sep 2019	8,608	8,632
Oct 2019	8,638	8,610
Nov 2019	8,660	8,697
Dec 2019	8,673	8,635

Services credits ($m)

["","Trend estimates","Seasonally adjusted"]

[["Dec 2015","Jan 2016","Feb 2016","Mar 2016","Apr 2016","May 2016","Jun 2016","Jul 2016","Aug 2016","Sep 2016","Oct 2016","Nov 2016","Dec 2016","Jan 2017","Feb 2017","Mar 2017","Apr 2017","May 2017","Jun 2017","Jul 2017","Aug 2017","Sep 2017","Oct 2017","Nov 2017","Dec 2017","Jan 2018","Feb 2018","Mar 2018","Apr 2018","May 2018","Jun 2018","Jul 2018","Aug 2018","Sep 2018","Oct 2018","Nov 2018","Dec 2018","Jan 2019","Feb 2019","Mar 2019","Apr 2019","May 2019","Jun 2019","Jul 2019","Aug 2019","Sep 2019","Oct 2019","Nov 2019","Dec 2019"],[[6357],[6354],[6342],[6331],[6339],[6372],[6430],[6499],[6570],[6640],[6693],[6736],[6788],[6862],[6954],[7047],[7124],[7173],[7190],[7178],[7145],[7116],[7121],[7167],[7243],[7341],[7445],[7541],[7619],[7679],[7732],[7787],[7847],[7904],[7959],[8013],[8067],[8124],[8184],[8247],[8315],[8383],[8451],[8513],[8567],[8608],[8638],[8660],[8673]],[[6435],[6279],[6339],[6393],[6287],[6342],[6364],[6578],[6573],[6676],[6683],[6723],[6755],[6948],[6838],[6922],[7334],[7223],[7172],[7122],[7135],[7164],[7122],[7143],[7090],[7375],[7576],[7537],[7627],[7638],[7731],[7760],[7884],[7898],[7979],[8012],[8031],[8083],[8282],[8228],[8269],[8382],[8463],[8511],[8590],[8632],[8610],[8697],[8635]]]

[]

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Services credits, seasonally adjusted

			Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Change in:
			Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019
			$m	$m	$m	$m	%
Total services credits			8 610	8 697	8 635	-62	-1
	Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(a)		-	-	-	-	-
	Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(a)		4	4	5	1	25
	Transport		684	685	679	-6	-1
		Passenger(b)	273	274	267	-7	-3
		Freight(c)	30	30	31	1	3
		Other	247	248	248	-	-
		Postal and courier services(d)	133	134	133	-1	-1
	Travel		5 642	5 691	5 629	-62	-1
	Other services		2 280	2 317	2 322	5	-
Memorandum item
	Tourism related services credits(e)		5 915	5 965	5 896	-69	-1

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
na not available
a. This component is not seasonally adjusted.
b. Passenger services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
c. In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
d. Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
e. For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see paragraph 29 of the Explanatory Notes.

In trend terms, services credits rose $13m to $8,673m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, services credits fell $62m (1%) to $8,635m.

The main component contributing to the fall in seasonally adjusted estimates was travel, down $62m (1%).

In seasonally adjusted terms, tourism related services credits fell $69m (1%) to $5,896m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, total services credits contributed 21% of total goods and services exported.

Imports of goods and services

Between November and December 2019, the trend estimate of goods and services debits rose $134m to $35,902m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, goods and services debits rose $853m (2%) to $36,070m. Capital goods rose $376m (6%), consumption goods rose $309m (4%) and intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $64m (1%). Non-monetary gold fell $102m (21%). Services debits rose $205m (2%).

Imports of goods

Goods debits ($m)
	Trend estimates ($m)	Seasonally adjusted ($m)
Dec 2015	22,603	22,394
Jan 2016	22,196	21,741
Feb 2016	21,863	21,971
Mar 2016	21,699	22,026
Apr 2016	21,686	21,346
May 2016	21,771	21,756
Jun 2016	21,917	22,240
Jul 2016	22,084	22,337
Aug 2016	22,305	22,483
Sep 2016	22,556	21,996
Oct 2016	22,802	23,116
Nov 2016	23,032	22,875
Dec 2016	23,251	23,202
Jan 2017	23,433	24,211
Feb 2017	23,575	22,679
Mar 2017	23,676	24,012
Apr 2017	23,755	23,724
May 2017	23,826	23,448
Jun 2017	23,831	23,809
Jul 2017	23,831	24,175
Aug 2017	23,897	23,815
Sep 2017	24,079	24,012
Oct 2017	24,421	23,967
Nov 2017	24,824	24,239
Dec 2017	25,219	26,599
Jan 2018	25,556	25,546
Feb 2018	25,812	25,572
Mar 2018	26,009	25,980
Apr 2018	26,181	25,546
May 2018	26,350	26,871
Jun 2018	26,580	26,771
Jul 2018	26,803	26,650
Aug 2018	26,924	26,999
Sep 2018	26,964	26,580
Oct 2018	26,925	27,275
Nov 2018	26,822	27,719
Dec 2018	26,730	25,497
Jan 2019	26,642	26,928
Feb 2019	26,588	26,704
Mar 2019	26,569	26,222
Apr 2019	26,560	26,861
May 2019	26,572	27,119
Jun 2019	26,581	25,801
Jul 2019	26,611	26,862
Aug 2019	26,704	26,540
Sep 2019	26,815	27,355
Oct 2019	26,937	27,557
Nov 2019	27,043	26,620
Dec 2019	27,172	27,267

Goods debits ($m)

["","Trend estimates","Seasonally adjusted"]

[["Dec 2015","Jan 2016","Feb 2016","Mar 2016","Apr 2016","May 2016","Jun 2016","Jul 2016","Aug 2016","Sep 2016","Oct 2016","Nov 2016","Dec 2016","Jan 2017","Feb 2017","Mar 2017","Apr 2017","May 2017","Jun 2017","Jul 2017","Aug 2017","Sep 2017","Oct 2017","Nov 2017","Dec 2017","Jan 2018","Feb 2018","Mar 2018","Apr 2018","May 2018","Jun 2018","Jul 2018","Aug 2018","Sep 2018","Oct 2018","Nov 2018","Dec 2018","Jan 2019","Feb 2019","Mar 2019","Apr 2019","May 2019","Jun 2019","Jul 2019","Aug 2019","Sep 2019","Oct 2019","Nov 2019","Dec 2019"],[[22603],[22196],[21863],[21699],[21686],[21771],[21917],[22084],[22305],[22556],[22802],[23032],[23251],[23433],[23575],[23676],[23755],[23826],[23831],[23831],[23897],[24079],[24421],[24824],[25219],[25556],[25812],[26009],[26181],[26350],[26580],[26803],[26924],[26964],[26925],[26822],[26730],[26642],[26588],[26569],[26560],[26572],[26581],[26611],[26704],[26815],[26937],[27043],[27172]],[[22394],[21741],[21971],[22026],[21346],[21756],[22240],[22337],[22483],[21996],[23116],[22875],[23202],[24211],[22679],[24012],[23724],[23448],[23809],[24175],[23815],[24012],[23967],[24239],[26599],[25546],[25572],[25980],[25546],[26871],[26771],[26650],[26999],[26580],[27275],[27719],[25497],[26928],[26704],[26222],[26861],[27119],[25801],[26862],[26540],[27355],[27557],[26620],[27267]]]

[]

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Goods debits(a), seasonally adjusted

				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Change in:
				Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019
				$m	$m	$m	$m	%
Total goods debits				-27 557	-26 620	-27 267	647	2
	General merchandise			-27 088	-26 140	-26 889	749	3
		Consumption goods		-9 246	-8 629	-8 938	309	4
			Food and beverages, mainly for consumption	-1 455	-1 413	-1 389	-24	-2
			Household electrical items	-522	-504	-536	32	6
			Non-industrial transport equipment	-2 210	-1 697	-1 864	167	10
			Textiles, clothing and footwear	-1 631	-1 597	-1 671	74	5
			Toys, books and leisure goods	-567	-544	-551	7	1
			Consumption goods n.e.s.	-2 861	-2 874	-2 926	52	2
		Capital goods		-6 640	-6 306	-6 682	376	6
			Machinery and industrial equipment	-2 073	-2 078	-2 067	-11	-1
			ADP equipment	-1 013	-974	-1 015	41	4
			Telecommunications equipment	-1 247	-1 181	-1 135	-46	-4
			Civil aircraft and confidentialised items(b)(c)	-407	-396	-416	20	5
			Industrial transport equipment n.e.s.	-848	-721	-887	166	23
			Capital goods n.e.s.(d)	-1 053	-955	-1 161	206	22
		Intermediate and other merchandise goods		-11 203	-11 205	-11 269	64	1
			Food and beverages, mainly for industry	-183	-185	-181	-4	-2
			Primary industrial supplies n.e.s.(d)	-162	-139	-148	9	6
			Fuels and lubricants(c)	-3 390	-3 463	-3 627	164	5
			Parts for transport equipment	-1 154	-1 154	-1 259	105	9
			Parts for ADP equipment	-61	-59	-54	-5	-8
			Other parts for capital goods	-1 731	-1 653	-1 580	-73	-4
			Organic and inorganic chemicals	-286	-273	-294	21	8
			Paper and paperboard	-207	-208	-195	-13	-6
			Textile yarn and fabrics	-127	-126	-126	-	-
			Iron and steel	-280	-278	-247	-31	-11
			Plastics	-384	-369	-370	1	-
			Processed industrial supplies n.e.s.	-3 106	-3 073	-3 057	-16	-1
			Other merchandise goods(b)(e)	-21	-114	-24	-90	-79
			Goods procured in ports by carriers(c)	-110	-110	-109	-1	-1
	Non-monetary gold(c)			-469	-480	-378	-102	-21

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
a. For sign conventions, see paragraph 15 of the Explanatory Notes.
b. From July 2008, commodities subject to a 'no commodity details' or 'no value details' restriction are included in Civil aircraft and confidentialised items. For earlier periods, commodities subject to a 'no commodity details' or 'no value details' restriction are included in Other merchandise goods.
c. This component is not seasonally adjusted.
d. In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
e. From July 1981, this component is not seasonally adjusted.

Consumption goods

In trend terms, imports of consumption goods rose $22m to $8,941m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, imports of consumption goods rose $309m (4%) to $8,938m.

The main components contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates were:

non-industrial transport equipment, up $167m (10%)
textiles, clothing and footwear, up $74m (5%)
consumption goods n.e.s., up $52m (2%).

Capital goods

In trend terms, imports of capital goods rose $102m (2%) to $6,556m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, imports of capital goods rose $376m (6%) to $6,682m.

The main components contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates were:

capital goods n.e.s., up $206m (22%)
industrial transport equipment n.e.s., up $166m (23%).

Intermediate and other merchandise goods

In trend terms, imports of intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $100m (1%) to $11,233m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, imports of intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $64m (1%) to $11,269m.

The main components contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates were:

fuels and lubricants, up $164m (5%)
parts for transport equipment, up $105m (9%).

Partly offsetting these rises were:

other merchandise goods, down $90m (79%)
other parts for capital goods, down $73m (4%).

Non-monetary gold

In trend terms, imports of non-monetary gold fell $95m (18%) to $442m.

In original and seasonally adjusted terms, imports of non-monetary gold fell $102m (21%) to $378m.

Imports of services

Services debits ($m)
	Trend estimates ($m)	Seasonally adjusted ($m)
Dec 2015	7,196	7,432
Jan 2016	7,140	7,025
Feb 2016	7,087	6,935
Mar 2016	7,048	7,095
Apr 2016	7,029	7,072
May 2016	7,016	7,053
Jun 2016	6,996	7,088
Jul 2016	6,957	6,910
Aug 2016	6,906	6,868
Sep 2016	6,875	6,908
Oct 2016	6,870	6,915
Nov 2016	6,891	6,992
Dec 2016	6,946	6,910
Jan 2017	7,027	7,164
Feb 2017	7,119	7,156
Mar 2017	7,211	6,963
Apr 2017	7,295	7,500
May 2017	7,363	7,441
Jun 2017	7,412	7,323
Jul 2017	7,454	7,407
Aug 2017	7,493	7,562
Sep 2017	7,531	7,522
Oct 2017	7,586	7,558
Nov 2017	7,666	7,622
Dec 2017	7,753	7,848
Jan 2018	7,836	7,683
Feb 2018	7,909	7,968
Mar 2018	7,969	8,161
Apr 2018	8,016	7,943
May 2018	8,063	7,947
Jun 2018	8,118	8,106
Jul 2018	8,191	8,230
Aug 2018	8,276	8,300
Sep 2018	8,362	8,324
Oct 2018	8,424	8,436
Nov 2018	8,455	8,488
Dec 2018	8,470	8,582
Jan 2019	8,484	8,345
Feb 2019	8,499	8,508
Mar 2019	8,522	8,468
Apr 2019	8,560	8,600
May 2019	8,612	8,683
Jun 2019	8,662	8,598
Jul 2019	8,695	8,625
Aug 2019	8,712	8,812
Sep 2019	8,720	8,795
Oct 2019	8,723	8,685
Nov 2019	8,725	8,598
Dec 2019	8,730	8,803

Services debits ($m)

["","Trend estimates","Seasonally adjusted"]

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[]

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Services debits(a), seasonally adjusted

			Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Change in:
			Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019	Dec 2019
			$m	$m	$m	$m	%
Total services debits			-8 685	-8 598	-8 803	205	2
	Manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others(b)		-	-	-	-	-
	Maintenance and repair services n.i.e.(b)		-89	-83	-94	11	13
	Transport		-1 572	-1 549	-1 570	21	1
		Passenger(c)	-636	-631	-638	7	1
		Freight	-846	-828	-844	16	2
		Other(b)	-81	-81	-81	-	-
		Postal and courier services(d)(e)	-9	-9	-7	-2	-22
	Travel		-4 366	-4 298	-4 467	169	4
	Other services		-2 658	-2 667	-2 671	4	-
Memorandum item
	Tourism related services debits(f)		-5 003	-4 929	-5 106	177	4

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
a. For sign conventions, see paragraph 15 of the Explanatory Notes.
b. This component is not seasonally adjusted.
c. Passenger services includes agency fees and commissions for air transport.
d. Postal and courier services includes indirect commissions for sea transport.
e. In using these seasonally adjusted series, care should be exercised because of the difficulties associated with reliably estimating the seasonal pattern.
f. For a more detailed explanation of tourism related services, see paragraph 29 of the Explanatory Notes.

In trend terms, services debits rose $5m to $8,730m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, services debits rose $205m (2%) to $8,803m.

The main component contributing to the rise in seasonally adjusted estimates was travel, up $169m (4%).

In seasonally adjusted terms, tourism related services debits rose $177m (4%) to $5,106m.

In seasonally adjusted terms, total services debits contributed 24% of total goods and services imported.

Selected commodities

Selected commodities, quantity and unit value analysis - international merchandise trade basis(a) - original terms

		Jul 2019	Aug 2019	Sep 2019	Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Dec 2019
		Change in:
		%	%	%	%	%	%
Iron ore
Lump	Quantity	-11	14	-13	-1	17	-
Lump	Unit value	9	-17	-6	5	-4	1
Fines	Quantity	-5	5	-3	-2	2	11
Fines	Unit value	6	-7	-7	-5	-2	3
Coal
Hard coking	Quantity	-18	-	-2	-1	1	8
Hard coking	Unit value	-5	-2	p-14	p-6	p13	p-6
Semi-soft	Quantity	-20	-6	-3	-13	17	8
Semi-soft	Unit value	-3	-	-	-9	p1	p-2
Thermal	Quantity	15	-17	-1	9	-16	31
Thermal	Unit value	-8	6	p-6	-6	p4	p-2
Gas
LNG	Quantity	13	2	-12	3	3	8
LNG	Unit value	5	7	4	-7	2	-2

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
p preliminary figure or series subject to revision
a. Data in this table are on a revised international merchandise trade basis and exclude value adjustments applied to balance of payments series.

International merchandise trade exports data presented in the above table are based on information reported by exporters to the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). For commodities such as iron ore and coal, newly negotiated contract prices are not fully reflected in data first reported to Home Affairs. Final quantity and/or unit price information is updated progressively in international merchandise trade data as exporters revise the information provided to Home Affairs. When additional information for these commodities is available, the ABS may adjust the data to reflect actual transaction values.

Unit values in this publication are presented in Australian dollar terms. Movements in the unit values for some commodities incorporate movements in the United States dollar prices reported to Home Affairs and movements in the Australian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate.

On an international merchandise trade basis, in original terms (noting the footnote in the above table), between November to December 2019 the largest movements recorded for the following selected commodities were:

Iron ore lump, up $28m (1%), with unit values up 1%. Exports to:

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) rose $124m (7%), with quantities up 4% and unit values up 3%
the Republic of Korea fell $48m (24%), with quantities down 22% and unit values down 3%
Japan fell $40m (13%), with quantities down 13%.

Iron ore fines, up $795m (14%), with quantities up 11% and unit values up 3%. Exports to:

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) rose $678m (14%), with quantities up 11% and unit values up 3%
Japan rose $161m (52%), with quantities up 47% and unit values up 3%.

Hard coking coal, up $43m (2%), with quantities up 8% and unit values down 6%. Exports to:

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) rose $50m (7%), with quantities up 18% and unit values down 9%
Netherlands rose $47m (72%), with quantities up 100% and unit values down 14%
India fell $73m (10%), with quantities down 5% and unit values down 5%.

Semi-soft coal, up $45m (6%), with quantities up 8% and unit values down 2%. Exports to China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) rose $52m, with quantities up 98% and unit values up 3%.

Thermal coal, up $447m (29%), with quantities up 31% and unit values down 2%. Exports to:

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) rose $210m, with quantities up 95% and unit values up 7%
Vietnam rose $90m, with unit values up 31%
the Republic of Korea rose $83m (31%), with quantities up 33% and unit values down 2%.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG), up $242m (6%), with quantities up 8% and unit values down 2%.

Revisions

Revisions have been made to incorporate the latest data relating to international trade in goods and services since the last issue of this publication.

On an international merchandise trade basis, exports and imports of goods have been revised back to June 2019.

On a balance of payments basis, revisions have been applied to:

goods credits back to April 2019
goods debits back to December 2018
services credits and debits back to September 2019.

In original terms the revisions have decreased the surplus on goods and services for the five months to November 2019 by $634m.

Value adjustments

International merchandise trade exports data presented in this publication are based on information reported by exporters to the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). At the time of initial reporting to Home Affairs, the final prices at which transactions take place are not known for some commodities. Final quantity and/or unit price information is updated progressively in international merchandise trade data as exporters revise the information provided to Home Affairs.

For commodities such as iron ore and coal, newly negotiated contract prices are not fully reflected in data first reported to Home Affairs. When additional information on quantity and/or unit price for these commodities is available, the ABS may adjust the data to reflect actual transaction values.

Iron ore adjustments are applied on an international merchandise trade basis at the Australian Harmonized Export Commodity Classification (AHECC) level. Coal, coke and briquettes are adjusted on a balance of payments basis in current price, original terms. When actual final transaction prices become available estimates are replaced with these data.

In most instances, transfer of ownership occurs when goods cross the customs frontier. In certain circumstances the ownership of large value capital expenditure items can occur prior to the items crossing the customs frontier. The ABS may adjust the relevant balance of payments series to record the timing when transfer of ownership was affected.

Goods credits on an international merchandise trade basis

Iron ore (in original terms)

on a merchandise trade basis, adjustments have been applied to iron ore lump in August (+$5m), September (+$65m), October (+$120m), November (+$160m) and December (+$145m) 2019 respectively. Adjustments have been applied to iron ore fines in June (+$5m), July (-$5m), August (-$60m), September (+$75m), October (+$90m), November (+$190m) and December (+$470m) 2019 respectively. When actual final transaction prices become available estimates are replaced with these data. For price and volume details, see the Selected commodities section.

Goods credits on a balance of payments basis

Coal (in original terms)

on a balance of payments basis, adjustments have been applied to the coal, coke and briquettes component in October (+$100m), November (-$320m) and December (-$315m) 2019 respectively. This adjustment takes into account additional information on the unit value of hard coking, semi-soft and thermal coal exports. All previous adjustments have been removed.
- In the international merchandise trade series, the unit value of coal, coke and briquettes rose 11.8% between October and November 2019 and fell 7.2% between November and December 2019.
- In the balance of payments series, the unit value of coal, coke and briquettes rose 1.9% between October and November 2019 and fell 6.4% between November and December 2019.

Goods debits on a balance of payments basis

Capital expenditure (in original terms)

capital goods n.e.s. includes an estimate of expenditure on capital goods that have changed ownership but have not yet crossed the customs frontier.

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Table 37i. Merchandise imports, state of destination not available, by country and country groups, customs value

Data files

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Table 91. Monthly combined seasonal adjustment factors

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Data downloads - data cubes

Table 18. Balance of payments broad economic categories (detailed level), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)

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Table 19. Balance of payments broad economic categories (1 and 2 digit), by country, latest 7 months, customs value, ($million)

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Methodology

International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia methodology, December 2019

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APA

International Trade in Goods and Services, Australia

APA

Key statistics

Main features

December key points

Balance on goods and services

Credits (exports of goods and services)

Debits (imports of goods and services)

2019 situation

Key figures

Bushfires in December

Analysis and comments

Balance on goods and services

Goods and services summary(a), seasonally adjusted and trend

Exports of goods and services

Exports of goods

Goods credits, seasonally adjusted

Rural goods

Non-rural goods

Net exports of goods under merchanting

Non-monetary gold

Exports of services

Services credits, seasonally adjusted

Imports of goods and services

Imports of goods

Goods debits(a), seasonally adjusted

Consumption goods

Capital goods

Intermediate and other merchandise goods

Non-monetary gold

Imports of services

Services debits(a), seasonally adjusted

Selected commodities

Selected commodities, quantity and unit value analysis - international merchandise trade basis(a) - original terms

Revisions

Value adjustments

Goods credits on an international merchandise trade basis

Goods credits on a balance of payments basis

Goods debits on a balance of payments basis

Data downloads - time series spreadsheets

All time series spreadsheets

Table 1. Goods and services, summary: seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices

Table 2. Goods and services, summary: original, current prices

Table 3. Goods credits, original, current prices

Table 4. Goods debits, original, current prices

Table 5. Goods credits, seasonally adjusted, current prices

Table 6. Goods debits, seasonally adjusted, current prices

Table 7. Goods credits, trend estimates, current prices

Table 8. Goods debits, trend estimates, current prices

Table 9. Services, summary: original, current prices

Table 10. Services, summary: seasonally adjusted and trend estimates, current prices

Table 11a. Services credits, original, current prices - quarterly

Table 11b. Services debits, original, current prices - quarterly

Table 12a. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), FOB value

Table 12b. Merchandise exports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), FOB value

Table 13a. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (1 and 2 digit), customs value

Table 13b. Merchandise imports, standard international trade classification (3 digit), customs value

Table 14a. Merchandise exports, country and country groups, FOB value

Table 14b. Merchandise imports, country and country groups, customs value

Table 15a. Merchandise exports, state and Australia, FOB value

Table 15b. Merchandise imports, state and Australia, customs value

Table 16. Period average exchange rates, units of foreign currency per Australian dollar

Table 17. Summary of revisions, goods and services

Table 31. Merchandise exports, broad economic category, FOB value

Table 32a. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), FOB value

Table 32b. Merchandise exports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), FOB value

Table 33. Merchandise imports, broad economic category, customs value

Table 34. Merchandise imports, balance of payments broad economic category, customs value

Table 35a. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 2006), customs value

Table 35b. Merchandise imports, industry (ANZSIC 1993), customs value

Table 36a. Merchandise exports, state of origin New South Wales, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36b. Merchandise exports, state of origin Victoria, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36c. Merchandise exports, state of origin Queensland, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36d. Merchandise exports, state of origin South Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36e. Merchandise exports, state of origin Western Australia, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36f. Merchandise exports, state of origin Tasmania, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36g. Merchandise exports, state of origin Northern Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36h. Merchandise exports, state of origin Australian Capital Territory, by country and country groups, FOB value

Table 36i. Merchandise exports, state of origin not available, by country and country groups, FOB value