Devastation in Japan to have effect on Australia's exports
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Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan on Sunday said the devastation in Japan is likely to have a short- term effect on Australia's exports.
While Swan said it was still too early to predict the full economic consequences, he said Australian exports could feel the impact in the coming months.
"There is likely to be a short-term impact on some of our exports in coming quarters," he said in weekly economic note released on Sunday.
"For instance, Japanese demand for steel-making inputs could fall in the near term following the closure of several large steel- making plants and the disruption to Japanese manufacturing.
"But Japanese demand for energy products such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and thermal coal could increase."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Julia Gillard earlier on Sunday said the nuclear crisis in Japan has no impact on Australia's uranium experts.
"What is happening in Japan doesn't have any impact on my thinking about uranium exports," she told Sky News on Sunday.
"We do export uranium and we will continue to export uranium."
"Countries around the world will make their own choices about how they source their energy."
Asked if it was time for an international debate on the use of civilian nuclear energy, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said that there will be a time and a place for a full debate on that given what has happened in Japan, but he does not think that time and place is right at this very moment.
