Aus determined to conclude N deal with India: Julie Bishop

Australia on Thursday  said it is determined to conclude as soon as possible a civil nuclear deal signed with India last <g data-gr-id="29">year,</g> though a lobby has been working in this country against the agreement.

"There is a lobby working on nuclear issues in Australia. The government has determined that we will conclude this agreement as soon as possible," Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.

"It will be going through joint standing committee on <g data-gr-id="27">treaty</g>. I expect they will hand down a report in due course and once that report has been considered by the government we can conclude it. It will be this year I imagine," she told visiting Indian journalists here in the Australian capital.

She said Australia is determined to take forward the civil nuclear agreement it signed with India last year.

Australia's uranium reserves are the world's largest, with 23 per cent of the total.

Bishop had earlier said that Australia was a <g data-gr-id="23">power house</g> and wanted to export energy to the world. She had, however, said her country will extend the facility to India under strict controls.

The Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signed in September last year will provide a framework for cooperation between both the countries on a broad range of N-related areas, such as nuclear safety.