AUSTRALIAN CRUDE OUTPUT FALLS IN FIRST NINE MONTHS Australian crude oil and condensate output fell 7.6 pct to 23,480 megalitres, or about 147 mln barrels, in the first nine months of fiscal 1986/87 ending June 30, the Department of Resources and Energy said. The decline in production in the nine months to end-March reflected mainly a sharp dip early in the fiscal year, when low oil prices and high marginal excise rates led to a reduction of output from Bass Strait, department figures in its Major Energy Statistics publication show. A megalitre is 6,290 barrels.