Melbourne, Nov 19 (IANS) Australia's ban on uranium sales to India made no sense at a time when that country was trying to develop its economy, deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop has said.

Bishop said that Canada's decision to resume uranium sales to India signals a huge lost opportunity for Australia.

A new agreement will give India the opportunity to buy nuclear technology and uranium from Canada for the first time since 1974, when Canada banned uranium sales after India used nuclear fuel from Canadian-made reactors to build an atom bomb, The Age reported Thursday.

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, one of the greatest moral economic, environmental challenges of our age," The Age quoted Bishop as saying.

"India is a developing country with a large population with huge energy needs. Surely the best way that Mr Rudd could assist India in meeting its energy needs would be to sell Australian uranium so that it could use low-emissions nuclear power."

Australia has the world's biggest commercially viable uranium reserves but has refused to sell India uranium because India is not part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.