Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia fell 3.8% qoq in Q1 2026, reversing an upwardly revised 2.5% rise in Q4, which was the strongest growth since Q2 2023. It was the 1st contraction since Q2 2024, with falls in non-mining (-4.3%) and mining (-2.9%) industries. By industry, spending on buildings and structures posted the largest falls in construction (-35.8%), manufacturing (-25.1%), professional, scientific and technical services (-19.5%), rental, hiring and real estate services (-11.6%), and electricity, gas, water and waste services (-8.5%). " The fall in buildings and structures was driven by large projects reaching completion, particularly across manufacturing, electricity, gas, water and waste services, and mining. Despite the overall fall, investment in data centre building construction continues to grow with information media and telecommunications rising for the 7th straight quarter, up 12.6%.’ Tom Lay, ABS head of business statistics, said. source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Building Capital Expenditure in Australia decreased to -3.80 percent in the first quarter of 2026 from 2.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Building Capital Expenditure in Australia averaged 1.08 percent from 1987 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 52.30 percent in the second quarter of 1996 and a record low of -19.90 percent in the second quarter of 1997. This page includes a chart with historical data for Australia Building Capital Expenditure. Australia Building Capital Expenditure - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-26 12:30 AM
Building Capital Expenditure QoQ
Q4 2.3% 2.3% 1.6%
2026-05-28 01:30 AM
Building Capital Expenditure QoQ
Q1 -3.8% 2.5% 1.9%
2026-08-27 01:30 AM
Building Capital Expenditure QoQ
Q2 -3.8%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 1102.00 1306.00 Companies Apr 2026
Building Capital Expenditure -3.80 2.50 percent Mar 2026
NAB Business Confidence -14.00 -23.00 points May 2026
Business Inventories 0.50 -0.10 percent Mar 2026
Capacity Utilization 75.70 77.70 percent May 2026
Passenger Car Sales 12605.00 11005.00 Units May 2026
Changes in Inventories 675.00 897.00 AUD Million Mar 2026
Composite Leading Indicator 100.92 100.85 points Apr 2026
Company Gross Profits 132650.00 134455.00 AUD Million Mar 2026
Corruption Index 76.00 77.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 12.00 10.00 Dec 2025
Industrial Production 2.50 2.80 percent Mar 2026
Industrial Production Mom -0.60 1.70 percent Mar 2026
Ai Group Industry Index -26.50 -25.50 points May 2026
Ai Group Services Index -19.60 -24.40 points May 2026
Ai Group Construction Index -9.90 -19.30 points May 2026
Ai Group Manufacturing Index -22.40 -27.90 points May 2026
Westpac Leading Index MoM 0.10 -0.10 percent Apr 2026
Manufacturing Production 3.20 1.10 percent Mar 2026
Mining Production 3.10 4.00 percent Mar 2026
New Orders 35.00 23.00 points Dec 2025
Plant Machinery Capital Expenditure 18.10 -1.30 percent Mar 2026
Private Capital Expenditure 6.50 0.70 percent Mar 2026
Small Business Sentiment -2.00 -8.00 points Sep 2025
New Vehicle Sales 100206.00 92591.00 Units May 2026


Australia Building Capital Expenditure
Building Capital Expenditure in Australia is measured as the quarter-on-quarter change. The Survey of New Capital Expenditure includes the following industries classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, ANZSIC, 2006: Mining, Manufacturing & Other selected industries such as Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services, Construction, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Transport, Postal and Warehousing, Information Media and Telecommunications Finance and, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-3.80 2.50 52.30 -19.90 1987 - 2026 percent Quarterly
SA

News Stream
Australia Building Capex Posts First Drop in Nearly 2 Years
Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia fell 3.8% qoq in Q1 2026, reversing an upwardly revised 2.5% rise in Q4, which was the strongest growth since Q2 2023. It was the 1st contraction since Q2 2024, with falls in non-mining (-4.3%) and mining (-2.9%) industries. By industry, spending on buildings and structures posted the largest falls in construction (-35.8%), manufacturing (-25.1%), professional, scientific and technical services (-19.5%), rental, hiring and real estate services (-11.6%), and electricity, gas, water and waste services (-8.5%). " The fall in buildings and structures was driven by large projects reaching completion, particularly across manufacturing, electricity, gas, water and waste services, and mining. Despite the overall fall, investment in data centre building construction continues to grow with information media and telecommunications rising for the 7th straight quarter, up 12.6%.’ Tom Lay, ABS head of business statistics, said.
2026-05-28
Australia Building Capex Rises 2.3% in Q4
Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia increased 2.3% quarter-on-quarter in the three months to December 2025, quickening from a 2.1% rise in Q3 and marking the strongest expansion since Q2 2023. By industry, spending on buildings and structures posted the largest gains in arts and recreation services (30.3%), administrative and support services (25%), construction (15.8%), professional, scientific and technical services (14.4%) and electricity, gas, water and waste services (8.5%). Tom Lay, head of business statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said the increase in overall investment was driven by strength in buildings and structures, particularly renewable energy projects. He added that this was partly offset by a decline in equipment and machinery spending, following record-high investment in data centers during the previous quarter.
2026-02-26
Australia Building Capex Rises 2.1% in Q3
Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia rose by 2.1% QoQ in Q3 2025, accelerating from a 0.2% gain in Q2 to the fastest pace in a year. Non-mining industries saw a 3.6% increase, partially offset by a 0.4% decline in mining-related investments. By industry, capital expenditure on buildings and structures recorded the largest gains in wholesale trade (30.5%), accommodation & food services (22.4%), construction (16.4%), manufacturing (15.1%) and administrative & support services (14.8%). Tom Lay, ABS head of business statistics, said: “Spending on large projects in manufacturing, accommodation and food services, and information media and telecommunications industries, drove growth in buildings and structures.” On an annual basis, spending on buildings and structures climbed by 4.3% in Q3.
2025-11-27