Australia Building Capital Expenditure Rises 0.9% in Q1

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.

Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia rose by 0.2% q-o-q in Q2 2025, slowing from an upwardly revised 1.0% growth in Q1. Non-mining industries saw a 1.4% increase, partially offset by a 1.6% decline in mining-related investment. By industry, capital expenditure on buildings and structures recorded the largest gains in construction (35.6%), professional, scientific & technical services (20.1%), and financial and insurance services (13.2%). “The growth in non-mining buildings and structures was driven by spending on large projects in transport, postal and warehousing, information media and telecommunications, and manufacturing,” said Robert Ewing, Head of Business Statistics at the ABS. The largest rises for states and territories were in Victoria (7.0%) and New South Wales (2.4%). The largest falls were in Queensland (-4.8%) and South Australia (-3.5%). Yearly, spending on buildings and structures climbed by 4.3% in Q2, after a revised 0.6% rise in Q1

Private new capital expenditure on buildings and structures in Australia increased by 0.9% quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2025, accelerating from 0.2% in the previous quarter. By industry, capital expenditure on buildings and structures saw the biggest gains in arts & recreation (26.2%), health care & social assistance (12.4%), financial & insurance services (6.7%), transport, postal & warehousing (5.9%), and administrative & support services (5.7%). Robert Ewing, head of business statistics at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), commented: “Capex was up 0.9 per cent for buildings and structures, with the mining industry up 1.7 per cent and non-mining rising 0.4 per cent. The growth in mining was driven by spending on oil & gas, gold, and other metal ore developments.“