Private new capital expenditure edged up 0.2 per cent in the June quarter of 2025 to be 1.7 per cent higher over the year, in seasonally adjusted, chain volume terms, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said: ‘business investment rose 0.9 per cent in the non-mining industries, while the mining industry fell 1.4 per cent.’
Spending on new equipment and machinery increased 0.3 per cent overall. Non‑mining equipment and machinery rose 0.5 per cent, partly offset by a 0.8 per cent fall in mining equipment and machinery. ‘The 22.8 per cent rise in information media and telecommunications reflected a return to strength in data centre investment after lighter spending in the March quarter. Retail trade also rose by 18.9 per cent, following an increase in supply chain and fulfilment centre automation,’ Mr Ewing said.
That momentum was tempered by weakness elsewhere. ‘The rise in new equipment and machinery was offset by a 21.7 per cent drop in construction, with respondents reporting difficult trading conditions. The transport, postal & warehousing industry also limited the rise in new equipment and machinery, falling by 8.6 per cent.’
Buildings and structures investment rose 0.2 per cent, with non‑mining up 1.4 per cent and mining down 1.6 per cent. ‘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,’ Mr Ewing said.
By state and territory, the largest increases were recorded in Victoria (+7.0 per cent) and New South Wales (+2.4 per cent), while Queensland (-4.8 per cent) and South Australia (-3.5 per cent) fell.
The ABS also reported the final estimate for 2024–25, showing capex up 3.8 per cent in current prices compared with 2023–24. Planned capex for 2025–26 was revised 12.0 per cent higher than the previous estimate, pointing to a stronger pipeline of investment into the new financial year.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, New capital expenditure (cat. no. 5625.0).
