Australia’s manufacturing sector recorded its strongest growth on record in September, driving a 2.2 per cent rise in overall business turnover, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ABS head of business statistics, Tom Lay, said manufacturing turnover rose 7.0 per cent, the highest monthly increase since the series began, as revealed in a media release.
“Manufacturing division turnover rose 7.0 per cent, its highest growth on record. This was the main driver of the growth in overall business turnover,” Lay said.
The ABS reported that primary metal product manufacturing was the main contributor to the manufacturing increase, up 19.7 per cent in September, supported by higher non-monetary gold exports.
“International demand also drove rises in turnover for iron ore and lithium miners resulting in a 4.0 per cent increase for the Mining division,” Lay said.
Business turnover in September was 6.9 per cent higher compared to the same month last year, with 12 out of 13 industries reporting annual rises.
The largest annual increases were seen in Manufacturing (+14.2 per cent), Professional, scientific and technical services (+9.9 per cent), Information media and telecommunications (+8.0 per cent), and Accommodation and food services (+7.9 per cent).
In trend terms, the aggregate turnover across the 13 industries rose 0.5 per cent in September.
The ABS also announced that this release marks the final edition of the Monthly Business Turnover Indicator (MBTI), an experimental publication introduced in 2021 to track economic activity following the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to discontinue the MBTI was first announced in October 2025.
According to ABS, alternative measures of business activity will continue to be available in other ABS publications, including Business Indicators, Australia, Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, and Australian Industry.
The ABS attributed the data to monthly Business Activity Statement information from the Australian Taxation Office, covering businesses with annual GST turnover of $20 million or more and a portion of smaller firms.
