The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has just released concrete production statistics for the month of January, which revealed a -22% fall in concrete volumes over the month but a 10% rise over the year.
The data is incredibly volatile and no doubt affected by seasonality. As such, it is presented below in index form on a rolling annual basis:
According to the ABS, the increase in concrete production over the year has been driven by the Northern Territory and Western Australia, which experienced a 48% and 22% increase respectively on a rolling annual basis, presumably on the back of the current mining investment boom. By contrast, concrete use in the other states grew by a combined 2% only over the year.
As an aside, the ABS earlier in the month released quarterly data for building materials typically used in detached house construction, namely: clay bricks, concrete blocks, and roof tiles. Production of these materials continued to trend lower, suggesting that new home construction remains under pressure (see below chart).
