The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released concrete production statistics for the month of April, which revealed a -1% decline in concrete volumes over the month.
The data is incredibly volatile and no doubt affected heavily by seasonality. As such, it is presented below in index form on a rolling annual basis:
According to the ABS, concrete production rose by 3% nationally over the year on a rolling annual basis. This increase was driven by the Northern Territory and Western Australia, which experienced a 44% and 18% increase respectively, presumably on the back of mining investment. By contrast, concrete use in the other states was flat over the year on a rolling annual basis.
Obviously, this is a marginal indicator only. Nevertheless, the increase in concrete production augers well for mining and non-mining construction alike.
