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24 Sep Australia’s manufacturing recovery is concentrated in four industries 23 Sep Private credit in Australia: What is going on? 23 Sep Immigration and productivity: what Australia’s migrant settlement data reveal

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Manufacturing

Australia’s manufacturing recovery is concentrated in four industries

Australian manufacturing employment is back above 900,000, but new ABS data show almost nine in every ten net jobs added since 2019 have come from just four manufacturing industries.

ASIC

Private credit in Australia: What is going on?

Private credit is providing billions in finance outside Australia's banking system. Following a major property-developer collapse, ASIC is escalating its response to weaknesses in fund governance, valuations and risk management.

Immigration

Immigration and productivity: what Australia’s migrant settlement data reveal

New ABS data reveal substantial differences in employment, education and earnings between Australia's migrant visa categories.

Petrol Price Breakdown

Explainer: Where your $100 petrol fill-up actually goes

Petrol prices begin with crude oil, but that is only the start. Benchmark Analytics traces a $100 fill-up through refining, shipping, wholesale terminals, tax and the service station.

Australian Petrol Prices

Petrol jumps 14 cents in a week: how the oil shock reaches the bowser

Petrol has jumped 14.3 cents a litre in Australia's major cities. The reason starts in international oil markets — but crude oil is only the first step in the journey to the bowser.

Benchmark Indicators

Australian economy at a glance

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Political Data Alerts

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Priority monitoring and rapid analysis of the releases that matter to government relations, corporate affairs and policy teams.

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Immigration

NSW gains migrants from overseas while losing residents interstate

Overseas migration is driving NSW population growth, but the domestic migration flow is going the other way. NSW lost a net 20,818 residents to other states in the year to March 2026.

Productivity

Retail sales are rising. Retail employment is falling.

Australian retailers generated more income and value added in 2024–25 despite employing 8,000 fewer people. But the productivity story is more complicated than it first appears.

Indigenous Corresctional Rates

Indigenous Correctional Gap Widens Across Australia

The Indigenous correctional disparity extends well beyond prisons. New ABS data show the age-standardised community-corrections gap has widened sharply since 2017.

Retail Industry

Retail Industry: Sales and Margins

A $100 clothing sale leaves a $56 retail margin. A $100 new-car sale leaves just $6.50. New ABS data reveal how dramatically retail economics varies by product.

Manufacturing

Australia versus America: two very different manufacturing economies

The US manufacturing sector is larger and structurally deeper than Australia's, particularly in automotive, aerospace and defence. Australia remains strong in food, metals, resources and selected advanced manufacturing niches.

Victoria Prison Population

Victoria’s prison population rises 15% ahead of the state election

Victoria's prison population has grown faster than any other Australian jurisdiction over the past year. Yet its imprisonment rate remains the second-lowest nationally, complicating the law-and-order story ahead of November's election.

Unemployment Rates

Unemployment Rates - Split by Industry Sector

Australia’s headline unemployment rate hides enormous differences between industries. This Explainer compares all 19 industry unemployment rates and how they have changed since 2010.

Small Business

Australia Inc: Small business is losing economic ground

Small businesses dominate Australia's business count, but their economic footprint is shrinking. Their share of private-sector employment has fallen from 53% in 2006 to 39%, while their share of GDP has dropped from 40% to 32%.

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