Actor Chris Hemsworth was soaking up the last days of summer Down Under last week ... out surfing near his hometown of Byron Bay, Australia.

Household spending in Australia has seen a steady increase at the start of 2025, with a 0.4% rise in January following a 0.2% increase in December, according to ABS. “Household spending rose to start the new year, growing for the fourth straight month,” said Robert Ewing (pictured left), ABS head of business statistics.

Most Australian states and territories recorded retail turnover growth, with New South Wales and the Northern Territory the exceptions.

Thursday’s dwelling approvals data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggested that the nation’s housing shortage continues to worsen. In January, only 15,142 homes were approved for construction,

Australia's economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the December quarter, and 1.3 per cent through the year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It means the economy's rate of growth picked up noticeably at the end of 2024.

The continuing decline in Australia’s productivity was one of the most important data points from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Q4 national accounts released this week. Labour productivity (GDP per hour worked) fell by 0.

Australian retail sales posted a small gain in January after a strong showing in the last quarter as consumer spending continued to pick up amid a slowdown in inflation and large cuts to income taxes.

The Australian economy is predicted to have grown faster in the December quarter, off the back of a temporary tariff removal on chickpeas, new figures show.

AUSTRALIA’S economy accelerated in the final three months of last year, supporting the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) cautious approach to further policy easing even after it cut interest rates last month.