Australia’s goods imports rose 2.6% month-on-month to a new record of AUD 46.63 billion in May 2026, accelerating from a downwardly revised 0.2% increase in April, underpinned by resilient domestic demand. Imports of intermediate and other merchandise goods edged up 0.3% to AUD 20.72 billion, supported by higher purchases of processed industrial supplies n.e.s. (3.8%) and fuels and lubricants (0.5%), as elevated energy prices linked to the Middle East conflict boosted import values.
Capital goods imports climbed 8.2% to AUD 10.86 billion, driven by civil aircraft and confidentialised items (164.1%), industrial transport equipment n.e.s. (4.2%), machinery and industrial equipment (1.8%), and other capital goods (1.6%). Consumption goods imports increased 7.9% to AUD 13.29 billion, led by non-industrial transport equipment (24.6%) and textiles, clothing and footwear (12.4%). By contrast, imports of non-monetary gold slumped 27.9% to AUD 1.77 billion.
