Industries with Biggest Decline in Exports in Australia in 2025

• 1. Lubricants and Other Petroleum Product Manufacturing in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -62.4%

  Lubricants and other petroleum product manufacturers further refine heavy and light oil components into various petroleum-based products using oil and grease base stocks with key products, including lubricating oils and greases, bitumen and aromatic hydrocarbons. Others distil coal to produce coke and coal tar. This means that the industry is highly susceptible to developments in the upstream petroleum refining and coal mining sectors. In particular, the industry has been adversely affected b...

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• 2. Lithium and Other Non-Metallic Mineral Mining in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -56.3%

  Spodumene concentrate (lithium ore) has become by far the dominant product in the industry over recent years. Spodumene concentrate is still mainly exported to China for further processing, but major mining firms have started using it domestically to refine lithium hydroxide. Given lithium's importance for battery manufacturing, many downstream buyers stockpiled lithium, prompting a spike in world prices. Skyrocketing spodumene concentrate prices fuelled revenue and profitability growth over ...

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• 3. Battery Material Mining in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -38.5%

  The global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), driven by environmental consciousness, advances in battery technology, and declining prices, has accelerated demand for battery materials, especially lithium. This growing need is reflected in elevated lithium prices, triggering an upsurge in lithium production and exploration activities. However, because of oversupply, lithium prices have plunged from their peak in 2022-23, adversely impacting battery material miners' revenue and profitability ...

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• 4. Copper Tubes and Wire Manufacturing in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -29.6%

  Copper tube and wire manufacturers are navigating a challenging landscape of intense competition and volatile prices. Major local producers are leveraging economies of scale to contend with mounting import penetration from foreign manufacturers that can offer competitive prices due to their lower production costs.

  Industry revenue elevated at an annualised 2.9% over the five years through 2024-25 to $755.2 million. This five year uptrend is primarily due to performance and demand recov...

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• 5. Non-Ferrous Metal Casting in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -28.6%

  Revenue for the Non-Ferrous Metal Casting industry has increased over the past five years, driven by reduced import competition and rising input costs, which have been passed on to downstream markets. The industry has benefited from global supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have caused major shipping delays. Manufacturers have increasingly favoured local suppliers to boost their supply chains' reliability. Industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualised 4.6% ov...

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• 6. Grain Growing in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -24.7%

  Revenue in the Grain Growing industry has fluctuated in recent years due to volatility in weather conditions, global grain prices and crop supplies. Revenue is expected to have grown at an annualised 8.6% over the five years through 2024-25, to $19.2 billion. Improved rainfall has supported higher output volumes. Grain prices surged due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which significantly disrupted global grain supplies, as both countries are typically major exporters of industry products. Thi...

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• 7. Petroleum Refining and Petroleum Fuel Manufacturing in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -23.7%

  The Petroleum Refining and Petroleum Fuel Manufacturing industry has faced highly volatile conditions over recent years, as the pandemic wreaked turmoil on global energy supply chains. The global situation filtered down to Australia's petroleum market, contributing to the closure of two of Australia's last four remaining oil refineries. BP closed its refinery in Kwinana, while ExxonMobil shut down the Altona refinery. Both the closed refineries were converted into import terminals, directly i...

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• 8. Prefabricated Wooden Building Manufacturing in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -19.5%

  Manufacturers have faced fluctuations in downstream household, building and tourism markets over the past five years. Overall, industry revenue is expected to have grown at an annualised 3.4% over the five years through 2024-25, to $640.0 million.

  Growth in capital expenditure on non-residential building construction has underpinned sales of relocatable buildings like modular classrooms, pop-up kiosks and site storage facilities. Sales in the commercial property market helped cushion t...

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• 9. Coal Mining in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -18.5%

  Coal is a key input in steelmaking and energy generation. Although coal deposits are found all over the world, Australia is one of the world's lowest-cost producers and a major coal exporter. Domestic reserves exceed domestic demand, are high grade and are economical to access. As a result, exports account for a large share of coal mining revenue. Imports are negligible, as local production is higher than domestic demand for coal. Black coal mining accounts for most activity, with some brown ...

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• 10. Iron Ore Mining in Australia

  Decline in Exports for 2025: -18.2%

  Iron ore miners have faced difficult trading conditions because of easing iron ore prices over the past few years, despite the nation maintaining its status as the world's largest iron ore supplier and benefiting from proximity to Asian markets. However, modest growth in production volumes has partly offset revenue declines. Industry revenue is expected to have sunk at an annualised 1.7% over the five years through 2024-25, to $131.5 billion. Easing iron ore prices, driven primarily by a slow...

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