FX.co ★ Australia Import Growth Eases Significantly

Australia’s goods imports rose 0.8% month-on-month in April 2026, a sharp slowdown from the downwardly revised 12.2% surge in March, as domestic demand cooled and businesses pared back orders after the earlier spike. Even with the softer growth, imports reached a new record high of AUD 45.44 billion.

Imports of intermediate and other merchandise goods jumped 15.0% to AUD 20.63 billion, led by fuels and lubricants (up 41.4%) amid higher prices linked to the Middle East conflict, and by other parts for capital goods (up 5.8%).

By contrast, imports of capital goods fell 16.4% to AUD 9.99 billion, weighed down by declines in ADP equipment (down 41.7%), telecommunications equipment (down 18.0%), and machinery and industrial equipment (down 2.3%).

Arrivals of consumption goods also slipped, down 1.6% to AUD 12.33 billion, dragged mainly by textiles, clothing and footwear (down 14.8%) and consumption goods n.e.s. (down 4.8%). Separately, non-monetary gold imports fell 6.5% to AUD 2.45 billion.