Australia Yearbook - 2001

714 Year Book Australia 2001
countries fell by only 2%, from 24% in 1980 to
22% in 1997.
Consistent with world trends, Australian
manufacturing became increasingly export
oriented throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1984–85 some 16% of the sales of
manufacturing firms were to overseas markets.
By 1997–98 this figure had risen to 26%. Import
penetration of Australian markets increased
more slowly over the same period, from 26% in
1984–85 to 36% by 1997–98. Australia’s products
featured competitively only in certain industries.
In 1997 Australia ranked fifth for share of world
value of non-ferrous metals, yet contributed
only 4% of world supply. This share had
remained relatively constant since 1985. In the
supply of metal products Australia fell in world
ranking from 10th to 12th in the same period,
though its share of world supply remained
unchanged. In food products, Australia’s world
ranking has remained at 12th, its share also
remaining constant at 1.6%. In wearing apparel
Australia’s competitiveness has declined; in
1985 Australia ranked 14th, contributing
1.3% of production. However since 1995
Australia has not featured in the top
15 producers of wearing apparel.
Contribution to GDP
Table 19.1 shows that the total volume of
production (gross value added) of the
manufacturing industry in chain volume terms
(measuring ‘real’ output unaffected by price
change) has increased steadily from 1992–93
to 1998–99. Manufacturing gross value added (its
contribution to GDP) has increased by 10% over
the past five years, 10% over the past 10 years and
37% over the past 20 years. However,
in percentage terms manufacturing’s contribution
to GDP has been trending down for some years
(as indicated in the preceding article), and has
declined by 1.6 percentage points of GDP
since 1992–93.
Over the period 1992–93 to 1998–99, gross value
added rose in eight of the nine manufacturing
subdivisions, with the largest growth being
recorded in Machinery and equipment
manufacturing (by 23%), Petroleum, coal,
chemical and associated product manufacturing
(by 18%), Non-metallic mineral product
manufacturing (by 16%) and Wood and paper
product manufacturing (by 16%). Production
levels declined over the same period in only
Textile, clothing, footwear and leather
manufacturing (by 3%).
19.1 MANUFACTURING GROSS VALUE ADDED, Chain Volume Measures(a) by Industry Subdivision and
Contribution to GDP
1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99
Industry subdivision
$m $m $m $m $m $m $m
Food, beverage and tobacco manufacturing 11 704 12 127 12 255 12 598 12 843 13 303 13 367
Textile, clothing, footwear and leather
manufacturing 3 742 3 792 3 704 3 499 3 497 3 439 3 599
Wood and paper product manufacturing 4 622 4 714 4 853 4 899 5 108 5 278 5 145
Printing, publishing and recorded media 6 151 6 278 6 610 6 725 7 069 7 040 6 744
Petroleum, coal, chemical and associated
product manufacturing 8 141 8 542 8 801 9 306 9 439 9 526 9 636
Non-metallic mineral product manufacturing 3 586 3 665 3 664 3 395 3 458 3 530 4 104
Metal product manufacturing 12 168 12 701 12 510 12 826 13 394 13 047 13 595
Machinery and equipment manufacturing 11 952 12 952 13 763 14 357 14 474 14 388 15 096
Other manufacturing 2 335 2 482 2 509 2 481 2 484 2 517 2 514
Total manufacturing(b) 64 366 67 237 68 665 70 096 71 792 72 068 73 800
Contribution to GDP(c) (%) 15.1 15.1 14.9 14.5 14.3 13.7 13.5
(a) Reference year for these chain volume measures is 1997–98. (b) Chain volume measures are not additive for most periods;
the component measures do not sum to a total in the same way as the corresponding current price components do. (c) Strictly
gross value added at basic prices, chain volume measures.
Source: Australian System of National Accounts (5204.0).