Manufacturing plateaus

Australian manufacturing deteriorated further in the December quarter.

The Australian Industry Group-PricewaterhouseCoopers quarterly survey showed the seasonally adjusted net balance of manufacturers reporting production increases was minus 7 per cent in the quarter compared with minus 2 per cent in the previous quarter.

But the survey also found companies were not expecting a further deterioration in sales, new orders or exports in the next quarter, for the first time in over a year.