This is a rather imprecise exercise and so the estimates for non-mining activity should be considered as rough. 7  The low growth of non-mining activity seen over the second half of the 2000s was not a sign of weakness in the economy overall, at least prior to the global financial crisis.
Rather, the economy was growing strongly – as evidenced by the declining unemployment rate – with slower growth of non-mining activity offset by rising mining activity, particularly mining investment.