Australian retail turnover rose 0.2 per cent in September 2018, seasonally adjusted, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Retail Trade figures.

This follows a 0.3 per cent rise in August 2018.

"Food retailing (0.4 per cent) led the rises," said Ben James, Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys. "There was also a rise in cafés, restaurants and takeaways, which rose 0.5 per cent."

The rises were offset by a fall in clothing, footwear and personal accessories (-1.2 per cent), while three industries were relatively unchanged: Other retailing (0.0 per cent), household goods (0.0 per cent), and department stores (0.0 per cent).

In seasonally adjusted terms, there were rises in Victoria (0.7 per cent), Queensland (0.4 per cent), South Australia (0.4 per cent), and Tasmania (0.7 per cent). There were falls in New South Wales (-0.4 per cent) and the Northern Territory (-1.0 per cent), while Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory were relatively unchanged (0.0 per cent) in September 2018.