The Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Monday the increase in gross operating profits was 1.3 per cent, seasonally adjusted, compared with a decline of 1.9 per cent in the June quarter.

Year on year, the increase was just 0.1 per cent.

The average of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 1 per cent for the quarter.

Similarly, the value of inventories - another component of GDP - rose 0.1 per cent on the quarter, for a year-on-year decline of 0.4 per cent. Economists had expected no quarterly growth.

The value of wages and salaries, meanwhile, climbed 1 per cent for the quarter, led by electricity, gas, water and waste services, where they were up 3.7 per cent, and accommodation and food services, ahead 3.1 per cent.

Profits growth was strongest across a range of service industries, suggesting the transition away from mining-related investment is taking hold. Reflecting this, profits in construction were down 16.6 per cent, as residential and commercial projects failed to compensate for the sharp decline in resource-related engineering works.

Mining profits, however, climbed 6 per cent.

Economists expect GDP to have expanded by about 0.7 per cent in the quarter, for year-on-year growth of 2.3 per cent. Some see it slightly higher.

"Economic partials for the third quarter have been mixed, but point to stronger real GDP growth of 0.8 per in the quarter, as a series of one-offs that weighed on second quarter growth recede," said National Australia Bank's head of Australian economics Riki Polygenis.

"Overall, the national accounts are still expected to evidence a somewhat more entrenched recovery in the non-mining sector, although non-mining investment remains notably absent," she said.