Economists tip solid GDP growth FOR all the talk of doom and gloom, the Australian economy is expected to have fared pretty well in the first three months of 2013. AAP's survey of 14 economists shows a median forecast for Australian gross domestic product (GDP) to have grown by 0.8 per cent in the March quarter. That would put annual growth at 2.7 per cent, still a little below its long-term average. The Australian Bureau of Statistics will release official GDP figures for the quarter on Wednesday. Growth of 0.8 per cent in the quarter would be considered quite a strong result given the impact of the high Australian dollar and a fall in investment in the mining sector during the first few months of the year. But economists say rising exports from the resources sector, as new mines come on line, and strong consumer spending will provide a boost to GDP. "Net exports are going to be a big driver, but we also had strong retail sales figures during the quarter, so we think consumer spending will make a strong contribution," CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said. But National Australia Bank senior economist Spiros Papadopoulos warned poor business investment and softness in the housing construction sector would hurt economic growth in the quarter. "That's where we see a bit of weakness coming through," he said. Economists are divided over how the economy will fare over the next year. Mr Sebastian says it could be a difficult 12 months as investment in mining, a key driver of economic growth in recent years, wanes and other parts of the economy struggle to pick up. "The mining industry is pulling back faster than the rest of the economy is picking up," he said. But CMC Markets chief market strategist Michael McCarthy is more optimistic. He expects solid growth in consumer spending and housing construction to drive economic growth higher. "I think we will see growth accelerate through to the end of 2013," he said.