Consumer Price Index Commodity Classification, 16th Series

Latest release

Summary of changes to the CPI Commodity Classification (CPICC) to be applied in the 16th series Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Reference period
2011
Released
4/07/2011
Next release Unknown
First release

Main features

Background

The September quarter 2011 issue of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) will incorporate the main outcomes from the recent major review of the CPI and the latest Household Expenditure Survey (HES) data. This will ensure that the CPI continues to be a reliable measure of price inflation for Australia. It will be published on 26 October 2011. For more information regarding the recent review of the CPI please refer to Outcome of the 16th Series Australian Consumer Price Index Review, Dec 2010 (cat. no. 6469.0).

A detailed list of changes, including tables showing correspondences between the 15th and 16th series commodity classifications can be found in the Data downloads section.

  • The new series will be the 16th series since the CPI was first compiled in 1960.

One of the outcomes from the review of the Australian CPI was to update the commodity classification used to categorise the goods and services acquired by households, to ensure it reflected contemporary wording and groupings. In doing so, one of the issues considered was the degree to which the current classification, the CPI commodity classification (CPICC), could be aligned with the United Nations Classification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose (COICOP). To enable greater international comparability of price inflation a review was undertaken to align where possible the CPICC with COICOP.

The major differences between CPICC and COICOP are:

  • The CPICC 'Housing' group includes new dwelling purchase by owner–occupiers, compared to COICOP which includes imputed rents for owner–occupier housing costs. The CPICC also includes property rates and charges as an inescapable cost of purchasing a house, where they are excluded from COICOP.
  • The CPICC ‘Food and non–alcoholic beverages’ group includes restaurant meals and take away foods. COICOP classifies restaurant meals and take away foods under a separate group ‘Restaurants and hotels’.
  • The CPICC 'Recreation' group includes air travel and hotel accommodation. COICOP classifies air travel in the 'Transportation' group and hotel accommodation in the 'Restaurants and hotels' group.

This paper presents the 16th series CPICC. As a result of efforts to more closely align the CPICC with COICOP, there has been considerable re–naming and some re–ordering of the items in the classification. The coverage of household expenditure remains largely the same as the 15th series CPI. However, indirect banking charges will be removed from the headline CPI, but will continue to be published (together with direct fees) as an analytical series.

Updated weighting patterns, the new series identifiers and a template of the new publication and associated tables will be published on 22 September 2011 in the Information Paper: Introduction of the 16th Series Australian Consumer Price Index, Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 6470.0).

The first issue of the 16th series will be for the September quarter 2011 Consumer Price Index, Australia (cat. no. 6401.0) and will be published on 26 October 2011.

Types of changes to the CPI classification

Where changes to the CPI classification are indicated, they are one of the following types:

New series:

  • Series that have been formed from splitting and/or combining existing series. (e.g. the 15th series expenditure classes 'Pork' and 'Bacon and Ham' are combined into the 16th series expenditure class ‘Pork’). Where a new series is created from a combination of two or more previously published series a back series will be calculated as far back as possible, based on available data.
  • Where a new series is created by splitting an existing series and the ABS does not have the back data readily available, the new series will begin with an index reference base period of June quarter 2011 = 100.0 (e.g. ‘Deposit and loan facilities (direct charges)’, previously part of Deposit and loan facilities).

Series continuing, minor compositional change:

  • Series with a small change to composition such as the removal of a small component. (e.g. the stationary component of the 15th series expenditure class ‘Audio, visual and media services’ will move to the 16th series expenditure class 'Newspapers, magazines and stationery'). A back series will be calculated as far back as possible, based on available data.

Series continuing, name change or move in the classification order:

  • Series that have been renamed and/or moved in the 16th series classification. The 15th series expenditure class ‘Tea, coffee and food drinks’ has no composition changes and has been renamed ‘Coffee, tea and cocoa’ in the 16th series. The 15th series expenditure class ‘House Purchase’ has been renamed ‘New dwelling purchase by owner–occupiers’ in the 16th series and moved from 4.3.1 to 4.2.1. The series will be linked to the 15th series equivalent.

Discontinued series:

  • Series no longer available in the 16th series CPI. (e.g. ‘Deposit and loan facilities’). It will be partly replaced by a new series ‘Deposit and loan facilities (direct charges)’.
     

Abbreviations

CPIConsumer Price Index
CPICCConsumer Price Index Commodity Classification
COICOPClassification of Individual Consumption according to Purpose

 

16th series CPI Commodity Classification

 Group Correspondence with 15th seriesType of change
  Subgroup
   Expenditure class
1

FOOD AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Previously Food

(a)

1.1 Bread and cereal productsPreviously 1.2

(a)

1.1.1  Bread  Previously 1.2.1

(a)

1.1.2  Cakes and biscuits  Previously 1.2.2

(a)

1.1.3  Breakfast cereals  Previously 1.2.3

(a)

1.1.4  Other cereal products  Previously 1.2.4

(a)

1.2 Meat and seafoods  Previously 1.3

(a)

1.2.1  Beef and vealPreviously 1.3.1

(a)

1.2.2  Pork  New, combination of 1.3.3 (Pork) and 1.3.5 (Bacon and ham)

(c)

1.2.3  Lamb and goat  Previously 1.3.2 (Lamb and mutton)

(a)

1.2.4  Poultry  Previously 1.3.4

(a)

1.2.5  Other meats  Previously 1.3.6 (Other fresh and processed meat)

(a)

1.2.6  Fish and other seafood  Previously 1.3.7

(a)

1.3 Dairy and related products  Previously 1.1

(a)

1.3.1  MilkPreviously 1.1.1

(a)

1.3.2  CheesePreviously 1.1.2

(a)

1.3.3  Ice cream and other dairy productsPreviously 1.1.3

(a)

1.4 Fruit and vegetables  No change 
1.4.1  FruitNo change 
1.4.2  VegetablesNo change 
1.5 Food products n.e.c.New, combination of part 1.7 (Other food) and 1.5.2 (Snacks and confectionery)

(c)

1.5.1  EggsPreviously 1.7.1

(a)

1.5.2  Jams, honey and spreadsPreviously 1.7.2 (Jams, honey and sandwich spreads)

(a)

1.5.3  Food additives and condimentsPreviously 1.7.4

(a)

1.5.4  Oils and fatsPreviously 1.7.5 (Fats and oils)

(a)

1.5.5  Snacks and confectioneryPreviously 1.5.2

(a)

1.5.6  Other food products n.e.c.Previously 1.7.6 (Food n.e.c.)

(a)

1.6 Non-alcoholic beveragesNew, combination of 1.7.3 (Tea, coffee and food drinks) and 1.5.1 (Soft drinks, waters and juices)

(c)

1.6.1  Coffee, tea and cocoaPreviously 1.7.3 (Tea, coffee and food drinks)

(a)

1.6.2  Waters, soft drinks and juicesPreviously 1.5.1 (Soft drinks, waters and juices)

(a)

1.7 Meals out and take away foodsPreviously 1.6

(a)

1.7.1  Restaurant mealsPreviously 1.6.1

(a)

1.7.2  Take away and fast foodsPreviously 1.6.2

(a)

2ALCOHOL AND TOBACCONo change 
2.1 Alcoholic beveragesPreviously Alcoholic drinks

(a)

2.1.1  SpiritsPreviously 2.1.3

(a)

2.1.2  WineNo change 
2.1.3  BeerPreviously 2.1.1

(a)

2.2 TobaccoNo change 
2.2.1  TobaccoNo change 
3

CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR

No change 
3.1 GarmentsNew, combination of 3.1 (Men's clothing), 3.2 (Women's clothing) and 3.3 (Children's and infants' clothing)

(c)

3.1.1  Garments for menNew, combination of 3.1.1 (Men's outerwear) and 3.1.2 (Men's underwear, nightwear and socks)

(c)

3.1.2  Garments for womenNew, combination of 3.2.1 (Women's outerwear) and 3.2.2 (Women's underwear, nightwear and hosiery)

(c)

3.1.3  Garments for infants and childrenPreviously 3.3 (Children's and infants' clothing)

(a)

3.2 Footwear  Previously 3.4

(a)

3.2.1  Footwear for menPreviously 3.4.1 (Men's footwear)

(a)

3.2.2  Footwear for womenPreviously 3.4.2 (Women's footwear)

(a)

3.2.3  Footwear for infants and childrenPreviously 3.4.3 (Children's footwear)

(a)

3.3 Accessories and clothing servicesPreviously 3.5

(a)

3.3.1  Accessories  Previously 3.5.1

(a)

3.3.2  Cleaning, repair and hire of clothing and footwearPreviously 3.5.2 (Clothing services and shoe repair)

(a)

4HOUSINGNo change 
4.1 Rents  No change 
4.1.1  RentsNo change 
4.2 New dwelling purchase by owner-occupiersNew subgroup

(c)

4.2.1  New dwelling purchase by owner-occupiersPreviously 4.3.1 (House purchase)

(a)

4.3 Other housing  New, combination of 4.3.3 (House repairs and maintenance) and 4.3.2 (Property rates and charges)

(c)

4.3.1  Maintenance and repair of the dwellingPreviously 4.3.3 (House repairs and maintenance)

(a)

4.3.2  Property rates and charges  No change 
4.4 Utilities  Previously 4.2

(a)

4.4.1  Water and sewerage  Previously 4.2.3

(a)

4.4.2  ElectricityPreviously 4.2.1

(a)

4.4.3  Gas and other household fuels  Previously 4.2.2

(a)

5FURNISHINGS, HOUSEHOLD EQUIPMENT AND SERVICESPreviously Household contents and services

(a)

5.1 Furniture and furnishings  No change 
5.1.1  FurnitureNo change 
5.1.2  Carpets and other floor coveringsNew, part 5.1.2 (Floor and window coverings)

(c)

5.2 Household textilesNew subgroup

(c)

5.2.1  Household textilesNew, combination of 5.1.3 (Towels and linen) and part 5.1.2 (Floor and window coverings)

(c)

5.3 Household appliances, utensils and tools  Previously 5.2

(a)

5.3.1  Major household appliances  Previously 5.2.1

(a)

5.3.2  Small electric household appliances Previously 5.2.2

(a)

5.3.3  Glassware, tableware and household utensils  Previously 5.2.3

(a)

5.3.4  Tools and equipment for house and gardenPreviously 5.2.4 (Tools)

(a)

5.4 Non-durable household productsPreviously 5.3 (Household supplies)

(a)

5.4.1  Cleaning and maintenance productsPreviously 5.3.1 (Household cleaning agents)

(a)

5.4.2  Personal care productsPreviously 5.3.2 (Toiletries and personal care products)

(a)

5.4.3  Other non-durable household productsPreviously 5.3.3 (Other household supplies)

(a)

5.5 Domestic and household services  Previously 5.4 (Household services)

(a)

5.5.1  Child carePreviously 5.4.1

(a)

5.5.2  Hairdressing and personal grooming servicesPreviously 5.4.2 (Hairdressing and personal care services)

(a)

5.5.3  Other household servicesPreviously 5.4.3

(a)

6HEALTHNo change 
6.1 Medical products, appliances and equipmentNew, combination of 6.2 (Pharmaceuticals) and part 6.1.2 (Optical services)

(c)

6.1.1  Pharmaceutical productsPart 6.2 (Pharmaceuticals)

(b)

6.1.2  Therapeutic appliances and equipmentNew, combination of part 6.2 (Pharmaceuticals) and part 6.1.2 (Optical services)

(c)

6.2 Medical, dental and hospital servicesPreviously 6.1 (Health services)

(a)

6.2.1  Medical and hospital servicesNew, combination of 6.1.1 (Hospital and medical services) and part 6.1.2 (Optical services)

(c)

6.2.2  Dental servicesPreviously 6.1.3

(a)

7TRANSPORTPreviously Transportation

(a)

7.1 Private motoringNo change 
7.1.1  Motor vehiclesNo change 
7.1.2  Spare parts and accessories for motor vehiclesPreviously 7.1.4 (Motor vehicle parts and accessories)

(a)

7.1.3  Automotive fuelPreviously 7.1.2

(a)

7.1.4  Maintenance and repair of motor vehiclesPreviously 7.1.3 (Motor vehicle repair and servicing)

(a)

7.1.5  Other services in respect of motor vehiclesPreviously Other motoring charges

(a)

7.2 Urban transport faresNo change 
7.2.1  Urban transport faresNo change 
8COMMUNICATIONNo change 
8.1 CommunicationNo change 
8.1.1  Postal servicesPreviously Postal

(a)

8.1.2  Telecommunication equipment and servicesPreviously Telecommunication

(a)

9RECREATION AND CULTUREPreviously Recreation

(a)

9.1 Audio, visual and computing equipment and servicesPreviously Audio, visual and computing

(a)

9.1.1  Audio, visual and computing equipmentNo change 
9.1.2  Audio, visual and computing media and servicesPart 9.1.2 (Audio, visual and computing media and services)

(b)

9.2 Newspapers, books and stationeryNew, combination of 9.2 (Books, newspapers and magazines) and part 9.1.2 (Audio, visual and computing media and services)

(c)

9.2.1  BooksNo change 
9.2.2  Newspapers, magazines and stationeryNew, combination of 9.2.2 (Newspapers and magazines) and part 9.1.2 (Audio, visual and computing media and services)

(c)

9.3 Holiday travel and accommodationPreviously 9.4

(a)

9.3.1  Domestic holiday travel and accommodationPreviously 9.4.1

(a)

9.3.2  International holiday travel and accommodationPreviously 9.4.2 (Overseas holiday travel and accommodation)

(a)

9.4 Other recreation, sport and culturePreviously 9.3 (Sport and other recreation)

(a)

9.4.1  Equipment for sports, camping and open-air recreationPreviously 9.3.1 (Sports and recreational equipment)

(a)

9.4.2  Games, toys and hobbiesPreviously 9.3.2 (Toys, games and hobbies)

(a)

9.4.3  Pets and related productsPreviously 9.3.4 (Pets, pet foods and supplies)

(a)

9.4.4  Veterinary and other services for petsPreviously 9.3.5 (Pet services including veterinary)

(a)

9.4.5  Sports participation  Previously 9.3.3

(a)

9.4.6  Other recreational, sporting and cultural servicesPreviously 9.3.6 (Other recreational activities)

(a)

10EDUCATIONNo change 
10.1 EducationNo change 
10.1.1  Preschool and primary educationNo change 
10.1.2  Secondary educationNo change 
10.1.3  Tertiary educationNo change 
11INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICESPreviously Financial and insurance services

(a)

11.1 InsurancePreviously 11.2 (Insurance services)

(a)

11.1.1  InsurancePreviously 11.2.1 (Insurance services)

(a)

11.2 Financial servicesNew, combination of part 11.1.1 (Deposit and loan facilities) and 11.1.2 (Other financial services)

(d)

11.2.1  Deposit and loan facilities (direct charges)New, part 11.1.1 (Deposit and loan facilities)

(d)

11.2.2  Other financial servicesPreviously 11.1.2

(a)

a. Series continuing, name change and/or move of series in the classification order.
b. Series continuing, minor compositional change.
c. New series, backcast with components from 15th series.
d. New series, base of June quarter 2011 = 100.0 as no backcast data available.
 

Data downloads

16th Series CPI commodity classification correspondences

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6401.0.55.004.

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