Preface
The purpose of this information paper is to present the 2019 weight update for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Selected Living Cost Indexes (SLCIs). The 2019 update will be in respect of the December quarter 2019, which are due to be released on 29 January 2020 (CPI) and 5 February 2020 (SLCIs).
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has traditionally updated the CPI weights in line with the release of the ABS’s Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The first annual re-weight of the CPI was in 2018. The 2019 weight update again predominately uses Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) data available from the National Accounts. This approach enables the CPI to be re-weighted on an annual basis, as outlined in the information paper An Implementation Plan to Annually Re-weight the Australian CPI. HES data will still be used to calculate weights for the years it is available.
The SLCIs, incorporating the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index (PBLCI) and the Analytical Living Cost Indexes (ALCIs), have also been reviewed as part of the 2019 update.
This information paper provides an overview of the changes to the CPI and SLCIs that will be introduced with the 2019 update and presents the updated weighting patterns. Included in this information paper is the CPI explainer: Quality Change in the Australian CPI.
Readers requiring further information should contact:
Consumer Price Index Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics
PO Box 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: 02 6252 6654
Email: prices.statistics@abs.gov.au
David Gruen
Australian Statistician
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