Consumer Price Index

CONTACT

Consumer Price Indexes Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra
Telephone (02) 6252 6377

DESCRIPTION

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of changes, over time, in retail prices of a constant basket of goods and services, representative of consumption expenditure by resident households in Australian metropolitan areas. The total basket is divided into eleven major commodity groups, then subgroups, and 'expenditure classes' at the most detailed level. The major group 'education' has one subgroup.

The Education subgroup is split into three expenditure classes:

• Preschool and primary education
• Secondary education
• Tertiary education

Child care is an expenditure class within Household services.

Scope

The reference population for the Australian CPI is all private households in the eight capital cities (the six state capitals, Canberra, and Darwin). This 'CPI population group' represented approximately 64% of Australian private households in 1998-99.

Reference Period

The reference period is a calendar quarter (three months): the quarters ending in March, June, September, and December of each year.

Frequency of Collection

While most CPI items are priced each quarter, prices in the Education group are collected at the start of each calendar year.

Method of collection

The CPI is compiled independently for each of the eight capital cities, based on prices collected in each city.

DISSEMINATION

Release schedule

The CPI for each quarter is released on the fourth Wednesday of the month following the end of that quarter.

Publications

Consumer Price Index, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6401.0)

Geography

Data are available for each capital city and for metropolitan Australia (excluding territories).


Other information

Brief information on the 15th series Australian CPI is available in the Explanatory Notes of the publication Consumer Price Index, Australia (ABS cat. no. 6401.0). Further information is provided in A Guide to the Consumer Price Index: 15th Series, 2005 (ABS cat. no. 6440.0). Comprehensive detail of the methodology, conceptual bases, and expenditure class composition of the CPI is provided in the publications, Australian Consumer Price Index: concepts, sources, and methods, 2005 (ABS cat. no. 6461.0); and Information Paper: Introduction of the 15th Series Australian Consumer Price Index 2005 (Reissue), 2005 (ABS cat. no. 6462.0).

DATA ITEMS

Education
Preschool and primary education (Expenditure class 10.1.1)
Secondary education (Expenditure class 10.1.2)
Tertiary education (Expenditure class 10.1.3)

Household services
Child care (Expenditure class 5.4.1 )

Historical Data

Extensive and detailed time series spreadsheets are available on the ABS Website. Both the Education and the Child care series commence in March quarter 1982; and the Tertiary, Secondary, and Preschool and primary education expenditure class series commence in June quarter 2000.

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