Household spending up 0.8% in July
Household spending rose 0.8 per cent in July, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
This followed a 0.5 per cent fall in June and a 0.7 per cent rise in May. In trend terms, spending has been flat for the past three months.
Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said: “Household spending bounced back in July after falling in June.
“The July rise was led by higher spending on services such as transport and health services. In contrast, goods spending was relatively subdued, rising 0.1 per cent in July.
“Non-discretionary spending grew faster than discretionary spending, as households continue to face cost-of-living pressures. In the 12 months to July, non-discretionary spending rose by 4.3 per cent, with discretionary spending rising by 1.3 per cent.”
Household spending rose in most states and territories compared to the same time last year in calendar adjusted terms. The largest percentage rises were seen in Western Australia (+6.4 per cent), Queensland (+3.9 per cent) and the Northern Territory (+3.2 per cent), while New South Wales fell 0.2 per cent.
Media notes
- The indicator is produced using aggregated and de-identified card transactions from banks, supermarket scanner data, and motor vehicle sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
- The indicator includes nine of the 13 key divisions which are classified according to the Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP).
- Care should be given when comparing Household Spending Indicator estimates with other ABS products. See the Methodology page for further information.
- The ABS plans to expand its suite of seasonally adjusted estimates in the coming months. In the meantime, it is advised to focus on calendar adjusted annual comparisons for State/territory and spending category estimates.
- When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
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