Australia Personal Spending Slows, Still Beats Forecasts

2026-08-04 01:57 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

Household spending in Australia rose 0.8% month-on-month in June 2026, slowing from a marginally revised 1.2% gain in the previous month and marking the weakest pace since February.

Still, the latest figure exceeded market expectations of 0.2%.

Spending growth eased for food (0.3% vs 1.1% in May) and furnishings (0.6% vs 0.8%), while declines were seen in clothing and footwear (-0.7% vs 2.4%), hotels, cafes, and restaurants (-0.1% vs 1.8%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.6% vs 2.2%).

By contrast, spending accelerated in alcohol and tobacco (1.0%), health (0.3%), transport (3.0%), and recreation (1.4%).

Regionally, all states and territories recorded gains: New South Wales (1.0%), Victoria (0.6%), Queensland (0.4%), South Australia (0.5%), Western Australia (1.3%), Tasmania (1.6%), the Northern Territory (0.2%), and the Australian Capital Territory (1.4%).

On an annual basis, household spending climbed 6.0%, up from 5.5% in May, pointing to the fastest pace in three months.



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Australia Personal Spending Slows, Still Beats Forecasts
Household spending in Australia rose 0.8% month-on-month in June 2026, slowing from a marginally revised 1.2% gain in the previous month and marking the weakest pace since February. Still, the latest figure exceeded market expectations of 0.2%. Spending growth eased for food (0.3% vs 1.1% in May) and furnishings (0.6% vs 0.8%), while declines were seen in clothing and footwear (-0.7% vs 2.4%), hotels, cafes, and restaurants (-0.1% vs 1.8%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.6% vs 2.2%). By contrast, spending accelerated in alcohol and tobacco (1.0%), health (0.3%), transport (3.0%), and recreation (1.4%). Regionally, all states and territories recorded gains: New South Wales (1.0%), Victoria (0.6%), Queensland (0.4%), South Australia (0.5%), Western Australia (1.3%), Tasmania (1.6%), the Northern Territory (0.2%), and the Australian Capital Territory (1.4%). On an annual basis, household spending climbed 6.0%, up from 5.5% in May, pointing to the fastest pace in three months.
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Household spending in Australia rose 1.3% month-over-month in May 2026, rebounding from a 1.1% decline in April. Spending increased across eight of the nine major consumption categories, with the strongest recovery recorded in clothing and footwear (2.7% vs -2.2% in April), followed by miscellaneous goods and services (2.2% vs -0.7%), transport (1.4% vs -4.7%), food (1.1% vs -1.1%), and recreation and culture (0.8% vs -0.2%). Meanwhile, spending continued to rise for hotels, cafes and restaurants (1.9% vs 0.9%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (1.0% vs 0.4%), and furnishings and household equipment (0.8% vs 0.0%). Regionally, household spending rose in Western Australia (2.6%), the Northern Territory (2.1%), Victoria (1.7%), South Australia (1.6%), Queensland (1.1%), New South Wales (0.7%), and the Australian Capital Territory (0.6%). In contrast, Tasmania was the only jurisdiction to record a decline, with spending falling 0.5%. On an annual basis, household spending increased 5.5%.
2026-06-25
Australia Personal Spending Falls for First Time in 4 Months
Household spending in Australia dropped 1.1% mom in April 2026, reversing a 1.6% rise in the previous month and marking the first contraction since December. Spending decreased for food (-1.3% vs 1.7% in March), clothing (-2.2% vs 0.9%), furnishings and household equipment (-0.1% vs 1.5%), transport (-4.7% vs 5.4%), recreation (-0.2% vs 1.2%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-1.0% vs 1.4%). In contrast, outlays rose for alcoholic drinks and tobacco (0.3% vs -0.4%), health (0.5% vs 0.4% ), and hotels, cafes, and restaurants (0.5% vs -0.9%). Regionally, spending declined in New South Wales (-0.8%), Victoria (-1.5%), Queensland (-1.0%), South Australia (-1.2%), and Western Australia (-1.9%). In contrast, spending rose in Tasmania (0.3%) and the Northern Territory (0.4%), while remaining unchanged in the Australian Capital Territory. On an annual basis, household spending increased 4.9%, easing from a 6.2% gain in March, which had marked the fastest growth pace since September 2023.
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