Consumer Price Index, Australia

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The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures household inflation and includes statistics about price change for categories of household expenditure

Reference period
March 2022
Released
27/04/2022

Key statistics

  • The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.1% this quarter.
  • Over the twelve months to the March 2022 quarter, the CPI rose 5.1%.
  • The most significant price rises were New dwelling purchase by owner-occupiers (+5.7%) and Automotive fuel (+11.0%).

Main features

Weighted average of eight capital cities
 Dec Qtr 2021 to Mar Qtr 2022Mar Qtr 2021 to Mar Qtr 2022
% change% change
All groups CPI2.15.1
Food and non-alcoholic beverages2.84.3
Alcohol and tobacco1.11.8
Clothing and footwear-0.6-1.5
Housing2.76.7
Furnishings, household equipment and services1.14.9
Health2.33.5
Transport4.213.7
Communication0.3-0.8
Recreation and culture0.63.0
Education4.54.7
Insurance and financial services0.52.7
CPI analytical series
 All groups CPI, seasonally adjusted2.05.2
 Trimmed mean1.43.7
 Weighted median1.03.2

Overview

Underlying inflation highest since 2009

Annual CPI inflation increased to 5.1 per cent in the March quarter, due to higher dwelling construction costs and automotive fuel prices. Trimmed mean annual inflation, which excludes large price rises and falls, increased to 3.7 per cent, the highest since March 2009.

Rising construction costs drove higher prices for new dwellings

New dwelling prices have recorded their largest rise since September 2000, following the introduction of the GST. Price rises were driven by high levels of building construction activity combined with ongoing shortages of materials and labour. Fewer payments of government construction grants compared to the previous quarter also contributed to the rise. These grants have the effect of reducing out of pocket expenses for new dwelling purchases. 

Fuel prices at record level

Automotive fuel prices rose for the seventh consecutive quarter, resulting in the strongest annual rise since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The Automotive fuel series reached a record level in the March quarter due to an oil price shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, paired with ongoing easing of COVID-19 restrictions strengthening global demand. The national quarterly average price for unleaded petrol increased to $1.83 per litre in the March quarter. 

Two speed rental market continues across capital cities

Rents in Sydney and Melbourne recorded small rises in the March quarter. Rents across the remaining capital cities continue to record relatively stronger rises, reflecting historically low vacancy rates.

The positive growth in rents for Sydney and Melbourne was mainly driven by rising rents for houses, while other dwellings recorded a relatively smaller rise in Sydney and a small fall in Melbourne. Rental conditions for other dwellings remained subdued in Melbourne reflecting higher vacancy rates. Rents for both houses and other dwellings increased at a similar rate in the remaining capital cities.

Gap between discretionary and non-discretionary inflation continued to grow

Non-discretionary annual inflation was higher than the CPI and more than twice the rate of Discretionary inflation. Non-discretionary inflation includes goods and services that households are less likely to reduce their consumption of, such as food, automotive fuel, housing and health costs which have all experienced price rises through the year.

In the quarter Non-discretionary inflation grew by 3 per cent. This was driven by Housing, Automotive fuel and Food.

Vouchers for meals out and takeaway softened food price rises

The food group includes both grocery food products and meals out and takeaway foods. Grocery food products (+4.0%) were the main contributor to the food group in the March quarter. This movement was softened by meals out and takeaway foods (+0.7%), which saw price rises partially offset by voucher schemes reducing out of pocket costs for consumers in some cities.

Price growth recorded across all grocery products

Price rises were seen across all food and non-food grocery products in the March quarter, reflecting a range of price pressures including transport costs, supply chain disruptions and increased input costs. 

Main contributors to change

CPI groups


 

Food and non-alcoholic beverages group (+2.8%)

  • Vegetables (+6.6%) and Fruit (+4.9%) rose due to COVID-related supply chain disruptions, and high transport and fertiliser costs. Flooding in production areas of New South Wales and Queensland also disrupted supply in early March , placing additional pressure on vegetable prices late in the quarter. 

  • Meat and seafoods rose 4.8% due to herd rebuilding in response to favourable weather conditions, reducing supply. Supply chain disruptions and high transport costs also contributed to the rise.

  • Waters, soft drinks and juices rose 5.6% due to packaging, ingredient and freight costs pressures.

  • Meals out and takeaway foods rose 0.7%. The pass through of increased input costs to consumers was partially offset by the NSW Government's 'Dine & Discover' and the City of Melbourne's 'Midweek Melbourne Money' voucher schemes. These voucher schemes have the effect of reducing out of pocket costs for consumers. Excluding the impact of these voucher schemes, meals out and takeaway foods rose 1.2%. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 2.0%. The main contributors were Beef and veal (+5.0%), Waters, soft drinks and juices (+3.8%) and Fruit (+3.4%).

Over the past twelve months, the group rose 4.3%. Meals out and takeaway foods (+2.6%), Vegetables (+12.7%) and Beef and veal (+12.1%) were the main contributors.  

Alcohol and tobacco group (+1.1%)

  • Alcohol rose 1.0% as prices returned from seasonal specials and the excise tax increase for beer and spirits.
  • Tobacco rose 1.2%. The Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE) excise increase of 0.7% was applied from 1 March 2022.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 0.7%. The main contributor was Tobacco (+1.0%).

Over the past twelve months, the group rose 1.8%. The main contributor was Tobacco (+3.0%). 

Clothing and footwear group (-0.6%)

  • Garments (-1.2%) and Footwear (-2.4%) fell due to discounting of excess summer stock.
  • Accessories rose 1.3% due to rises in gold jewellery, reflecting higher gold commodity prices. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 0.2%. The main contributor was Accessories (+1.3%).

Over the past twelve months, the group fell 1.5%. The main contributor was Garments (-2.9%).

Housing group (+2.7%)

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers rose 5.7%. This was the largest rise since the September 2000 quarter, following the introduction of the GST. Continuing strong demand for housing construction enabled builders to pass through increases in costs for both materials and labour.

  • Fewer grant payments this quarter from the Federal Government's HomeBuilder program and similar state-based housing construction programs also contributed to the rise.

  • The following graph shows the new dwellings series including and excluding government housing construction grants. 

Index, June 2020 = 100

  • Gas and other household fuels rose 6.3% driven by Melbourne (+10.9%). This was the largest rise since the September 2012 quarter. The rise in Melbourne was driven by annual price reviews which factored in rising wholesale and network costs.

  • Rents rose 0.6%, the largest rise since the September 2014 quarter. Sydney and Melbourne recorded their first rises since the December 2018 and December 2020 quarters respectively. Rents across the other capital cities continue to record relatively stronger rises reflecting historically low vacancy rates. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 2.5%. The main contributor was New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+5.7%).

Over the past twelve months the group rose 6.7%. The main contributor to the rise was New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+13.7%).

Furnishings, household equipment and services group (+1.1%)

  • Other non-durable household products, such as toilet paper and paper towels, rose 6.7%.
  • Domestic and household services rose 0.9% due to price increases for hairdressing and gardening services.  Child care was unchanged this quarter as increased child care fees were offset by the recent introduction of additional child care subsidies for families with two or more children under the age of six. This policy came into effect part way through the quarter and therefore will also impact the June 2022 quarter. The NSW Government's new before and after school care vouchers also had the effect of reducing families' child care out of pocket costs in Sydney.
  • Furniture (-3.4%) partially offset the rise, due to post Christmas discounting.

In seasonally adjusted terms the group rose 2.1%. The main contributor was Other non-durable household products (+6.7%).

Over the past twelve months the group rose 4.9%. Other non-durable household products (+11.8%) and Furniture (+5.3%) were the main contributors.

Health group (+2.3%)

  • Pharmaceutical products (+5.7%) and Medical and hospital services (+1.8%) rose as a result of the cyclical reduction in the proportion of consumers who qualify for subsidies under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Medicare safety net. The safety net thresholds for both the PBS and Medicare are reset on 1 January each year.

In seasonally adjusted terms the group rose 1.0%. Medical and hospital services (+1.2%) was the main contributor. 

Over the past twelve months the group rose 3.5%. Medical and hospital services (+4.6%) was the main contributor.

Transport group (+4.2%)

  • Automotive fuel rose 11.0% due to an oil price shock caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, paired with ongoing easing of COVID-19 restrictions strengthening global demand. Fuel prices reached record levels in the March quarter.

  • Motor Vehicles rose 1.0% due to ongoing global supply constraints restricting global supply chains, coupled with strong domestic demand. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose (+4.2%). The main contributor was Automotive fuel (+11.0%)

Over the past 12 months, the group rose (+13.7%). Automotive fuel (+35.1%) and Motor vehicles (+6.6%) were the main contributors.


 

Communication group (+0.3%)

  • Postal services rose 3.8% due to rises in postage rates for international and domestic parcels.

The group is not seasonally adjusted.

Over the past twelve months the group fell 0.8%. The main contributor was telecommunication equipment and services (-1.1%).

Recreation and culture group (+0.6%)

  • Pets and related products rose 6.7% due to price rises for cat and dog food.
  • Equipment for sports, camping and equipment rose 2.0% due to price increases in major durables such as boats and caravans.
  • International holiday travel and accommodation (-23.1%) partially offset the rise due to price falls in airfares as overseas carriers increased their Europe, America, and Asia services. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 1.3%. Pets and related products (+6.0%) was the main contributor.

Over the past twelve months the group rose 3.0%. Domestic holiday travel and accommodation (+4.6%) was the main contributor.

Education group (+4.5%)

  • Tertiary education rose 6.3% due to the continuing impact of the job-ready graduate package that commenced in January 2021. When the new fee structure was introduced last year, fees for existing students were 'grandfathered' so that existing students paid either the same or lower fees, depending on the course they were doing. As students graduate, proportionately fewer are covered by the grandfathering arrangements, meaning that fees have increased on average. 
  • Secondary education (+3.0%) and Preschool and primary education (+4.5%) rose following the commencement of the new school year. The ending of free preschool in Victoria also contributed to the rise in preschool and primary school fees.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 2.5%. The main contributors were tertiary education (5.4%) and preschool and primary education (+1.7%).

Over the past twelve months, the group rose 4.7%. Tertiary education (+6.4%) was the main contributor.

Insurance and financial services group (+0.5%)

  • Other financial services (+0.4%) was the main contributor to the rise. 

In seasonally adjusted terms, the group rose 0.6%.

Over the past twelve months the group rose 2.7%.

International trade exposure - tradable and non-tradables

The tradables and non-tradables series measure the contribution of goods and services that are highly exposed to international trade influences (tradables), and those that are mostly influenced by domestic factors (non-tradables), to overall household inflation. Examples of tradables include automotive fuel, most food items, and clothing and footwear. Examples of non-tradables include housing and education.

Tradables (+2.8% quarter, +6.8% annual)

  • Tradable goods component rose (+2.9%) due to Automotive fuel (+11.0%).
  • Tradable services component fell (-8.4%) due to International holiday travel and accommodation (-23.1%).

Non-tradables (+1.8% quarter, +4.2% annual)

  • Non-tradable goods component rose (+2.9%) due to New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+5.7%). 
  • Non-tradable services component rose (+1.2%) due to Tertiary education(+6.3%).

In seasonally adjusted terms, the tradables component of the All groups CPI rose 2.7% and the non-tradables component rose +1.6%.

Underlying inflation series

The Trimmed mean and the Weighted median provide measures of underlying inflation. These measures reduce the impact of irregular or temporary price changes in the CPI. For more information see Underlying Inflation Measures: Explaining the Trimmed Mean and Weighted Median.

In the March 2022 quarter:

  • The Trimmed mean rose 1.4%, following a rise of 1.0% in the December 2021 quarter.

  • Over the past twelve months to the March 2022 quarter, the Trimmed mean rose 3.7%, following a rise of 2.6% over the twelve months to the December 2021 quarter.

  • The Weighted median rose 1.0% following a rise of 0.9% in the December 2021 quarter.

  • Over the past twelve months, the Weighted median rose 3.2%, following a rise of 2.5% over the twelve months to the December 2021 quarter.

Seasonally adjusted analytical series

Seasonal adjustment is the process by which regular, calendar related effects are removed from the original series.

  • All groups CPI seasonally adjusted rose 2.0% for the quarter.
Dec Qtr 2021 to Mar Qtr 2022 percentage change
 Original (%)Seasonally Adjusted (%)
All groups CPI2.12.0
Food and non-alcoholic beverages2.82.0
Alcohol and tobacco1.10.7
Clothing and footwear-0.60.2
Housing2.72.5
Furnishings, household equipment and services1.12.1
Health2.31.0
Transport4.24.2
Communication(a)0.3 
Recreation and culture0.61.3
Education4.52.5
Insurance and financial services0.50.6
International trade exposure series  
 Tradables2.82.7
 Non-tradables1.81.6

a. Not seasonally adjusted

A detailed explanation of the seasonal adjustment of the All Groups CPI and calculation of the trimmed mean and weighted median measures is available in Information Paper: Seasonal Adjustment of Consumer Price Indexes, 2011 (cat. no. 6401.0.55.003). Revisions to the seasonally adjusted estimates can be the result of the application of concurrent seasonal adjustment, described on the methodology page.

Capital cities comparison

All groups CPI

All groups CPI, All groups index numbers and percentage changes
 Index number(a)Percentage change
 Mar Qtr 2022Dec Qtr 2021 to Mar Qtr 2022Mar Qtr 2021 to Mar Qtr 2022
Sydney123.71.74.4
Melbourne124.22.34.5
Brisbane125.32.26.0
Adelaide122.71.94.7
Perth123.33.37.6
Hobart125.42.05.8
Darwin120.72.15.5
Canberra123.62.25.4
Weighted average of eight capital cities123.92.15.1

a. Index reference period: 2011-12 = 100.0.

In all capital cities:

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+5.7%) rose. Continuing strong demand for housing construction enabled builders to pass through increases in costs for both materials and labour driven by ongoing supply constraints. The largest rise was recorded in Perth (+15.8%), followed by Brisbane (+6.0%) and Melbourne (+4.7%).

  • Automotive fuel (+11.0%) rose due to a global oil price shock following the Russian invasion of Ukraine combined with easing COVID restrictions globally. The largest rise was recorded in Adelaide (+12.6%), followed by Darwin (+12.0%) and Brisbane (+11.9%).

  • Tertiary education (+6.3%) rose due to the continued introduction of the new band and fee schedule with more students on the higher fee structure this year. The largest price rises were recorded in Hobart (+7.4%), Brisbane (+7.2%) and Canberra (+7.2%).

Capital city highlights:

At the All groups level, the CPI rose in all eight capital cities, ranging from 1.7% in Sydney to 3.3% in Perth.

 

Sydney (+1.7%)

Sydney recorded the smallest rise of all capital cities.

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+4.2%).

  • Automotive fuel (+9.6%).

  • Other non-durable household products (+7.6%)

  • Furniture (-6.5%) partially offset the rise.

Sydney recorded an annual rise of 4.4%.

Melbourne (+2.3%)

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+4.7%).
  • Automotive fuel (+11.4%).
  • Gas and other household fuels (+10.9) rose due to rising wholesale and network costs.

Melbourne recorded an annual rise of 4.5%.

Brisbane (+2.2%)

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+6.0%).

  • Automotive fuel (+11.9%). 

  • Tertiary education (+7.2%).

  • Domestic holiday travel and accommodation (-5.0%) partially offset the rise. 

Brisbane recorded an annual rise of 6.0%.

Adelaide (+1.9%)

  • Automotive fuel (+12.6%).

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+4.4%).

  • Other non-durable household products (+6.6%)

Adelaide recorded an annual rise of 4.7%.

Perth (+3.3%)

Perth recorded the largest rise of all capital cities. 

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+15.8%) rose due to rising materials and labour costs, and fewer grant payments from the Federal Government's HomeBuilder and Western Australian Government's housing construction programs compared to the previous quarter. 

  • Automotive fuel (+11.1%).

  • Other non-durable household products (+7.4%)

  • Rents (+2.3%) rose due to historically low vacancy rates resulting in price rises.

Perth recorded an annual rise of 7.6%. 

Hobart (+2.0%)

  • Automotive fuel (+11.6%).
  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+1.9%).
  • Domestic holiday travel and accommodation (+4.2%)
  • Rents (+1.4%) rose due to historically low vacancy rates resulting in price rises. 

Hobart recorded an annual rise of 5.8%.

Darwin (+2.1%)

  •  Automotive fuel (+12.0%). 
  • Rents (+3.1%) rose due to continued strong levels of rental demand and low vacancy rates.
  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+2.5%). 

Darwin recorded an annual rise of 5.5%.

 

Canberra (+2.2%)

  • Automotive fuel (+8.8%).

  • New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers (+2.6%). 

  • Electricity (+6.9%) rose due to electricity costs returning to normal levels following the removal of a one-off $200 rebate for concession customers introduced in the previous quarter.

  • Rents (+2.2%) rose due to historically low vacancy rates resulting in price rises. 

Canberra recorded an annual rise of 5.4%.

 

Quarterly percentage change by capital city
GroupSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinCanberraWeighted average of eight capital cities
All groups1.72.32.21.93.32.02.12.22.1
Food & non-alcoholic beverages2.52.83.22.73.22.72.72.82.8
Alcohol & tobacco1.20.81.20.81.7-0.11.01.41.1
Clothing & footwear-0.1-0.5-1.8-0.7-1.1-0.7-1.1-0.5-0.6
Housing1.92.42.81.96.61.22.02.32.7
Furnishings, household equipment and services0.61.21.10.91.91.52.31.21.1
Health2.12.23.41.32.12.40.53.02.3
Transport3.24.74.25.44.56.05.03.74.2
Communication0.40.30.30.30.30.30.30.40.3
Recreation & culture-0.11.6-0.21.01.32.00.31.50.6
Education3.85.44.93.73.64.66.65.54.5
Insurance & financial services0.60.70.5-0.51.10.30.90.00.5

Selected tables - capital cities

All groups CPI, index numbers(a)

All groups CPI, Index numbers(a)
PeriodSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinCanberraWeighted average of eight capital cities
2022 March123.7124.2125.3122.7123.3125.4120.7123.6123.9
2021 December121.6121.4122.6120.4119.4122.9118.2120.9121.3
2021 September120.2120.1120.7118.6117.7120.2117.3119.7119.7
2021 June119.4119.1119.2117.8116.8119.8115.6118.2118.8
2021 March118.5118.8118.2117.2114.6118.5114.4117.3117.9
2020 December118.0118.4117.5116.5113.0117.6111.5116.3117.2
2020 September116.8116.7116.2115.7114.1116.7110.8115.4116.2
2020 June114.7115.7113.6114.6112.1115.6109.0112.8114.4
2020 March117.4117.8116.2115.8113.5117.2111.8115.5116.6
2019 December117.1116.9116.3115.4113.1116.7111.5115.0116.2
2019 September116.5115.9115.5114.5112.6114.7111.3114.3115.4
2019 June115.9115.3114.8113.7112.0114.1111.0113.5114.8
2019 March115.1114.7114.1113.1111.2113.4110.1113.2114.1
2018 December115.2114.6114.0113.0111.3113.6111.0113.1114.1
2018 September114.7114.0113.4112.4110.8112.2110.8112.3113.5
2018 June114.0113.8112.9112.1110.2111.5110.1111.6113.0
2018 March113.6113.3112.4111.6110.0111.1109.7111.2112.6
2020-21118.2118.3117.8116.8114.6118.2113.1116.8117.5
2019-20116.4116.6115.4115.1112.8116.1110.9114.4115.7
2018-19115.2114.7114.1113.1111.3113.3110.7113.0114.1

a. Unless otherwise specified, reference period of each index: 2011-12 = 100.0.

All groups CPI, percentage changes

Percentage change (from previous financial year)
PeriodSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinCanberraWeighted average of eight capital cities
2020-211.51.42.11.51.61.82.02.11.6
2019-201.01.71.21.81.32.40.21.21.3
2018-191.71.71.61.51.32.50.92.11.6
Percentage change (from corresponding quarter of previous year)
PeriodSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinCanberraWeighted average of eight capital cities
2022 March4.44.56.04.77.65.85.55.45.1
2021 December3.12.54.33.35.74.56.04.03.5
2021 September2.92.93.92.53.23.05.93.73.0
2021 June4.12.94.92.84.23.66.14.83.8
2021 March0.90.81.71.21.01.12.31.61.1
2020 December0.81.31.01.0-0.10.80.01.10.9
2020 September0.30.70.61.01.31.7-0.41.00.7
2020 June-1.00.3-1.00.80.11.3-1.8-0.6-0.3
2020 March2.02.71.82.42.13.41.52.02.2
2019 December1.62.02.02.11.62.70.51.71.8
2019 September1.61.71.91.91.62.20.51.81.7
2019 June1.71.31.71.41.62.30.81.71.6
2019 March1.31.21.51.31.12.10.41.81.3
2018 December1.72.01.51.61.33.01.22.51.8
2018 September2.02.21.81.81.22.71.32.51.9
2018 June2.12.51.72.71.12.41.22.82.1
2018 March2.12.21.72.30.92.01.12.41.9
Percentage change (from previous quarter)
PeriodSydneyMelbourneBrisbaneAdelaidePerthHobartDarwinCanberraWeighted average of eight capital cities
2022 March1.72.32.21.93.32.02.12.22.1
2021 December1.21.11.61.51.42.20.81.01.3
2021 September0.70.81.30.70.80.31.51.30.8
2021 June0.80.30.80.51.91.11.00.80.8
2021 March0.40.30.60.61.40.82.60.90.6
2020 December1.01.51.10.7-1.00.80.60.80.9
2020 September1.80.92.31.01.81.01.72.31.6
2020 June-2.3-1.8-2.2-1.0-1.2-1.4-2.5-2.3-1.9
2020 March0.30.8-0.10.30.40.40.30.40.3
2019 December0.50.90.70.80.41.70.20.60.7
2019 September0.50.50.60.70.50.50.30.70.5
2019 June0.70.50.60.50.70.60.80.30.6
2019 March-0.10.10.10.1-0.1-0.2-0.80.10.0
2018 December0.40.50.50.50.51.20.20.70.5
2018 September0.60.20.40.30.50.60.60.60.4
2018 June0.40.40.40.40.20.40.40.40.4
2018 March0.30.90.10.40.10.70.00.80.4

Longer term series: all groups CPI, weighted average of eight capital cities, index numbers

 
 31 March no.30 June no.30 September no.31 December no.
2022123.9   
2021117.9118.8119.7121.3
2020116.6114.4116.2117.2
2019114.1114.8115.4116.2
2018112.6113.0113.5114.1
2017110.5110.7111.4112.1
2016108.2108.6109.4110.0
2015106.8107.5108.0108.4
2014105.4105.9106.4106.6
2013102.4102.8104.0104.8
201299.9100.4101.8102.0
201198.399.299.899.8
201095.295.896.596.9
200992.592.993.894.3
200890.391.692.792.4
200786.687.788.389.1
200684.585.986.786.6
200582.182.683.483.8
200480.280.680.981.5
200378.678.679.179.5
200276.176.677.177.6
200173.974.574.775.4
200069.770.272.973.1
199967.868.168.769.1
199867.067.467.567.8
199767.166.966.666.8
199666.266.766.967.0
199563.864.765.566.0
199461.561.962.362.8
199360.660.861.161.2
199259.959.759.860.1
199158.959.059.359.9
199056.257.157.559.0
198951.753.054.255.2
198848.449.350.251.2
198745.346.046.847.6
198641.442.143.244.4
198537.938.839.740.5

a. nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

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Price indexes published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provide summary measures of the movements in various categories of prices over time. They are published primarily for use in Government economic analysis. Price indexes are also often used in contracts by businesses and government to adjust payments and/or charges to take account of changes in categories of prices (Indexation Clauses).

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Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6401.0.

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