Australian household spending rises 0.6 per cent in September, says the Bureau of Statistics

4 November 2026

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its Monthly Household Spending Indicator for September 2026. Total household spending rose 0.6 per cent over the month in seasonally adjusted, current price terms. In August spending had slipped 0.1 per cent, while July had seen a rise of 1.0 per cent. Over the September quarter spending grew 0.7 per cent. Health and transport led the increase, each up 1.5 per cent, with recreation and culture up 0.8 per cent. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco fell 0.7 per cent, furnishings and household equipment fell 0.2 per cent and food fell 0.1 per cent. Tom Lay, the ABS head of business statistics, said spending rose across both essential and discretionary categories.