Australia's consumer price index rises 4.3 per cent over the year, with trimmed mean inflation at 3.6 per cent

28 October 2026

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the consumer price index rose 4.3 per cent in the year to September 2026, up from 4.0 per cent in August. The index rose 1.3 per cent over the September quarter. Trimmed mean inflation, the underlying measure, was 3.6 per cent over the year and rose 1.0 per cent in the quarter. Housing was the largest contributor, up 5.2 per cent over the year, with new dwelling costs up 4.7 per cent. Transport was the next largest, up 8.7 per cent, mainly because of automotive fuel. Fuel rose 9.4 per cent in the month after a 14.8 per cent rise in August, which the ABS linked to higher world oil prices. The ABS said automotive fuel was excluded from the trimmed mean in September, and that this was a key reason the headline and trimmed mean figures differed. Rachael McCririck is the ABS head of price statistics.