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By state:
- The lowest average household expenditure was in Tasmania ($753 a week). Tasmania also had the lowest level of gross household income ($897 a week).
- Across all broad goods and services expenditure categories, Tasmania had the lowest expenditures on:
- current housing costs ($94 a week), spent on items such as rent and interest on home mortgage payments;
- food and non-alcoholic beverages ($135 a week);
- household services and operation ($45 a week);
- medical care and health expenses ($36 a week);
- transport ($128 a week);
- recreation ($94 a week);
- personal care items ($13 a week);
- miscellaneous goods and services ($61 a week), spent on items such as education and other fees.
- Tasmania had the lowest expenditure on fast food and takeaway ($18 a week).
- Significant increases in expenditure over the five years from 1998-99 were on mobile telephone charges (up 312%), pay TV (up 291%) and wine (up 70%).
Differences in demographic and geographic characteristics of households help to explain Tasmania's relatively low levels of expenditure. These factors include:
- Tasmania had the lowest proportion of households living in the capital city area (41%).
- Tasmania had the lowest proportion of households with wages and salaries income as the principal source of income (52%) and the highest proportion of households with government pensions and allowances as their principal source of income (36%).
- Tasmania had a relatively high proportion of outright home ownership (38%).
By capital city:
- While households in Tasmania recorded the lowest total weekly expenditure and gross income, Hobart recorded neither the lowest expenditure nor the lowest gross income levels for a capital city (Adelaide was lower than Hobart in terms total expenditure and Brisbane in terms of income).
- Comparing each category of goods and services expenditure, Hobart had the lowest expenditures on housing costs ($108 a week), on household services and operation ($52 a week), and on personal care ($15 a week).
- Within the housing costs, Hobart had the lowest expenditures on rent and on interest on mortgage repayments (both $31 a week).
- Significant increases in expenditure over the five years from 1998-99 were on mobile telephone charges (up 349%), pay TV (up 224%), internet charges (up 179%) and wine (up 73%).
 | NSW | Vic. | Qld | SA | WA | Tas. | NT | ACT | Aust. |
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| Average weekly expenditure ($) | 938 | 888 | 820 | 814 | 871 | 753 | 1,038 | 1,052 | 883 |
| Mean gross household income per week ($) | 1,212 | 1,134 | 1,036 | 1,033 | 1,098 | 897 | 1,401 | 1,399 | 1,128 |
Extract from Tables 25 and 26 of Household Expenditure Survey, Australia: Summary of Results, 2003-04 (cat. no. 6530.0).
This page last updated 3 July 2008
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