6463.0 - Analytical Living Cost Indexes for Selected Australian Household Types, Jun 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/08/2009   
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RESULTS BY HOUSEHOLD TYPE


RESULTS BY HOUSEHOLD TYPE

Note that there are conceptual differences in the way that the housing and financial and insurance services groups are treated in the ALCI and CPI. See the Explanatory Notes for further detail.


Employee households

The index for employee households decreased 0.7% for the year to June quarter 2009 mainly due to decreases in interest charges, automotive fuel, audio visual and computing equipment and child care. The major offsetting increases were provided by rents, insurance, hospital and medical services, tobacco, take away and fast foods, and electricity.

The ALCI for employee households showed a decrease for the year to June quarter 2009, compared to an increase in the CPI. Employee households have a relatively higher proportion of expenditure on financial services and housing than the wider CPI population group (which comprises total metropolitan households). Both financial and insurance services and housing had large decreases for the year to June quarter 2009.


Age pensioner households

The index for age pensioner households increased by 2.8% for the year to June quarter 2009 mainly due to increases in rents, insurance, hospital and medical services, electricity, house repairs and maintenance, property rates and charges, water and sewerage, fruit and tobacco. The major offsets were provided by automotive fuel, interest charges and audio visual and computing equipment.

The ALCI for age pensioner households showed a larger increase than the CPI for the year to June quarter 2009. Compared to the wider CPI population group, age pensioner households have a relatively lower proportion of expenditure on financial and insurance services, which had a large decrease for the year to June quarter 2009, and a relatively higher expenditure on food, which had a large increase in the same period.


Other government transfer recipient households

The index for other government transfer recipient households increased by 1.9% for the year to June quarter 2009 mainly due to increases in rents, tobacco, insurance and electricity. The major offsets were provided by automotive fuel and interest charges.

The ALCI for other government transfer recipient households showed a slightly larger increase than the CPI for the year to June quarter 2009. Compared to the wider CPI population group, other government transfer recipient households have a relatively higher proportion of expenditure on alcohol and tobacco and housing, both of which had large increases for the year to June quarter 2009.


Self-funded retiree households

The index for self-funded retiree households increased by 2.0% for the year to June quarter 2009 due to increases in hospital and medical services, insurance, electricity, house repairs and maintenance, property rates and charges, tobacco and water and sewerage. The major offsets were provided by automotive fuel, interest charges, audio visual and computing equipment, overseas holiday travel and accommodation and motor vehicles.

The ALCI for self-funded retiree households showed a slightly higher increase for the year to June quarter 2009 than the CPI. Self-funded retiree households have a relatively lower proportion of expenditure on financial and insurance services, which had a large decrease for the year to June quarter 2009. Self-funded retiree households also have a relatively higher proportion of expenditure on health, which recorded a large increase for the year to June quarter 2009.


GRAPHS

The index series for the various household types from June quarter 1998 to June quarter 2009 are shown in Graphs 1 to 4 and quarterly percentage changes are shown in Graphs 5 to 8.

Graph 1: Index numbers for Employee households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0
Graph: Graph 1: Index numbers for Employee households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0


Graph 2: Index numbers for Age pensioner households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0
Graph: Graph 2: Index numbers for Age pensioner households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0


Graph 3: Index numbers for Other government transfer recipient households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0
Graph: Graph 3: Index numbers for Other government transfer recipient households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0


Graph 4: Index numbers for Self-funded retiree households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0
Graph: Graph 4: Index numbers for Self-funded retiree households, June quarter 1998 = 100.0


Graph 5: Employee households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)
Graph: Graph 5: Employee households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)


Graph 6: Age pensioner households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)
Graph: Graph 6: Age pensioner households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)


Graph 7: Other government transfer recipient households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)
Graph: Graph 7: Other government transfer recipient households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)


Graph 8: Self-funded retiree households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)
Graph: Graph 8: Self–funded retiree households, Percentage change (from previous quarter)


Changes over the last 12 months in the price indexes at the equivalent of the CPI commodity group level are presented in Table 1. Differences in the price experiences of household types at the group level reflect differences in expenditure weights at the lower levels and different treatments of housing, interest charges and insurance compared to the CPI.

Table 1: Percentage change in Analytical living cost indexes and CPI, Household type by Commodity group, June quarter 2008 to June quarter 2009
Commodity group
Employee ALCI(a)
Age pensioner ALCI(a)
Other government transfer recipient ALCI(a)
Self-funded retiree ALCI(a)
CPI(b)
Food
4.7
4.9
4.6
4.9
4.8
Alcohol and tobacco
4.9
4.7
5.7
4.4
4.7
Clothing and footwear
1.3
0.8
1.1
1.6
1.3
Housing(c)
7.3
6.8
7.0
7.0
5.2
Household contents and services
2.3
3.4
3.3
3.5
2.4
Health
5.1
5.0
4.7
5.3
5.2
Transportation
-6.5
-7.6
-8.7
-7.1
-5.9
Communication
1.2
1.0
0.8
1.5
1.2
Recreation
0.7
1.1
1.2
0.4
0.7
Education
5.2
5.4
5.0
5.8
5.1
Financial and insurance services(d)
-18.7
4.4
-10.4
0.7
-6.6
Total
-0.7
2.8
1.9
2.0
1.5
(a) Reference base of index: June quarter 1998 = 100.0.
(b) Re-referenced to base of June quarter 1998 = 100.0.
(c) House purchases are included in the CPI but excluded from the population subgroup indexes.
(d) Includes interest charges and general insurance. Interest charges are excluded from the CPI and general insurance is calculated on a different basis.


The index points contribution to the totals are presented in Table 2.

The change in a component item's points contribution from one period to the next provides a direct measure of the contribution to the change in the All groups index resulting from the change in that component's price. Points contribution and points contribution change can be useful when analysing the relative impact of price change of various commodity groups on total price change.

Table 2: Contributions to total index numbers, Household type by Commodity group, June quarter 2008 to June quarter 2009
Employee ALCI(a)
Age pensioner ALCI(a)
Other government transfer recipient ALCI(a)
Self-funded retiree ALCI(a)
CPI(b)
Commodity group
Jun qtr 2008
Jun qtr 2009
Jun qtr 2008
Jun qtr 2009
Jun qtr 2008
Jun qtr 2009
Jun qtr 2008
Jun qtr 2009
Jun qtr 2008
Jun qtr 2009
Food
23.20
24.28
29.80
31.27
26.90
28.15
23.41
24.56
21.76
22.80
Alcohol and tobacco
10.97
11.51
9.83
10.29
13.83
14.63
10.22
10.67
9.32
9.76
Clothing and footwear
5.35
5.42
6.28
6.33
5.95
6.00
4.89
4.97
4.80
4.86
Housing(c)
16.24
17.43
23.85
25.47
27.55
29.48
14.67
15.71
27.21
28.63
Household contents and services
12.78
13.08
14.39
14.90
13.26
13.69
15.84
16.39
12.12
12.42
Health
6.66
7.00
10.23
10.74
4.45
4.66
12.14
12.78
6.58
6.92
Transportation
20.95
19.58
16.64
15.38
16.19
14.80
20.65
19.20
18.52
17.42
Communication
4.45
4.50
4.86
4.91
5.72
5.78
3.76
3.82
4.08
4.13
Recreation
16.24
16.36
14.60
14.77
12.85
13.00
21.74
21.82
14.75
14.85
Education
4.17
4.38
0.22
0.23
2.58
2.70
0.91
0.97
3.85
4.05
Financial and insurance services(d)
19.22
15.64
6.96
7.27
9.62
8.62
6.58
6.62
13.01
12.15
All groups
140.2
139.2
137.7
141.5
138.9
141.5
134.8
137.5
136.0
138.0
(a) Reference base of index: June quarter 1998 = 100.0.
(b) Re-referenced to base of June quarter 1998 = 100.0.
(c) House purchases are included in the CPI but excluded from the population subgroup indexes.
(d) Includes interest charges and general insurance. Interest charges are excluded from the CPI and general insurance is calculated on a different basis.