This data cube, which can be found in the "Downloads" tab above, is a spreadsheet that contains the detailed household expenditure weighting patterns that are used in the 16th series Analytical Living Cost Indexes (ALCIs) and Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index (PBLCI). In calculating the ALCIs and PBLCI, price changes for the various items are combined using these weights.

The ALCIs and PBLCI measure the impact of price change across different sub–groups of the Australian population. They are produced as a by–product of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and are the conceptually preferred measures for assessing the effect of changes in prices on the out–of–pocket living expenses experienced by different types of Australian households.

Households have been categorised based on the principal source of household income, primarily derived from the Household Expenditure Survey (HES). The four household types that have been identified in the ALCIs as being appropriate for the construction of these indexes, are:

• employee households (i.e. those households whose principal source of income is from wages and salaries);
• age pensioner households (i.e. those households whose principal source of income is the age pension or veterans affairs pension);
• other government transfer recipient households (i.e. those households whose principal source of income is a government pension or benefit other than the age pension or veterans affairs pension); and
• self–funded retiree households (i.e. those households whose principal source of income is superannuation or property income and where the HES defined reference person is ‘retired’ (not in the labour force and over 55 years of age)).

The ABS currently publishes these indexes quarterly in Analytical Living Cost Indexes for Selected Australian Household Types (cat. no. 6463.0).

The Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index (cat. no. 6467.0) is created as a combination of two ALCIs, Age pensioner households and Other government transfer recipient households.

The 16th series ALCIs and PBLCI will contain new household expenditure weighting patterns (using 2009–10 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) data and data from other sources). The 16th series ALCIs and PBLCI will be introduced in respect of the September quarter 2011 and will be linked to the 15th series at the June quarter 2011. As the ALCIs and PBLCI are derived using information from the CPI, they will be impacted by changes as a result of the introduction of the 16th series CPI. For more information regarding the 16th series CPI please refer to Information Paper: Introduction of the 16th Series Australian Consumer Price Index, Australia, September 2011 (cat. no. 6470.0).

Due to the improved quality of some of the estimates of household expenditure available from the 2009–10 HES, the scope of the 16th series weights for Employee households, Age pensioner households, Other government transfer recipient households and the PBLCI has been changed from using national estimates, to using estimates based on the weighted average of eight capital cities, consistent with the price collection and weighting pattern used for the CPI. The 16th series weights for self–funded retiree households continue to be derived using national expenditures, consistent with the approach for the 15th series.

This data cube contains detailed 16th series weighting patterns by group, sub–group and expenditure class for each index. It also includes the average weekly household expenditure (in June quarter 2011 dollars) for each of the household types.


ABBREVIATIONS

ALCIs	Analytical Living Cost Indexes
CPI	Consumer Price Index
HES	Household Expenditure Survey
PBLCI	Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index

INQUIRIES

For more information regarding the 16th series ALCIs and PBLCI, please contact the Consumer Price Index Section, on 02 6252 6654.