Jacqui Vitas, ABS head of macro-economic statistics, said October 2022 saw the 20th consecutive month of increased through-the-year total household spending, with increases seen in all spending categories.
“The through-the-year rise was more moderated than previous months, which coincides with less COVID-19 delta lockdown impacts this time last year,” she said.
“Spending in transport (up 42.3 per cent), hotels, cafes and restaurants (up 39.9 per cent), and clothing and footwear (up 32.2 per cent) all saw strong increases but have slowed in comparison to the previous two months.”
In contrast, spending categories not as negatively impacted by the lockdowns — food (up 4.5 per cent) and furnishings and household equipment (up 1.8 per cent) — saw only small rises compared with October 2021.
All states and territories saw increased household spending in October 2022 when compared to October 2021. The ACT (up 36.6 per cent) and Victoria (up 32.8 per cent) recorded the highest through-the-year increases in spending.
These jurisdictions experienced the strictest COVID-19 delta lockdowns at the same time last year. The strong through-the-year rises moderated in NSW (a rise of 38.2 per cent in September 2022 compared to 16.5 per cent in October 2022) as restrictions started to ease in October 2021.
