The Household Report combines income, expenditure and price data to track how much, on average, an Australian household has left for non-essential spending at the end of each month.

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This tracking first factors in changes in household income (i.e., how much money is going into their bank account).

 

Second, changes in essential household spend (such as mortgage, groceries, petrol and bills) have been captured. This is spending which households are committed to and have less ability to scale back.

 

Once essential spend is accounted for, the amount of money the family has left for ‘discretionary’ purchases of non-essential items like electronic goods, eating out, attending events and holidaying is revealed, and tracked. Alternatively, remaining money can be saved or invested.

 

Our analysis is anchored by the latest ABS data. Core results are presented for the average of Australian households. Additional analysis presents results across 5 different income levels.

 

Future releases of The Household Report will track the differences between households across all states and territories. Savings and investment will also be progressively factored in and tracked.