Australian households continued to open their wallets in June, with new figures showing a modest rise in spending – driven largely by purchases of food, homewares and electronics.
According to seasonally adjusted data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Tuesday, household spending rose 0.5 per cent in June. That follows a 1.0 per cent increase in May and a flat result in April.
Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said: ‘People buying more goods drove the overall rise in household spending in June.
‘Goods spending rose 1.3 per cent as households spent more on food, new vehicles, and electronics.
‘Meanwhile, spending on services fell by 0.5 per cent, after two months of growth.’
Of the nine spending categories tracked by the ABS, six recorded increases for the month. Leading the charge were:
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Furnishings and household equipment, up 2.0 per cent
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Clothing and footwear, up 1.6 per cent
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Food, up 1.5 per cent
Spending fell in three categories:
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Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, down 2.4 per cent
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Hotels, cafes and restaurants, down 0.8 per cent
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Health, down 0.3 per cent
Services spending was 6.6 per cent higher than June 2024, while goods spending was up 3.4 per cent.
Household spending grew in seven of the eight states and territories. The Northern Territory (+1.3 per cent) had the largest percentage rise, followed by New South Wales (+1.1 per cent) and Tasmania (+0.8 per cent).
Western Australia (-0.3 per cent) was the only jurisdiction where spending fell.
Today’s release also includes household spending volumes, which rose 0.7 per cent (seasonally adjusted) in the June quarter 2025.
This followed a 0.5 per cent uptick in the March quarter 2025, and a rise of 1.4 per cent in the December quarter 2024.
‘Household spending volumes rose for the third consecutive quarter, reflecting a steady improvement in consumer confidence as price pressures eased over the past year,’ Mr Ewing said.
Discretionary spending drove the rise in the June quarter 2025, led by Recreation and culture (+1.8 per cent) and Hotels, cafes and restaurants (+1.6 per cent).
