ABS figures show that clothing and footwear impacted the monthly fall. Credit: THINK A/Shutterstock.

Household spending in Australia dropped by 0.1% in September 2024, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

The dip follows a 0.2% increase in August and no change in July. 

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The ABS has now included seasonally adjusted estimates for all the nine spending categories it monitors.  

ABS business statistics head Robert Ewing said: “Clothing and footwear was the largest factor in the monthly fall, with spending down 1.8% in this category. This reversed the 1.8% rise in August. 

“A 0.6% fall in spending on transport also drove the overall decline, as fuel prices fell and households spent less on new vehicle purchases. 

“Rises in non-discretionary categories such as food and health, which rose by 0.5% and 0.6% respectively, partly offset these falls.” 

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Alcoholic beverages and tobacco spending dropped by 0.3% while furnishings and household equipment saw an increase of 0.4%. 

On a state and territory level, most saw year-on-year rises in household spending when adjusted for the calendar.  

Western Australia led with a 6.0% increase, followed by Queensland at 3.4% and the Northern Territory at 3.2%.  

Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory experienced drops of 1.3% and 0.1% respectively. 

The ABS also released quarterly household spending volumes adjusted for inflation.  

Compared to the same quarter of 2023, these volumes have decreased by 0.4%.

The most significant annual declines were seen in alcoholic beverages and tobacco at 16.6%, and clothing and footwear at 2.7%.  

Furnishings and household equipment saw an uptick of 5.7%.