CHANGES TO CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IN MARCH QUARTER:
Quarterly change (followed by annual change in brackets)
* Consumer Price Index – up 2.1 per cent in quarter (up 5.1 per cent annually)
* Food and non-alcoholic beverages – up 2.8 per cent (up 4.3 per cent)
* Alcohol and tobacco – up 1.1 per cent (up 1.8 per cent)
* Clothing and footwear – down 0.6 per cent (down 1.5 per cent)
* Housing – up 2.7 per cent (up 6.7 per cent)
* Furnishings, household equipment and services – up 1.1 per cent (up 4.9 per cent)
* Health – up 2.3 per cent (up 3.5 per cent)
* Transport, including fuel – up 4.2 per cent (up 13.7 per cent)
* Communication – up 0.3 per cent (down 0.8 per cent)
* Recreation and culture – up 0.6 per cent (up 3.0 per cent)
* Education – up 4.5 per cent (up 4.7 per cent)
* Insurance and financial services – up 0.5 per cent (up 2.7 per cent)
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)
Colin Brinsden, AAP Economics and Business Correspondent
(Australian Associated Press)