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Cost of Living Updates

No. 16 September Quarter 2013: Housing

1 November 2013

The latest Cost of Living Update released today shows that over 100,000 South Australian households, including over 31,000 low income renters, are experiencing housing stress in their weekly budget.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 16
 

No. 15 June Quarter 2013: Telecommunications

1 August 2013

Expenditure on phone and internet connectivity is important to social inclusion and represents a significant proportion of household expenditure. This is especially the case for low income households for whom telecommunications expenditure takes up a greater proportion of their weekly expenditure than it does for households with higher incomes.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 15
 

No. 14 March Quarter 2013: Education

1 May 2013

For many people, such as those low income families struggling to send children to school, or adults in post-secondary education living on Youth Allowances, Austudy or Abstudy, education expenditure is important and a basic necessity. Indeed, given the importance of education and the sacrifices many parents make for children, it is an expenditure which will often be prioritised over other household essentials.

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No. 13 December Quarter 2012: Insurance

1 February 2013

Insurance is not one of the focus areas focused on in previous SACOSS Cost of Living Reports. In 
part this is because insurance is not a top level category in the ABS household expenditure data, 
so insurance costs tend to be hidden as part of housing, health, transport and other categories. 
However, when all the various insurance expenditures are added together, insurance accounts for 
a greater proportion of household expenditure than key cost of living areas like utilities and health.

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No. 12 September Quarter 2012: Utilities

1 November 2012

Having access to affordable utilities like electricity, gas, water and sewerage is a necessity and basic right of people living in a modern society. Those services are important to health and wellbeing, and lack of access to those services is a barrier to social participation.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 12
 

No. 11 July Quarter 2012: Housing

1 September 2012

For renters on low incomes fixed to CPI, rent is becoming an increasing burden on the household budget. The clear trend that the sorts of housing stress indicated in the 2009-10 HES expenditure figures are getting worse as rent rises outstrip income. This is a particular problem because, given the large proportion of welfare recipients’ income which can be dedicated to paying rent, these price rises represent a major problem and a potential driver of poverty and homelessness.

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No. 10 March Quarter 2012: Transport

1 May 2012

Price is not the only issue in relation to accessibility of transport for low income households, and transport prices are not a major driver of cost of living pressures. However, a detailed look at transport prices does show that there are still areas of concern with rising transport prices still contributing to cost of living pressures in particular low income households.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 10...

No. 9 December Quarter 2011: Health

1 February 2012

It is clear that health costs impact disproportionately on those on low incomes (although actual expenditure is more in the higher income brackets – meaning that increasing prices also effect better-off households). However, the cost of health care is not just an important cost of living issue, it has direct implications for the health outcomes of people.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 9
 

No. 8 September Quarter 2011: Cost of Living Summit

14 November 2011

To coincide with the SACOSS Cost of Living Summit the September Quarter Update provides the regular update of changes in the last quarter, followed by a post-Summit report.

Download Cost of Living Update No. 8
Download Cost of Living Summit Report

No. 7 June Quarter 2011: Summary Figures

14 August 2011

The cost of essential goods and services—utilities, healthy food, housing and health are rising incredibly fast. The overall generic Consumer Price Index (CPI) never gives the real picture of those critical day-to-day expenses. 

Download Cost of Living Update No. 7