The table illustrates the data about monthly expenditure on six main necessities of a standard Australian family in 1991 and 2001. Units are measured in Australian Dollars per month.
Overall, total monthly expenditure on all six categories rose over the ten-year period, with ‘other goods and services’ maintaining the lead position in both years. By contrast, clothing and transportation experienced a noticeable decrease.
In terms of the categories that experienced growth, ‘other goods and services’ was by far the largest category, rising from 250 Australian dollars in 1991 to 270 Australian dollars in 2001. This was followed by Food, which went from 155 dollars to 160 dollars over the decade. However, Electricity and Water recorded a dramatic growth, from 75 Australian dollars in 1991 to 120 Australian dollars in 2001. Housing, on the other hand, experienced a slight increase of 5 dollars over the decade.
Turning to the categories that saw a decrease, clothing and transportation witnessed a significant decrease over the ten-year period, from 30 dollars in 1991 to 20 dollars in 2001 and from 70 dollars in 1991 to 45 dollars in 2001, respectively. Total monthly expenditure registered steady growth over the 10-year period, rising from 675 AU dollars in 1991 to 715 AU dollars in 2001.