Australia Household Spending Rebounds In September

(RTTNews) - Australia's household spending rebounded in September, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday.

Household spending grew 0.6 percent month-on-month, in contrast to the 0.1 percent fall in August.

Household spending rose across essential and discretionary categories, with transport and health rising 1.5 percent each, ABS head of business statistics Tom Lay said.

The increase in transport reflected higher spending on fuel, vehicle repairs and maintenance, and domestic air travel as people travelled to attend major sporting events.

"It's likely that the late flu activity added to higher health spending in September, driving greater demand for GP consultations and medicines," Lay added.

On a yearly basis, household spending increased 6.8 percent in September after rising 6.5 percent in August.