Household spending rose 0.8 per cent in June in seasonally adjusted terms, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday. That follows a 1.2 per cent rise in May and a 1.0 per cent fall in April. Transport did most of the work.

Transport spending rose 3.0 per cent, the largest move in any of the nine categories. "New Vehicle sales were the standout within Transport this month, driving a 3.0 per cent rise," said Tom Lay, the ABS head of business statistics.

The other half of transport was petrol. Fuel volumes rose 7.8 per cent over the month while fuel prices fell 10.9 per cent.

That price relief is over. The temporary 16 cent a litre reduction in fuel excise expired on Sunday 2 August, and scheduled indexation added about another cent from 3 August, taking the rate back to 52.6 cents. Drivers met roughly 17 cents a litre more at the bowser this week. None of it is in the June numbers.

Discretionary spending rose 1.2 per cent, a second consecutive monthly rise. Recreation and culture rose 1.4 per cent, with households spending more on electronic goods, live entertainment and gambling, which the ABS linked in part to major sporting events.

Elsewhere the picture flattened out. Hotels, cafes and restaurants fell 0.1 per cent after a 1.8 per cent May. Miscellaneous goods and services fell 0.6 per cent, and clothing and footwear fell 0.7 per cent, giving back part of a 2.4 per cent gain the month before.

The staples barely moved. Food rose 0.3 per cent, health 0.3 per cent, alcohol and tobacco 1.0 per cent.

On volumes, which strip price movements out, household spending rose 0.7 per cent in the June quarter and was 2.4 per cent above the June quarter of 2025.

The quarter that produced those figures also produced the inflation read the Reserve Bank takes to its next meeting. Headline CPI was 3.8 per cent through the year to June and the trimmed mean 3.6 per cent, both below the March quarter. The Monetary Policy Board meets on 10 and 11 August, with the decision at 2.30pm on the Tuesday and the cash rate currently at 4.35 per cent.

What the June data describes is a quarter in which the household budget got help from a fuel price that was being held down by policy. The policy ended on Sunday. Whether the new car sales and the recreation spending hold up without it is a question for the July figures, due next month.