Clothing and footwear prices increased 3.2 per cent annually, contributing 0.1798 percentage points, while transport costs rose 11.5 per cent, adding 0.1252 percentage points to headline inflation, ABS said in a press release.
Electricity prices surged 32.2 per cent over the year, accelerating from December as households exhausted Commonwealth Energy Bill Relief Fund support and state rebates. Excluding rebate effects, electricity prices increased 4.5 per cent, largely due to annual tariff reviews by energy retailers in mid-2025.
Australia’s CPI rose 3.8 per cent year on year in January 2026, unchanged from December, signalling stable inflation, according to ABS.
Clothing and footwear increased 3.2 per cent and transport 11.5 per cent, contributing to price growth.
Electricity prices surged 32.2 per cent as energy rebates ended, while trimmed mean inflation edged up to 3.4 per cent and monthly CPI recorded moderate gains.
Measures of underlying inflation showed a modest uptick, with trimmed mean inflation rising to 3.4 per cent in the year to January from 3.3 per cent previously. On a monthly basis, CPI increased 0.4 per cent in original terms and 0.5 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis, suggesting gradual but continuing price momentum.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
