Australia is currently going through significant cost of living pressure. Inflation is reaching levels that have never been seen before. This analysis carefully examines the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics so that we may understand the impact of rising prices across the Australian economy.
Facts (From the ABS data) • The current inflation is at 2.3% (annual). • The peak inflation in the dataset is at 25.5%. • The RBA target range is 2-3% annually • Data period: 1949 – 2025 Q1
What this data shows The Consumer Price Index data shows us significant variation for inflation rates over time, with recent periods displaying massive price growth across multiple spending categories, refer to category breakdown.
Why this matters The rising prices are really affecting Aussie households across all spending categories, from crucial services like housing to and healthcare to everyday items like food and transportation. It is important that we understand these trends to help us identify which areas are contributing the most cost to the living burden we are facing.
This dashboard The tabs at the top show a detailed analysis of Australia’s national inflation trends as well as category specific price changes using the ABS Consumer Price Index Data. I chose Australia’s cost of living crisis as my topic because it is a very big issue. As an international student studying in Australia, i have personally experienced the impact of rising prices from rent to groceries. While many people do talk about, we need to actually put in effort for a change. This topic felt personally relevant and academically interesting, and, allowed me to apply my data visualisation skills, to a real world issue that is impacting the people of Australia.
References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023, January 25). Consumer Price Index, Australia, December Quarter 2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics. Www.abs.gov.au. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/latest-release#data-downloads
Data Sources: - National CPI: Table 1 - CPI All Groups, Index Numbers for Australia (Series A2325806K) - Group CPI: Table 7 - CPI All Groups, Percentage Change from Corresponding Quarter of Previous Year for Australia - Data Period: 1949 to 2025 Q1
Methodology: This analysis examines Australia’s cost of living crisis through the Consumer Price Index trends. Year on year percentage changes have been calculated from quarterly index values to display inflation patterns over time. Category level analysis identifies and shows which spending areas are to blame for price increases most significantly.
Technical Implementation: This dashboard was created using R, flexdashboard, ggplot2, and plotly packages. I have also added Interactive visualizations that allow detailed exploration of inflation trends across different time periods and spending categories.
Data Integrity:
All of the statistics and visualizations have been derived exclusively
from the official ABS data sources which as been linked and referenced
correctly using APA 7th edition. No external economic indicators or
estimated values have been included into this dashboard.