Highlights

  • The ABS released its 2024–25 supply-use tables on 23 October 2026.
  • The tables explain where goods and services come from and how they are used.
  • Supply-use accounts reconcile production, income and spending measures of GDP.
  • The latest release includes revisions to earlier reference years.
  • The data describe the economy, not a current household inflation reading.
  • Households can use the concepts to understand how cost changes travel through supply chains.

Why can a rise in transport costs eventually affect the price of food, repairs or household goods? Part of the answer lies in how industries buy from and sell to one another. The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its 2024–25 national supply-use tables on 23 October 2026. They are technical economic accounts, but the underlying idea is straightforward: every product has a source, and every product is used somewhere. Understanding those connections can help households make sense of cost pressures without confusing national economic data with their own weekly bills.

Supply and Use in Plain English

The supply side records products made domestically or brought into Australia through imports. The use side records how those products are purchased by businesses as inputs, bought by households or government, invested in, exported or added to inventories. The two sides are balanced to build a consistent picture of economic activity. Imagine a loaf of bread: farming, milling, transport, energy and retail services all contribute before the final sale. Supply-use tables help economists trace such relationships across the whole economy.

Why the Data Matter for Prices

A business may buy electricity, freight, packaging and professional services before selling its final product. If several input costs rise, the business may absorb some of the increase, improve efficiency or pass part of it to customers. The result depends on competition, contracts and demand. Supply-use accounts show the structure of these connections, but they do not by themselves tell you how much your next grocery bill will rise. For current consumer inflation, the CPI and more recent price statistics are the relevant measures.

What the 2026 Release Covers

The ABS release is for the 2024–25 financial year and also includes revised data for 2023–24 and 2022–23. It was published on 23 October 2026. The tables provide annual benchmarks for the national accounts and help reconcile GDP calculated through production, expenditure and income. The release also includes methodological improvements, including revisions affecting health care and social assistance, international aviation and insurance measurement. A 2024–25 reference period should not be mistaken for a snapshot of prices on 27 October 2026.

Connecting the Economy to Your Budget

Households can use the supply-chain concept to identify which expenses are sensitive to energy, imports or transport. For example, fuel price movements may affect personal travel immediately and delivery costs more gradually. Exchange-rate changes may affect imported goods, although timing and size vary. A practical budget separates essential bills, flexible spending and savings goals. Review actual transactions and contract renewal dates instead of assuming every macroeconomic headline will change every expense.

A Simple Financial Planning Exercise

List the five largest recurring expenses in your household. Mark which are fixed by contract, which fluctuate with use and which may respond to imported inputs or fuel. Check whether you have room for an emergency buffer. When a bill rises, compare suppliers or usage before changing long-term investments. The ABS tables are valuable background for understanding the economy, while personal spending records are the better guide for immediate decisions.

The supply-use tables reveal how interconnected Australia’s industries are. For households, their practical value lies in understanding why cost pressures can spread through the economy while keeping financial decisions anchored in actual bills and current price data.