ACTU Media Release 08 May 2006
The ACTU has accused the Howard Government of being too focussed on the needs of high income earners and big corporations and is calling on the Government to give far greater priority to easing the pressure on working families in tomorrow's Federal Budget.

John Howard and Peter Costello's economic management may be keeping corporate profits and share prices at record highs but the household budgets of working families are under more pressure than ever the ACTU said today.

Releasing previously unpublished data from the ABS Household Expenditure Surveys in 1999 and 2004 today, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said today:

"On top of the Government's new IR laws which undermine job security and put downward pressure on worker's wages and conditions, previously unpublished data from the ABS shows that housing and transport have overtaken food as the highest cost budget items for Australian working families. This is even before recent interest rate rises & spiralling petrol prices.

ABS data shows that average working families on incomes up to $80,000 a year are now typically spending half their income on just four main items: housing, transport, food and medical expenses. It shows:

* The cost of housing ($153 a week) and transport ($145 a week) has overtaken the cost of food ($143 a week) in the weekly budgets of low and middle-income working families. Five years ago food was the
major cost item for low and middle-income working families with transport costs second and housing further down the list in weekly budgets...

more info: http://www.actu.asn.au/work_rights/news/1147048282_23955.html