Australia's consumer confidence fell further into pessimistic territory in June as cost-of-living pressures, weakening household finances, and softer housing expectations continued to weigh on sentiment, according to a survey by Westpac and the Melbourne Institute published Tuesday.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Index fell 2.9% to 80.6 in June from 83 in May.
Consumer sentiment has fallen back into near-record pessimism in June, with cost-of-living pressures still dominant and emerging concerns over tax changes and housing expectations dragging confidence lower, said Matthew Hassan, head of Australian macro-forecasting at Westpac.
Family finances deteriorated sharply in June as confidence in both current conditions and the year ahead fell, reversing most of May's gains amid renewed cost-of-living pressure.
Consumer sentiment toward the economy over the next 12 months improved slightly in June but remains weak overall, with the modest 0.3% gross domestic product growth in the March quarter easing some earlier fears of a sharper downturn.
Purchase sentiment remains weak as the "time to buy a major item" index rose 0.9% to 86.4, but remains far below its long-run average of 123, signaling continued consumer restraint.
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Unemployment Expectations Index was broadly unchanged in May, down 0.1% to 139.8, remaining above its long-run average of 129 and signaling continued consumer caution about job prospects.
Homebuyer sentiment partially recovered after last month's sharp drop, with the "time to buy a dwelling" index rising nearly 13% to 81.1 from a very weak May reading of 72, though it remains well below the long-run average of 119.
June saw a sharp drop in house price expectations, with the Westpac-Melbourne Institute index falling 14.9% to 128.2 and dropping below the long-run average of 130 for the first time in nearly three years.
Australian households are increasingly viewing bank deposits and debt reduction as the "wisest" places for savings, while confidence in housing investment has fallen to record lows.
The Reserve Bank is expected to pause interest rate rises at its next meeting to assess the impact of recent energy price shocks and aggressive monetary tightening, but persistent underlying inflation is likely to keep the door open to further hikes later in the year.