CANBERRA families spend more of their income on basic essentials than anywhere else in Australia.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released yesterday, in 2009-10, Canberra couple families with dependent children spent $760 a week on average on essentials such as fuel ($58.40), groceries ($316.17), transport ($275.42) and medical care ($110.02).
“This is in stark comparison to the $666 spent by these families in Queensland, and $678 in Victoria,” said Opposition Leader Zes Seselja.
“Shockingly, Canberra is even more expensive than the mining-boom town of Perth.
“These figures show that ACT’s cost of essentials are the highest in the country.
“It’s why we’ve been calling on ACT Labor to consider the cost-of-living implications in their polices, which they refuse to do. Instead, Katy Gallagher’s suggesting Canberrans under financial strain cancel their Foxtel for a while.”