Australia Consumer Inflation Expectations are rising: October 4.8% (prior 4.7%) | investingLive

Australian Melbourne Institute survey of consumer inflation expectations for October 2025 4.8%

• prior was 4.7%

The latest figure of 4.8 % is up slightly from 4.7 % in September.

• September itself represented a rebound from August’s lower level (3.9%) prior to that.

Historically, inflation expectations in recent years generally fluctuated in the 3–5 % range, so 4.8 % is toward the upper end of recent norms, though not unprecedented.

The fact that expectations are rising — rather than continuing a downward descent — suggests households may be becoming more alert to persistent inflation pressures.

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Higher expectations make it harder for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to anchor inflation expectations, potentially reducing its flexibility to ease rates.
If consumers expect inflation near 5%, that may influence wage demands, pricing behavior, and cost-of-living adjustments.

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This is a monthly survey run by the Melbourne Institute (University of Melbourne)

• asks households about how much they expect consumer prices (inflation) to change over the coming 12 months

It is part of a broader Macroeconomic Reports series that also covers wage expectations, consumer sentiment, and other indicators.