Proof that inflation is out of control in Australia: outrage over the cost of tiny sausage rolls

A photo of the bite-sized sausage roll an Australian was charged $9 for has enraged Australians over “shrinkflation”.

The disappointed shopper said he bought the sausage roll at a cafe in Cairns, north Queensland, before seeing its size on Wednesday.

“You can really feel the shrink-flation on this one,” they said.

A photo of the sausage roll outsized by a napkin quickly caught the attention of Australians outraged that they were regularly paying more for less food.

One wrote: “$8 + $1 for gravy. As un-Australian as it gets.”

Another said: “Seriously, nine dollars is ridiculous.”

A frustrated customer shared the small sausage roll (above) he paid $9 for at a cafe in Cairns

However, not everyone agreed, with some Australians reminding frustrated customers that the cafe was likely facing increased operating costs.

“Well, don’t buy it next time,” one wrote.

“You know, even small businesses have bills to pay.

“As everything becomes more expensive, these companies also have to increase their prices to make some money out of the day.”

Others accused customers of being too willing to pay inflated prices.

“There’s a similar post every day.” “I can’t believe a cake costs $12 these days!” “They charge for it because idiots pay for it,” one commented.

“Yeah, but you bought it, didn’t you? “They taught us how this worked in high school,” wrote another.

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the consumer price index for August reached an annual rate of 5.2 percent, up from 4.9 percent in July.

The indicator measures the cost of purchasing the same basket of goods and services over time.

The overall result was in line with the market consensus forecast of 5.2 percent.

Michelle Marquardt, head of price statistics at ABS, said inflation was still easing when volatile items such as fuel, fruit and vegetables and travel were removed.

“Excluding these volatile items from the monthly CPI indicator, the 5.5 percent annual increase in August is lower than the 5.8 percent annual increase in July,” she said on Wednesday.

Housing, transportation, food and insurance were the biggest drivers of the annual increase.

Property prices remain moderate, with new home prices recording their weakest annual increase since August 2021 as the cost of building materials falls.

However, rental prices continued to rise to reflect a tight market, rising from 7.6 per cent in July to 7.8 per cent in the 12 months to August.

It was widely expected that higher fuel prices would lead to stronger overall results.

Fuel prices for motor vehicles rose by 13.9 percent compared to the previous year and by 9.1 percent in August.

Annual fuel prices have been particularly volatile recently, the ABS noted.

“This month’s price increases, along with base effects, caused the annual auto fuel movement to rise 13.9 percent in August, compared to a 7.6 percent decline in July,” Ms. Marquardt said.

Electricity prices rose 12.7 percent annually and gas prices rose 12.9 percent to reflect wholesale prices, although the ABS again said energy bill relief was softening the blow.

Food and non-alcoholic drinks also continued to decline, rising 4.4 percent in the 12 months to August, compared with the annual increase of 5.6 percent in July.

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the consumer price index for August reached an annual rate of 5.2 percent, up from 4.9 percent in July

However, there were big differences between different foods: the prices of fruit and vegetables fell after improved growing conditions, while the prices of bread, dairy products and grain products increased.

The monthly inflation result will feed into the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision, with further rate hikes planned if data suggests price pressures continue.

However, more emphasis is usually placed on the quarterly figures, which are expected at the end of next month – after the key interest rate announcement in September.