Australians spend more on gambling than petrol, bills and Internet

Craig James, chief economist at CommSec called the figures "staggering". "The money spent on gambling far exceeds the total outlays on electricity and gas bills," he said. "And only until recently outlays on gambling exceeded that of electricity, gas and water bills combined."

CommSec’s analysis also found that Australians pay a relatively low amount for water, with the average household spending us$ 634 per year on water bills. That’s less than they spend on perfumes and cosmetics, beer and wine, stereos, TVs and DVDs.

“The modest amount spent by the average household on water & sewerage services seems out of kilter with the relative scarcity of water,” James said. “With population expected to continue rising at a solid clip in coming years, it is likely that the cost of water will have to rise substantially to ensure that pricing reflects its relative scarcity.”

Households will also see utility bills rise by 14-15 % over the coming year due to the largest increase in pricing for 26 years. According to CommSec’s analysis, that means households will need to find an additional us$ 1830 to pay electricity, gas and fuel bills and us$ 634 to pay water bills.