Consumer: Sydneysiders spend $1000 per week

A report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that a typical Sydney family spends more than $1000 (US$774) a week.

Food, transport and housing still account for most of the expenditure (the official average cost of a house in Sydney is now $500,00 (US$387,000) but a growing and significant portion is spent on information and communication technologies.

Spending on the internet has risen by 218 per cent and pay TV by 323 per cent.

Spending on pay TV would be even more except the Federal government made sure it was the biggest cock up one could imagine. When my fiancee first came over to Sydney from the U.S., it was downright embarrassing showing her the delights of Australian pay TV