Bill shock – or the fear of it – shut wallets across the country in the three months to September as alarm about rising energy prices drove people away from shops, healthcare, hotels and cafes.

Spending on almost every discretionary purchase was down in the September quarter, as spending on almost every unavoidable expense increased, led by electricity and rent. The outcome was a net increase in household final consumption of just 0.1 per cent, the weakest result since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Household saving climbed for the first time in five quarters.

"This isn't surprising given the cost of living pressures on essentials," Treasurer Scott Morrison told a Canberra press conference.