Australia's import prices increased by 0.5 percent quarter-on-quarter in the three months to December 2018, much slower than a 1.9 percent rise in the prior period and compared to market consensus of 0.3 percent. It marked the weakest reading since a decline in the third quarter 2017, mainly driven by higher prices paid for: crude materials, inedible, except fuels (5.9 pct); commodities and transactions, n.e.s. (3.3 pct); manufactured goods classified chiefly by material (1.8 pct); machinery and transport equipment (1.1 pct); beverages & tobacco (0.7 pct); miscellaneous manufactured articles (0.9 pct); food and live animals (0.6 pct); and chemicals and related products, n.e.s. (0.3 pct). Through the year to the fourth quarter, the index rose 7.8 percent. Import Prices in Australia averaged 93.01 Index Points from 1981 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 116.30 Index Points in the second quarter of 2001 and a record low of 51.50 Index Points in the third quarter of 1981.