Retailers hoping for a lift in consumer confidence to help turnaround last week's poor household spending figures will have been disappointed.
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe would have also been hoping for better with his central bank board again voting to keep the cash rate steady for another month on Tuesday.
Confidence, a pointer to future retail spending, eased in the past week to below its long-run average, under the cloud of rising energy prices, limited wage gains and slowing house-price growth.
It also coincides with the ongoing citizenship saga which seemingly drags another MP into the spotlight on a daily basis.
The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index dropped 0.7 per cent, with four out of five sub-indices also in decline.
"Aussie consumers remain cautious. Some would say they remain nonplussed by continued political uncertainty in Canberra," Commonwealth Securities chief economist Craig James says.
Outgoing Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder warned Canberra last week to get its act together, saying political instability meant people weren't "going to unleash themselves in the near term and go spending madly".
Mr Goyder would know better than most about consumer behaviour, having been boss of the Perth-based conglomerate that controls Coles, Bunnings, Kmart, Target and Officeworks for the past 12 years.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tried to seize control of the citizenship fiasco on Monday, announcing a self-disclosure plan to force MPs and senators to prove their status by Christmas.
Within hours Liberal backbencher John Alexander admitted he was seeking advice whether he is a British citizen, which would threaten the government's already thin standing on the floor of the House of Representatives if he is kicked out.
Little wonder the latest Essential Research survey, when asking about the attributes of both major parties, found only about a third in each case citing parliamentarians as trustworthy.
At least the Reserve Bank offered some stability, keeping the cash rate at a record low 1.5 per cent after its monthly board meeting.
Governor Lowe said the low level of interest rates is continuing to support the economy, which is expected to see further solid growth in employment and a gradual decline in the jobless rate from 5.5 per cent.
"Wage growth remains. This is likely to continue for a while yet, although the stronger conditions in the labour market should see some lift in wage growth over time," Dr Lowe said.
He noted the latest inflation readings were also low and likely to remain so for some time, reflecting slow growth in labour costs and increased competitive pressures, especially in retailing.
Macquarie Research economist Justin Fabo expects the Reserve Bank to remain on hold until at least August 2018, with the risks skewed to a later starting point before the cash rate starts moving higher.
