RBA
Freefall: home prices notch biggest drop in years
1 July
Home prices have recorded the biggest monthly fall in almost four years as tax changes accelerate Australia’s housing downturn. Sydney’s median home price fell 1.2 per cent to $1,265,608 in June, leading a nationwide decline of 0.4 per cent,...[Read More]
Labor shrugs off claim tax shift will sink house prices
3 June
Contentious changes to taxes on property investments won’t be the main driver of expected falls in prices, the housing minister says. As auction clearance rates hit lows not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, Clare O’Neil said it was unclear how...[Read More]
Budget spending stokes fears of further rate rise pain
13 May
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is defending an extra $18 billion in government spending next financial year despite warnings it will make the Reserve Bank’s fight against inflation harder. The federal budget on Tuesday revealed government spending will...[Read More]
Australians love their cash and will carry or hoard it
22 April
If you are one of those people who still carry a bunch of $10 or $20 notes around in your pocket in case of emergencies, you’re not alone. While a majority of payments made in Australia are done by electronic means, including cards, about half of...[Read More]
Credit card points schemes in firing line after tweaks
8 April
Overseas trips and hotel stays funded through credit reward schemes could be in trouble as Australia’s central bank cuts fees on card transactions. The Reserve Bank has revamped card usage by banning surcharge payments and cutting interchange...[Read More]
Confidence tanks as fuel spike flows to building costs
25 March
Australian consumers are the least confident they’ve been since records began, as high oil prices threaten to worsen the housing crisis by pushing up building costs. Motorists have already been feeling under the pump from petrol price...[Read More]
Vested interest ‘cartel’ killing Aussie housing dream
25 February
A “cartel” of vested interests is stymying crucial tax reforms which could help free up more homes, a former boss of the Reserve Bank says. Bernie Fraser, the only person in Australian history to have served as both RBA governor and Treasury...[Read More]
Aussies tapping more credit as arrears value swells
25 February
Australians have leaned into debt ahead of the central bank’s pivot to hike interest rates, with applications for mortgages and credit cards doubling in the recent quarter. Mortgage credit demand grew 12.3 per cent, while credit card applications...[Read More]
Labour pains for borrowers as jobs data hits rate hopes
25 February
Ongoing strength in the nation’s jobs market has lifted the change of another interest rate rise in the coming months, experts warn. Australia’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 per cent for January with nearly 18,000 jobs created, according...[Read More]
RBA urges more high-rise amid home-building constraints
18 February
Governments are making the right moves on housing affordability but builders are still finding it “very challenging” to bring on new supply, RBA governor Michele Bullock says. Speaking at a second parliamentary hearing in less than one week, Ms...[Read More]
High cash rates no barrier to housing boom, data shows
14 January
Three Reserve Bank interest rate cuts were widely credited with accelerating growth in property values last year, but historical data shows the most drastic price surges aren’t always due to falling borrowing costs. The 8.6 per cent increase in...[Read More]
Weaker housing market tipped as rate hike fears mount
7 January
The housing market is tipped to start weaker in 2026 with confidence dented by fears the Reserve Bank’s next move will be a rate hike, a leading property data provider says. Cotality’s national Home Value Index recorded the smallest gain in five...[Read More]
RBA reveals what’s needed to avert rate hikes in 2026
24 December
By the end of January Australians should have a clearer picture of whether they can expect interest rate hikes next year. Quarterly inflation data, due to be released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on January 28, will confirm or allay...[Read More]
Homebuyers at square one as price hikes eat rate cuts
3 December
Surging home prices have wiped away the benefits of three interest rate cuts to new buyers, new data reveals. Across Australia, home values grew by one per cent in November with the median dwelling now worth $888,941, property analytics firm...[Read More]
Inflation surges as energy rebates run out of gas
26 November
Surging inflation has dashed hopes of one last rate cut and heightened expectations energy rebates will be extended. Expiring electricity subsidies helped drive up the annual consumer price index from 3.6 per cent to a 16-month high of 3.8 per cent...[Read More]