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Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock.

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RBAComments
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Inflation dip gives RBA cover for third rate cut in August

Homeowners hoping for a third interest rate cut could see relief within weeks after Australia’s inflation slowed further.

Matt Mckenzie

Danielle Wood, CEO of the Grattan Institute addresses the National Press Club in Canberra, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

EconomicsCommentsHow Aussies could be $14,000 better off in a decade

Getting productivity on track would make Australian workers $14,000 better off in a decade, but top economists warn ‘poor decisions’ by governments are holding the country back.

Matt Mckenzie

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock.

EconomyCommentsJobs figures not a shock for cautious Bullock

Michele Bullock has knocked back jitters about last month’s unemployment rise amid pressure on her Reserve Bank to drop interest rates.

Matt Mckenzie

Nearly 1.5 million Australians were ‘at risk’ of mortgage stress in the three months to June.

EconomyCommentsMortgage stress risk rises despite RBA rate cut relief

The share of homeowners at risk of mortgage stress ticked up in June despite the Reserve Bank of Australia delivering two rate cuts this year in some much-needed financial relief for households.

Cheyanne Enciso

BHP South Flank

MiningCommentsWhy every Aussie is set to cop $75k income hit

Mining delivered more than 50 per cent of the gains in Australian living standards over the two decades to 2020, according to Westpac, but the big four bank warns the gravy train is coming to an end.

Adrian Rauso

Michele Bullock, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), speaks during a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Australia?s central bank surprised investors and economists by keeping interest rates unchanged on Tuesday and signaled a wait-and-see approach on policy as US tariff plans stoke uncertainty across the world. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

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RBAComments
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Hope for two more rate cuts in 2025 but ‘not a done deal’

Michele Bullock’s Reserve Bank board has given a full overview of why it did not rush to cut interest rates earlier this month.

Matt Mckenzie

Works on elevating rail the Armadale line have finished. It was one of many Metronet projects beset by big cost increases.

EconomyPremiumPublic, private projects blew out by $22b over three months

Major projects across Australia blew out a combined $22 billion in the June quarter as labour shortages, supply disruptions and industrial disputes took a toll, according to Deloitte.

Matt Mckenzie

Ben Wyatt is a former WA treasurer turned Woodside board member. He is pictured in the boardroom at Woodside in the Perth CBD.

EconomyPremiumWyatt wants Australia winning investment battle

Tax reform and attracting investment to Australia will be top of the agenda for Ben Wyatt when he heads to next month’s national economic summit in Canberra.

Matt Mckenzie

Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

analysis
analysis
EconomyCommentsPremium
analysis
No shortage of demands but RBA can’t supply all solutions

Michele Bullock’s Reserve Bank has become the national fix-it squad called on to solve every economic problem — but all eyes should really be on Canberra.

Matt Mckenzie

The Reserve Bank kept the official interest rate on hold earlier this month.

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EconomyComments
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Hopes of August rate relief firm as labour market cools

Hopes for a third interest rate cut have been boosted after Australia’s jobs boom stalled but economists have warned not to pop the champagne corks for an August move just yet.

Matt Mckenzie

The NAB quarterly survey came as the ABS revealed the nation’s jobless rate ticked up in June.

EconomyCommentsLabour shortages still a headache for Australian businesses

The number of businesses reporting labour availability as a major headache to their operations fell again in the June quarter, but it is still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cheyanne Enciso

Chantel Van Wieringen with 11-month-old son Kyas Byrne at their Harrisdale home.

FamilyCommentsPremiumThe Perth suburbs leading bounce back from ‘baby recession’

WA is spearheading a national bounce back from a ‘baby recession’ as young families become more confident the cost of living crisis is in the rear vision mirror.

Matt Mckenzie & Caitlin Vinci

The Commonwealth Bank warned that future generations would be left to pick up the bills as the country ages in a submission to a Productivity Commission reform inquiry.

EconomyCommentsEnd the income tax addiction: Commonwealth Bank

The nation’s biggest bank says Australia must break its addiction to taxing income and rein in “unsustainable” government spending growth.

Matt Mckenzie

Perth’s rental prices have hit a new high in more pain for crunched household budgets.

EconomyCommentsPerth rent hits new high in more pain for crunched budgets

Surging rental prices in Perth now account for more than 60 per cent of a single person’s weekly disposable earnings in what has been described as another hit to already stretched household budgets.

Cheyanne Enciso

Deputy Governor of The RBA Andrew Hauser.

EconomicsPremiumWe need a golden age of economics: RBA deputy boss

Australia needs another economic golden age to succeed in a world ditching free trade and pursuing the energy transition, RBA deputy boss Andrew Hauser has said.

Matt Mckenzie

Michele Bullock and the Reserve Bank kept rates on hold on Tuesday.

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Matt MckenzieComments
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Angry at rates shock? Here’s who you should be blaming

The Reserve Bank has given the middle finger to analysts and financial traders by holding interest rates steady on Tuesday. Rightly so.

Matt Mckenzie

NAB said business conditions were ‘stabilising, if not starting to turn around after a disappointing start to the year.’

EconomyCommentsBusinesses showing signs of a revival as conditions lift

Australian businesses are showing signs of a revival after a rocky start to 2025, with new bank data suggesting conditions are ‘stabilising, if not starting to turn around.’

Cheyanne Enciso

The Reserve Bank has kept the official interest rate on hold.

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EconomyVideoComments
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Rates shock: RBA defies markets to hold interest rates

Michele Bullock says the Reserve Bank wants to make sure inflation has been “nailed” after defying markets to hold interest rates steady today.

Matt Mckenzie

RBA rate cutting cycle unlikely to see house prices boom. NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

EconomicsHouse price warning as RBA call all but sealed

Australia’s house prices are rising thanks to interest rate cuts, but experts warn the market won’t repeat the 25 per cent boom seen in 2021 as worsening affordability limits growth.

Cameron Micallef

Michele Bullock during a press conference following the RBA announcement to cut the interest rate by 0.25 percentage points on Tuesday. NewsWire / Nikki Short

EconomyPremiumRate cut certainty “bewildering”, economist says

The Reserve Bank is hotly tipped to cut interest rates for a third time on Tuesday but one economist has declared the near-certainty in markets over the looming decision “bewildering”.

Matt Mckenzie

Just when you thought the so-called national carrier was cleared for reputational take-off, cyber criminals have aimed their keyboards at Qantas.

Herd on the TerraceCommentsPremiumA rod Made in WA for Roger’s back

Roger Cook might be walking into a nightmare thanks to his government’s obsession with making stuff in WA. Plus: Will Warren Pearce make the big move?

Anthony Albanese isn’t worried about US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Federal PoliticsCommentsAlbanese says US tariffs ‘won’t really’ impact Australia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says America’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs will have little impact on Australia and has taken aim at US President Donald Trump’s favourite word.

Katina Curtis

Aerial view of contemporary houses in the coastal suburb of Cottesloe in Perth, Australia

EconomicsCommentsAustralians $6 trillion richer than before pandemic: ABS

Australians are $6 trillion richer than before the pandemic — on paper — as new numbers show how inflation and the housing affordability crunch have shaped the nation’s distribution of wealth.

Matt Mckenzie

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - JUNE 25: US President Donald Trump during a news conference on the second day of the 2025 NATO Summit on June 25, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. Among other matters, members are to approve a new defense investment plan that raises the target for defense spending to 5% of GDP. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)

EconomyPremiumTrump’s trade war the stuff of nightmares for WA bosses

Almost one-in-five WA business leaders are heading to sleep at night worrying about Donald Trump’s trade war and conflict in the Middle East, with their outlook on the economy getting gloomier.

Matt Mckenzie