On 3 November the Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate to 4.85%, even though more people are out of work. It looks contradictory until you see what the board is really watching: whether the economy is running hotter than it can sustain, and whether we all start expecting high inflation to stick. The 6–3 vote shows just how close the call was.
Even the Governor says higher rates won't bring petrol prices down. The real target is the second-round effects: a fuel shock that spreads into freight, airfares and the price of services.
The boom in AI investment has a physical footprint: chips, power and buildings. We follow the chain from data centres to electricity demand, tech prices and Australian jobs.
Smaller packets, the same price. We look at how two big chains shape what we pay, and how to tell price gouging apart from genuinely rising costs.
No, a pay rise can't push you into a higher bracket and leave you worse off. The higher rate only applies to the dollars above the threshold. Here's the difference between marginal and average tax rates, in plain English.
A 3% rise in a year with 4% inflation is a pay cut in disguise. We explain real versus nominal wages, the Wage Price Index, and why the RBA keeps a close eye on labour costs.