The Aporia
Visser, N. (2026, November 3). RBA interest rates live: Reserve Bank of Australia meeting today before cash rate decision and announcement – latest news. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/nov/03/rba-interest-rates-meeting-today-latest-news-australia-reserve-bank-cash-rate-announcement-decision-live-updates
Visser, Nick. “RBA interest rates live: Reserve Bank of Australia meeting today before cash rate decision and announcement – latest news.” The Guardian, 3 Nov. 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/nov/03/rba-interest-rates-meeting-today-latest-news-australia-reserve-bank-cash-rate-announcement-decision-live-updates.
Visser, Nick. “RBA interest rates live: Reserve Bank of Australia meeting today before cash rate decision and announcement – latest news.” The Guardian, November 3, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/nov/03/rba-interest-rates-meeting-today-latest-news-australia-reserve-bank-cash-rate-announcement-decision-live-updates.
Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.
On November 2, 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised official interest rates to a new high of 4.85%, an 18-year peak, marking its fifth increase this year. This move aims to curb inflation which has risen despite previous hikes and currently stands outside the RBA's target band of 2-3%. The rate rise is expected to cause further financial strain on mortgage holders in Australia, particularly in areas like Sydney’s western suburbs, where residents are already experiencing significant cost-of-living pressures. Economists warn that this could lead to a sharper economic slowdown and potentially push the country towards recession, impacting tens of thousands of jobs. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is under pressure to address government spending as part of the response to these monetary policy changes.
Anthony Albanese defended his government’s record in the face of a likely rate hike.
We are currently working our way through the spending pressures, the economic forecasts, and the savings options to come up with the best, most responsible budget update that we can.
People are under substantial pressure already, and obviously, if rates go up today, that will make things much harder, especially when there are already a number of rate rises in the system and their full effect hasn’t been felt yet.