RBA hikes interest rates to 4.6 per cent in 15-year high

September 29, 2026 — 2:30pmThe Reserve Bank has lifted interest rates to a 15-year high despite rising unemployment, falling house prices and sluggish economic growth.The bank’s monetary policy board raised its benchmark cash rate by 0.25 of a percentage point to 4.6 per cent on Tuesday, adding more than $90 a month to repayments on a typical $600,000 mortgage with 25 years remaining.RBA governor Michele Bullock.Louie DouvisThe increase means Australia now has one of the highest official interest rates set by a central bank among western economies, surpassing the US (where official rates are 4 per cent) and UK (3.75 per cent).The last time Australia’s cash rate was above 4.5 per cent was October 2011. However, the amount of outstanding mortgage debt has more than doubled since then. The total value of residential mortgages in 2011 was $1.05 trillion, but that has since climbed to $2.51 trillion, according the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority.The RBA has now lifted interest rates by 1 percentage point over four separate increases this year in a bid to reduce inflation.Price pressures have been stoked by elevated fuel prices caused by the Middle East conflict, which has dragged on since February and continues to disrupt global oil supplies. Average petrol prices in Australia have risen well above the $2-a-litre mark in the past month, putting pressure on the Albanese government to revive the fuel excise cuts that subsidised the cost for four months from April through July this year, and spurring other price rises as firms pass on this cost.The RBA’s decision also follows a volatile period of international bond markets as global interest rates climb to two decade highs amid concerns about higher inflation and geopolitical risk.Australia’s inflation rate is currently 3.5 per cent and has been above the RBA’s target band of 2 to 3 per cent for much of the past five years. Reserve Bank officials have repeatedly expressed concern that expectations of elevated inflation have becoming more entrenched among business and consumers.Last month the unemployment rate reached 4.6 per cent, the highest rate in nearly five years, but the deterioration in the labour market was not enough to deter the RBA from lifting interest rates. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock warned last week the jobless rate may need to rise as high as 5 per cent to ease pressure on inflation.Higher interest rates will hit a housing market already weakened by higher borrowing costs and federal tax changes. Figures released in early September by property analytics firm Cotality showed house values have fallen for five consecutive months.Ahead of the decision, AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said he expected the bank to continue warning of further rate hikes, but that the tone may shift later in the year.“After more than five years of inflation being above target, threatening RBA credibility, it does not have the luxury of continuing to ‘wait and assess’,” he said. “By the time it gets to the November meeting, there is likely to be more evidence of a cooling economy, falling home prices, a softer jobs market and rising recession risks – so we don’t think a second hike let alone a third will be necessary.”Oliver said rate hikes and higher petrol prices have raised the additional monthly costs for an average household by $530 a month since January for those with a mortgage and petrol car, which he said was “quite a hit”.The economy grew by 2.1 per cent last financial year, but gross domestic product per person rose by a more subdued 0.7 per cent. The Reserve Bank is forecasting growth the slow to 1.5 per cent in the year to June 2027.Inflation peaked at nearly 8 per cent at the end of 2022 but then fell back to the RBA’s 2–3 per cent target range for a period in 2024 and 2025. However, it picked up in the second half of 2025 and has remained above the target since.Bullock and other RBA officials have said repeatedly the bank is focused on getting inflation back into the 2-3 per cent band.Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.From our partners