The Bottom Line
Updated Thursday 29 October 2026
ABS figures show headline CPI rose 4.3 per cent in the year to September, up from 4.0 per cent in August, while the trimmed mean, the RBA's preferred measure of underlying inflation, rose to 3.6 per cent, up from 3.5 per cent in August. The Treasurer attributed ongoing price pressures to higher global oil prices, the war in Ukraine and lingering supply-chain disruptions.
The cash rate stands at 4.60 per cent after four rises this year, from 3.60 per cent at the start of 2026, a full point of tightening since the last cut in August 2025. MacroBusiness reports that RBA governor Michele Bullock told the Senate Economics Legislation Committee the labour market looks a little tighter than previously judged. ABS figures show the unemployment rate reached 4.7 per cent in September, up from 4.1 per cent in January.
The Prime Minister said Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport received its first domestic flight on Sunday and its first international flight on Monday. The Prime Minister said construction supported 13,000 jobs, more than half from the local area, and that more than $500 million has been invested in over 360 Western Sydney businesses since construction began.
The Treasurer introduced legislation to deliver a 50 per cent capital gains tax concession for early investors in innovative start-ups, with reforms to the R&D Tax Incentive said to lift investment by young firms by $400 million per year. MacroBusiness, citing Cotality data, reports that Perth dwelling values fell sharply in the month to late October, the equal fastest decline among the major capital cities. MacroBusiness, citing Coolabah Capital's Chris Joye, reports that capital city dwelling values are falling at a pace Joye describes as the worst recorded decline since 1980.
Every figure is checked against official data or attributed to the body that announced it. Past editions