The Bottom Line
Updated Wednesday 11 November 2026
The Prime Minister announced the government will legislate mandatory AI safety and security protections through new Australian AI Standards legislation, applying to all frontier AI companies and enforced by a dedicated regulator with significant penalty powers. The Assistant Treasurer announced that Australia's largest non-bank lenders began sharing consumer data through the Consumer Data Right this week, covering home, car and personal loans, with smaller lenders scheduled to join in May 2027.
The RBA cash rate sits at 4.85 per cent after five rises this year from 3.60 per cent, up 1.25 points since the last cut in August 2025. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey, published Monday, showed confidence among mortgaged households fell to its lowest level since records began in 1994, according to Westpac's Matthew Hassan. The Guardian reported that RBA governor Michele Bullock warned the year ahead would 'feel like a recession' amid persistent cost-of-living pressures and weak growth. mortgage holders' confidence
Economist Saul Eslake, writing in The Guardian, argued that the tightening cycle risks tipping Australia into a recession it does not have to have, and called on the federal government to cut spending ahead of the mid-year budget update to relieve pressure on monetary policy. ABS figures show the unemployment rate reached 4.72 per cent in September, up from 4.08 per cent in January, its highest reading of the year.
MacroBusiness reported that dwelling values across the five major capital cities have fallen sharply since early April, citing Cotality data, with capital city listings also up over the past twelve months. MacroBusiness reported, citing The Australian, that Treasurer Jim Chalmers has asked Treasury officials to develop new productivity policies for the mid-year budget update. dwelling values fall
Every figure is checked against official data or attributed to the body that announced it. Past editions