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Potential interest rate hikes are back on the table thanks to persistent inflationary pressures. On Wednesday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the latest consumer price index (CPI), revealing that inflation remains stubbornly high Down Under. Headline CPI rose 4% in the year leading up to May, easing slightly from 4.2%, the month before, while trimmed mean inflation — which many economists consider a better indicator of inflationary pressures because it strips out goods with volatile price changes — increased to 3.6%, up from 3.4% in the 12 months to April. But both figures were above the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) target inflation range of 2% to 3% growth, underscoring why policy is likely to stay restrictive for longer. Still there were some tailwinds in the market. Automotive fuel prices fell 11.9% in May, on a monthly basis. That's on top of a 7% decrease in April.

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Australia's commercial property market has had a cautious opening to 2026, but a structural shift triggered by the federal budget may be about to change the investment calculus for brokers with property investor clients.

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St George have some great niches which appeal to a wide range of clients. We look at a range. Starting with Apportioning policies. This is where borrowers with joint expenses and commitments with a spouse who is also a non-applicant can be assessed on the borrower's portion of any joint expenses and commitments, based on their income as a percentage of the total household income, instead of the declared percentage.

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The share of Australian mortgage holders considered at risk of mortgage stress climbed to 29% in May, according to new data from Roy Morgan — the fourth consecutive monthly increase, and the highest level since the Reserve Bank began cutting rates in mid-2025. The figure is equivalent to 1,538,000 people, up 65,000 on April and 100,000 higher than a year ago. The increase follows the Reserve Bank's decision to raise the official cash rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.35% in early May — the third hike of 2026, after increases in February and March. The RBA subsequently left rates on hold at its June meeting.

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Macquarie Bank, Australia's fifth-largest mortgage lender, has revealed its new approach to negative gearing following last week's Budget announcement. In what was one of the most controversial Budget's in a generation, Labor treasurer Jim Chalmers announced that negative gearing will be reserved only for new residential builds from July next year. Existing residential properties with negative gearing will be 'grandfathered', meaning they will not be affected going forward.

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