Australia raises rates for first time since late 2023 as inflation hits six-quarter high

Australia raises rates for first time since late 2023 as inflation hits six-quarter high

Published Mon, Feb 2 2026

10:34 PM EST

Updated 17 Min Ago

Key Points

• Australia's central bank raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 3.85%.
• That marked the Reserve Bank of Australia's first rate hike since November 2023.

Michele Bullock, governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), speaks during a news conference at the bank's head office in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2025.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Australia's central bank raised its policy rate by 25 basis points to 3.85% on Tuesday, marking the Reserve Bank of Australia's first rate hike since November 2023 as inflation continues to climb.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's move matched expectations from economists polled by Reuters and followed data showing inflation at its highest level in six quarters.

"Private demand is growing more quickly than expected, capacity pressures are greater than previously assessed and labour market conditions are a little tight," according to the central bank's statement, noting that inflationary pressure picked up "materially" in the second half of last year.

Senior RBA officials have repeatedly pushed back against expectations of rate cuts. Earlier this year, Reserve Bank of Australia Deputy Gov. Andrew Hauser said the likelihood of near-term rate cuts was "probably very low," citing persistently high inflation. The central bank has an inflation target of 2.5%

Gov. Michele Bullock echoed that stance after the bank's rate decision on Dec. 9, saying interest rate cuts were not on the horizon for the foreseeable future.

When asked at the time if the bank would consider further increases, Bullock said that the bank would assess economic data on a "meeting-by-meeting" basis.

"If inflation continues to be persistent and looks like it is not coming back down towards the Board's target... the Board might have to consider whether or not it's appropriate to keep interest rates where they are or in fact at some point raise them," she said.

Australia's economy grew 2.1% in the third quarter, up from a revised 2% in the previous quarter and marking its fastest pace of expansion in about two years.

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