Business

RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank raises cash rate to highest level in 15 years and warns of more hikes ‘if needed’

The Guardian Australia Luca Ittimani

29 Sept 2026 15:23 AEST Summary

Economy Interest Rates Reserve Bank of Australia Housing

Changed after publishing · 1 edit

29 Sept 2026 18:46 AEST the headline was changed: RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank ~~hikes~~ raises cash rate to ~~4.6%, the~~ highest level ~~since 2011~~in 15 years and warns of more hikes ‘if needed’

Outlets edit stories after they go out, usually without saying so. We keep what we saw the first time.

From the report

The Reserve Bank of Australia has lifted its interest rate to 4.6%, its highest level since 2011, while warning of further hikes.

How outlets headlined it

Each outlet's own headline. ~~Struck through~~: the loaded words our version leaves out. Plainest first.

The Guardian Australia RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank raises cash rate to highest level in 15 years and warns of more hikes ‘if needed’ plain
The Sydney Morning Herald Reserve Bank tipped to lift interest rates today plain
The Canberra Times Mortgage holders brace for highest interest rates since 2011 plain
7NEWS RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank lifts cash rate to 4.60 per cent at September meeting plain

Headline check

One of the three things this headline claims did not turn up in the report.

The figure “15” is in the headline. We could not find it in the report.

Figures, names and quoted words in the headline, looked for in the report itself — not in the summary above. Figures are matched digit for digit, so a report that writes “forty per cent” out in words where the headline wrote “40%” is queried here when it should not be. How this is checked

This is a summary. The indicators are not. Every score on this page was measured over the full 435-word report, which is the only way the numbers mean anything.

How it is written

Niral Score 11 · mostly calm mundaneloaded

10 more readings adjectives, repeated words, sentiment, political diction and 2 more and 4 at zero

Highlighted in the text. Words that carry a fact and quoted words are not counted.

inflation8rate6decision5interest5board4expected4further4higher4prices4rates4cash3hikes3target3war3across2another2bring2costs2fourth2global2happening2highest2holders2increase2level2lifted2mortgage2needed2rising2see2since2statement2

Sentiment -0.4 hostilefavourable Political diction 0 A story about politics, written without coded language Sourcing 28 unattributednamed sources Mood 38.2 sorrowjoyful

4 read zero: generational, gender, jingoistic, religious

Generational 0 harder on the oldharder on the young Gender 0 no gendered framingframing throughout Jingoistic 0 reports to a readerwrites from a camp Religious 0 not invokedovert

How the article is written, not whether it is correct. How each is measured.

Measured on The Guardian Australia’s report as filed, which is all we may publish of this one.

How each outlet filed it

Also covered by The Sydney Morning Herald, WAtoday, The Age, Brisbane Times, The Canberra Times. We hold only their summary of it, not the report, so there is nothing of theirs to measure here.

Outlet	Niral Score	Adjectives	Sourcing	Sentiment	Happiness
The Guardian Australiaas they published this story	11	6	28	-0.4	38.2
7NEWS	9.4	16	72	-0.3	49.6

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The same event elsewhere

6 other outlets filed this story. The scoreboard above is what they did differently.

The Sydney Morning Herald Reserve Bank tipped to lift interest rates today Niral 4.2 · calm political 0 WAtoday Reserve Bank tipped to lift interest rates today Niral 4.2 · calm political 0 The Age Reserve Bank tipped to lift interest rates today Niral 4.2 · calm political 0 Brisbane Times Reserve Bank tipped to lift interest rates today Niral 4.2 · calm political 0 The Canberra Times Mortgage holders brace for highest interest rates since 2011 Niral 10.6 · mostly calm political 0 7NEWS RBA interest rates: Reserve Bank lifts cash rate to 4.60 per cent at September meeting Niral 9.4 · calm political 0