The warnings have been there for weeks, but it was still not good news for borrowers and homeowners when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised the cash rate again on Tuesday.
In the fourth rise this year, the official rate has now reached 4.6 per cent, the highest level since November 2011. RBA Governor Michele Bullock laid much of the blame on the rolling impacts of the Middle East conflict and higher fuel prices, for stubbornly high inflation.