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Reserve Bank of Australia raises cash rate to 4.6%, its highest since 2011

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

7 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its benchmark cash rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.6% on Tuesday, the fourth increase this year and the highest level since 2011. The move, in line with economists' expectations, will add to mortgage repayment costs for millions of Australian households. The RBA cited persistent inflation and rising energy costs, including effects from the US-Israel conflict with Iran, as factors behind the decision. Officials said further increases were not ruled out, while some experts warned that additional hikes could further strain housing affordability and the property market.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The RBA raised the cash rate to 4.6% from 4.35%, a 0.25 percentage point increase.

    Reported byLeftCenter

  2. This is the fourth rate increase this year and the highest level since 2011 (a 15-year high).

    Reported byLeftCenter

  3. The RBA said further rate hikes are not off the table.

    Reported byCenter

  4. The RBA cited persistent inflation and higher energy prices, partly linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, as reasons for the hike.

    Reported byLeftCenter

  5. Experts warned that two or three more rate hikes could be ‘devastating’ for the property market.

    Reported byLeft

  6. The rate increase is expected to add to monthly mortgage repayment costs for millions of Australian households.

    Reported byLeftCenter

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether further rate hikes would be beneficial or harmful.

    Center reporting (CNBC) notes the RBA itself says further hikes are ‘not off the table,’ while left-leaning reporting (The Guardian) cites experts warning that two or three more hikes would be ‘overkill’ and could be ‘devastating’ for the property market.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Guardian headlines emphasize the impact on mortgage holders, household budgets and the property market, while Al Jazeera's headline is more neutral, focusing simply on the rate hike itself.

    Danger zone: why war in the Middle East has landed the RBA’s inflation fight in tricky territory
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center outlets' headlines focus on the rate decision itself and its scale, framing it as reaching a 15-year high without dwelling on household impact.

    Australia raises interest rate to highest level in 15 years
    Financial TimesCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    blow to mortgage holders

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    blow to mortgage holdersMore neutral: will increase costs for mortgage holders

    Frames the rate rise's effect on borrowers in dramatic terms rather than neutrally describing the financial impact.

    …expected decision is fourth increase to interest rate this year and will be blow to mortgage holders across Australia Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get…

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    devastateMore neutral: significantly hurt

    Presents a subjective economic prediction as a dramatic certainty rather than an attributed forecast.

    Further interest rate hikes could ‘devastate’ property market without easing unaffordability

    Quoted byThe Guardian (Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • mortgage repayment burden
  • housing affordability concerns
  • expert warnings about future hikes

Leaves out

  • RBA statement that further hikes are not off the table

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • rate reaching 15-year high
  • economists' expectations being met
  • inflation and energy cost drivers

Leaves out

  • expert warnings that further hikes could be ‘devastating’ for the property market

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Guardian, Sep 27, 11:00 AM EDT

  • Center

    1 day 13 hr later

    Its first report, Sep 29, 12:51 AM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The GuardianLeftSep 27, 11:00 AM EDT
  2. CNBCCenterSep 29, 12:51 AM EDT
  3. Financial TimesCenterSep 29, 1:54 AM EDT
  4. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftSep 29, 2:29 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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