Australia’s central bank is gearing up to deliver another aggressive interest rate increase this Tuesday, with a fresh surge in persistent inflation leaving policymakers with little choice but to squeeze the national economy. Financial and economic analysts widely expect the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to raise the official cash rate by 25 basis points at its 2:30 pm board meeting, marking the third consecutive rate hike in 2026. If the forecast holds true, the benchmark cash rate will climb back to 4.35 percent, completely erasing the three rate cuts implemented to support the economy in 2025 and piling fresh financial stress on roughly 3.6 million Australian mortgage holders.