Mortgage holders have been granted another month of interest rate relief after the Reserve Bank of Australia left monetary policy unchanged, as expected.
More interest rate hikes are broadly off the table but the Reserve Bank governor is likely to keep her options open in a big week of public appearances.
The minutes from the December interest rate meeting will outline the Reserve Bank's thinking on inflation as households gear up for the festive season.
Mortgage-holders are in for more pain after Australia's central bank pulled the trigger on a widely-expected 25 basis point interest rate hike aimed at driving down stubbornly high inflation.
Consumer price figures will be hotly anticipated as decision-makers seek to confirm whether inflation is falling fast enough to keep interest rates on hold.
Acting Treasurer Katy Gallagher has called on the states and territories to better "phase" their massive infrastructure projects, but stopped short of labelling them inflationary.
Senator Gallagher said the federal government was working with...