January 9, 2023

There are junctures in the history of Australian families that alter the trajectory of their lives for the foreseeable future. The RBA decreased the cash rate from 17.5 percent to 17.0 percent on February 23, 1990. For the following three and a half years, the cash rate would be reduced steadily until it reached its current low of 4.75 percent. For many Australians, worrying about interest rate hikes became a thing of the past as their threat vanished in late 2010. This turning point permanently altered the homeownership landscape and households’ mentality. The current situation, however, with Australians facing the