<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>338770</docID> <postdate>2025-02-21 10:21:07</postdate> <headline>‘Job not done’: uncertainty plagues inflation outlook</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-338771" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250221139091801635-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>RBA Governor Michele Bullock is facing a parliamentary grilling over the decision to cut rates. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Kat Wong</strong> and <strong>Jacob Shteyman</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Australia's progress on inflation could be delayed or derailed, the Reserve Bank governor has warned, as uncertainties and unexpected strength plague the economic outlook. </strong></p> <p>Michele Bullock said inflation had slowed more than expected, convincing the board it was appropriate to slightly ease monetary policy for the first time in four years.</p> <p>"We can be satisfied with the progress made so far, though the job is definitely not done," she said at a parliamentary grilling on Friday</p> <p>"The economic outlook remains uncertain and this is especially so the further we look into the future."</p> <p>While strong employment growth is good news for jobseekers, it leads to uncertainties over how much capacity there is in the labour market.</p> <p>"We are alert to the possibility that it is signalling a bit more strength in the economy, which could delay or derail the disinflation process," Ms Bullock said.</p> <p>Questions have also been raised over global policy settings, as they could negatively impact Australia, and the lag between changes to monetary policy and its impact on the economy.</p> <p>The board recognised Australian households, particularly those with mortgages, have been particularly burdened and noted high inflation had permanently increased the prices.</p> <p>"This has hurt everyone, but particularly those on lower incomes and more vulnerable," Ms Bullock said.</p> <p>"We've made good progress on inflation, however, and the board needs to be confident that it is returning to change sustainably."</p> <p>Some economists argued the board was too premature in cutting rates, such as University of NSW professor Richard Holden, who said underlying inflation was still too high.</p> <p>But RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser - who will appear before the committee alongside Ms Bullock, the bank's chief economist Sarah Hunter and assistant governor Brad Jones - said the decision to cut was not a "slam dunk", as the market had expected.</p> <p>"There was, as there always is, an exchange of views about the case for a hold and the case for a cut," he told Bloomberg on Thursday.</p> <p>"And as you say, there were factors on both sides."</p> <p>Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday showed the labour market remains remarkably resilient, with an extra 44,000 jobs added to the economy in January.</p> <p>This added to RBA concerns that tightness in the jobs market could contribute to inflation, though Mr Hauser said it was hard to see bad news in the employment data.</p> <p>Labor MP Jerome Laxale will continue to press the RBA on its progress in removing unnecessary surcharging from card payments.</p> <p>ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb told a parliamentary hearing last week the consumer watchdog had no power to stop service providers from overcharging on debit card transactions by blending fees with credit cards.</p> <p>While a small business may pay around 0.3 or 0.4 per cent to provide debit card services, they were being slugged up to 2.9 per cent by some providers.</p> <p>"It's a hot topic and I think people are hungry for reform," Mr Laxale told AAP.</p> <p>"Debit is the new cash and should be treated the same."</p> </body>