Key occasions
What we discovered, 1 February 2026
With that, we’re wrapping up the weblog. Earlier than we go, listed below are the key tales from Sunday:
We’ll decide issues up once more tomorrow.
Public sale exercise roars again after lengthy weekend
Public sale exercise has bounced again sharply this weekend, with 1,629 auctions scheduled.
That is nearly 4 instances the 305 auctions held on the lengthy weekend final week, and a bounce on the 1,390 auctions that occurred on the identical time final 12 months.
Primarily based on outcomes collected to date, CoreLogic’s abstract discovered that the preliminary clearance price was 69.7% throughout the nation, however above the 59.4% precise price within the closing numbers.
Throughout the capital cities:
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Sydney: 314 of 468 auctions with a preliminary clearance price of 71.3%
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Melbourne: 489 of 643 auctions with a preliminary clearance price of 69.3%
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Brisbane: 164 of 221 auctions with a preliminary clearance price of 75%
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Adelaide: 101 of 153 auctions with a preliminary clearance price of 86.1%
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Canberra: 123 of 135 auctions with a preliminary clearance price of 39.8%
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Tasmania: One public sale to be held.
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Perth: Eight auctions held.
Why some economists go towards the circulation on RBA price guess
The Reserve Financial institution is extensively tipped to change into the primary main central financial institution on Tuesday to U-turn from price cuts to price hikes within the post-Covid inflation period.
A handful of economists expect the Reserve Financial institution of Australia to carry the money price regular at 3.6% when its board wraps up its first assembly of 2026 on Tuesday.
The crux of his heterodox argument is that almost all analysts have targeted on an increase in core inflation within the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) long-running quarterly shopper worth index sequence, the RBA’s most well-liked measure.
However doing this ignores a downward development within the ABS’s newly minted month-to-month information sequence, which reveals inflationary pressures are extra non permanent than everlasting, though the RBA has mentioned it will pay much less heed to the month-to-month measure whereas kinks have been ironed out within the information.
Cash markets imagine there’s a excessive chance of a hike, implying a 70% likelihood of a 25-basis-point improve.
Whereas the choice dominates the week’s agenda, economists will even scrutinise constructing approvals information on Tuesday and Australia’s stability of commerce, due Thursday.
Federal politicians will grill RBA officers on their price choices on Friday, when its governor, Michele Bullock, deputy, Andrew Hauser, and three assistant governors entrance a committee listening to in Canberra.
Wall Road buyers are in the meantime making an attempt to determine what Donald Trump’s nomination to succeed the US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, will imply for rates of interest.
Its former governor Kevin Warsh ought to favour decrease charges however cease wanting extra aggressive financial easing linked to different potential nominees.
– AAP
Australia swelters by means of fourth hottest January on report
Graham Readfearn
Australians endured the nation’s fourth-hottest January on report, with nationwide temperatures 1.9C above common, in accordance with Bureau of Meteorology information.
Final month marked the twenty fourth consecutive January wherein Australia’s imply temperature exceeded the long-term common from 1961 to 1990.
New South Wales had a standout month, with the information displaying most temperatures have been the second highest on the bureau’s report, which fits again to 1910. Maximums in South Australia have been the third highest on report.
International heating triggered largely by burning fossil fuels has seen Australia heat by 1.5C since 1910.
Australia skilled two heatwaves in January. Final week’s excessive warmth set information tumbling in South Australia and Victoria, with a number of areas recording their highest-ever temperatures.
Laneway competition to host drug checking service as a part of NSW trial
Laneway competition will host an onsite drug checking service as a part of an ongoing trial, it was confirmed on Sunday.
Laneway would be the eleventh competition to take part within the year-long trial when it begins subsequent Sunday at Centennial Park.
The service shall be free and nameless for competition patrons, permitting them to convey a small pattern to be checked on-site by certified well being employees.
Contributors shall be knowledgeable of the substance and its efficiency, together with steering on the right way to cut back dangers in the event that they select to make use of it.
Educated peer staff can be found on website to supply tailor-made steering on dangers, confidential help and details about extra help companies.
The NSW chief well being officer, Dr Kerry Chant, mentioned the service was meant to assist individuals make knowledgeable choices to cut back drug-related hurt, however shouldn’t be a assure of security.
This trial goals to tell people about substances, permitting them to keep away from harmful substances, discard high-risk medicine, make safer and extra knowledgeable selections and doubtlessly keep away from critical well being dangers.
Our precedence is to cut back hurt and hold individuals protected.
The trial comes after the NSW Authorities’s Drug Summit concluded in December 2024. The summit’s report beneficial a trial of music festival-based drug testing as a precedence.
‘It’s not about democracy’: NSW lawyer normal doubles down on phrase ban
The New South Wales state authorities stays decided to ban use of the phrase “globalise the intifada” regardless of most submissions to an inquiry in regards to the transfer opposing the ban.
When requested in regards to the obvious opposition to the ban throughout a press convention on Sunday, the NSW lawyer normal, Michael Daley, contradicted a report that famous neighborhood opposition to the ban, saying, “I’m undecided that’s the case.”
Daley famous that the inquiry obtained 700 submissions, of which 155 are public.
It’s not about democracy. Simply because lots of people wish to hold doing one thing that’s unacceptable doesn’t imply it’s the correct factor for a authorities to do it.
For extra on this story, learn the previous report by Guardian Australia’s Penry Buckley:
Josh Butler
Greens blame authorities inaction on housing and worth gouging for looming price rise
The Greens declare that Australians are going through an rate of interest hike this week, partially, as a result of the federal government hasn’t executed sufficient to take care of rising housing costs and company worth gouging.
Greens chief Larissa Waters claims the Labor authorities must be doing extra to handle these points, in a bid to maintain inflation down.
In case you’re a mortgage holder or a renter, you face being hit by the RBA to ‘repair’ the federal government’s ‘inflation downside’. Anybody with a mortgage shall be giving extra per 30 days to the large banks. Renters are going to cop it as it would trickle down into unfair hire rises.
It’s onerous sufficient proper now to get forward, you shouldn’t be doing it more durable. It shouldn’t be on you. That is about selections. The federal government’s priorities imply that you’re copping the ache whereas banks, power corporations and property buyers hold successful.”
She added:
In the event that they’d taken them on, you wouldn’t be getting a price rise.
Greens’ financial spokesperson Nick McKim went on to say:
That is about political selections, and Labor has chosen to guard company earnings whereas odd individuals put on the ache.
If the Reserve Financial institution will increase rates of interest the treasurer will wring his fingers and fake he shares individuals’s ache when in actuality he’s accountable for growing stress on the RBA to lift.
NSW to take away ‘good character’ from being thought of at sentencing hearings in nationwide first
Offenders convicted of any crime will now not have the ability to depend on glowing character references throughout sentencing below modifications being launched in New South Wales, in a transfer supported by survivors of sexual abuse however which others say may restrict defendants’ rights.
On Wednesday, the state authorities will change into the primary nationwide to introduce laws to take away “good character” from being thought of at sentencing hearings, when judges hear about somebody’s prior report, normal fame and any optimistic contributions to society as mitigating components.
It follows a suggestion from a NSW sentencing council assessment launched on Sunday, which was commissioned in April 2024 after a marketing campaign by Your Reference Ain’t Related to take away good character references throughout sentencing for little one intercourse offenders.
For extra on this story, learn the complete report by Guardian Australia’s Penry Buckley:
Victoria flips Metro Tunnel’s ‘large change’ as new companies start
Sunday marks the day Melbourne’s $15bn Metro Tunnel will start service in what the Victorian state authorities is looking “the large change”.
New timetables with additional companies that use the Metro Tunnel – first introduced in 2015 and opened in November – will start from Sunday.
The state authorities says the companies will cut back congestion on the community and also will contain modifications to bus routes in regional Victoria and inner-city Melbourne.
‘Modified me’: deputy chief again after most cancers battle
The NSW deputy premier is returning to work for the brand new faculty 12 months after her second most cancers battle in three years.
Prue Automobile, who can also be the minister for schooling and early studying, went on go away in June after revealing she had been recognized with breast most cancers.
The 43-year-old mom mentioned it had been a tough seven months, however she could be again at work on Monday to kick off the brand new faculty 12 months.
In a video message on Sunday, she mentioned the expertise had “definitely modified me in so some ways”.
What hasn’t modified is my unwavering dedication to ship for the individuals of NSW, for this stunning neighborhood I symbolize right here in western Sydney, in addition to persevering with our program in schooling.
I can’t wait to get again to work.
Automobile entered state parliament in 2015 for the western Sydney seat of Londonderry and has been deputy premier since Labor gained authorities in March 2023.
The NSW MP remained deputy premier throughout her remedy however stepped again from her ministerial duties in schooling and early studying and western Sydney, handing the reins to fellow minister Courtney Houssos.
It was Automobile’s second main well being battle, having taken go away in 2022 after an unrelated kidney most cancers analysis.
– AAP
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas anticipated to take pleasure in comfy win at subsequent state election
South Australian Labor is tipped to take the stand in one other landslide towards the state’s Liberal get together.
With the Liberals largely lacking in motion, Adelaide College emeritus professor of politics Clem Macintyre mentioned the Labor Premier didn’t face a lot of a problem.
The opposition get together, she mentioned, had been “at sixes and sevens” for many of his time period.
The opposition chief, Ashton Hurn, who was thrust into the Liberal management in December, months out from the 21 March election, is left to select up the items of a celebration that did not get better after Labor turfed them out in 2022, successful 27 decrease home seats to 16.
Labor has since gained two extra seats at byelections, snaring former premier Steven Marshall’s citizens of Dunstan in 2023 and Black, which was held by his successor, David Spiers, in 2024.
Speirs stop parliament in October 2024 and was convicted on drug provide expenses final 12 months.
He was changed by Vincent Tarzia, who trailed Malinauskas 58% to 19% as most well-liked premier in October’s DemosAU opinion ballot, earlier than he stepped down in December.
Hurn, 35, who’s the member for the Barossa Valley seat of Schubert, is now one in every of 5 ladies leaders within the Liberal get together at federal, state or territory stage.
Macintyre mentioned she anticipated the election would end in fewer Liberal MPs within the decrease home. “Definitely, there’s unlikely to be many, if any, from metropolitan Adelaide,” she mentioned.
Flinders College affiliate lecturer in public coverage Josh Sunman mentioned the oppositions mild coverage providing stands in distinction to the large bulletins provided by Labor.
Although susceptible on the state debt, ramping within the state’s hospitals and the Premier’s intervention into Adelaide Writers Week, Sunman steered the Liberals had been unable to capitalise.
An uncommon issue on this election is the variety of MPs on prison expenses.
Along with Spiers, three former Liberals-turned-independents discovered themselves earlier than the courts final 12 months.
The state election shall be held on 21 March 2026.
– AAP
