# Awkward details resurface of ‘inflation’ photoshoot that Jim Chalmers will live to regret: PETER VAN ONSELEN

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/awkward-details-resurface-of-inflation-photoshoot-that-jim-chalmers-will-live-to-regret-peter-van-onselen/
- Published: 2026-10-29T00:44:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T02:04:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16247447/Jim-Chalmers-inflation-photoshoot.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Business, Culture, Economy, World

## Key points

- Inflation reached 4.3 per cent in September.
- Another rate rise could lift the cash rate to 4.85 per cent.
- The article argues spending restraint could ease pressure on borrowers.

## Summary

Australia’s annual inflation rose to 4.3 per cent in September, strengthening expectations of another Reserve Bank interest rate rise. The article criticises Treasurer Jim Chalmers for posing with an image of a subdued “inflation dragon” in 2024, arguing the photo now looks premature as households continue to face high costs.

The cash rate could rise by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.85 per cent, which would be the fifth increase this year, according to the article. It argues that higher rates would squeeze mortgage holders and businesses, while persistent inflation would erode wages and savings; it calls for federal spending restraint to help ease pressure on demand. International price shocks, domestic capacity constraints and weak productivity are also cited as factors.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.