Highlights

  • The RBA Monetary Policy Board's final 2026 meeting is scheduled for 7-8 December, with the decision at 2.30pm on 8 December.
  • Whatever rate is set on 8 December applies through Christmas and the summer until the next meeting in February 2027.
  • Governor Bullock is scheduled to speak at the ABE Annual Dinner in Sydney on 1 December, the week before the meeting.
  • The December meeting minutes will not be published until 22 December, three days before Christmas.

For households planning the festive season, the Reserve Bank of Australia has a calendar date that matters beyond next week's Melbourne Cup Day decision. On Tuesday 8 December at 2.30 pm, the Monetary Policy Board will release its last decision of 2026, setting the rate that applies through Christmas, the New Year, and the summer holidays.

Why December Matters for Household Budgets

The Board does not meet again after 8 December until 8-9 February 2027. This means the rate set on 8 December applies for approximately two months, covering the period many households find financially stretched. A rate change at that meeting would flow through to variable mortgage repayments during a period of elevated spending.

Unlike the November meeting, the December meeting is not accompanied by a Statement on Monetary Policy. The SMP, which contains the Board's economic forecasts, is published with the November decision. December is a decision-only meeting, without updated forecasts.

What the Board Will Know by Then

By 7-8 December the Board will have the 3 November decision itself, the new Statement on Monetary Policy released that day, the 17 November minutes of the November meeting, and any economic data released in the intervening period. The Governor is also scheduled to speak at the ABE Annual Dinner on 1 December, one week before the meeting.

The November SMP is the next opportunity for the RBA to publish updated economic forecasts. That document will frame how the Board's thinking has evolved since the August projections and provide the analytical backdrop to the December meeting.

The December Timetable

The RBA's Coming Up calendar lists: 1 December, a fireside chat with Bullock at the ABE Annual Dinner in Sydney; 7-8 December, the Board meeting; 8 December at 2.30pm, the decision statement; 8 December at 3.30pm, the Governor's media conference; 9 December, the Chart Pack; 15 December at 2.30pm, the Council of Financial Regulators quarterly statement; and 22 December at 11.30am, the minutes of the December meeting.

The minutes on 22 December are the last piece of the December picture, arriving three days before Christmas. Households and markets wanting full detail on what the Board weighed will need to wait until then.