Afternoon Update: RBA holds interest rates; captive birds to be vaccinated; and one of Sam Neill’s final interviews

Want to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Afternoon Update here, and start your day with our Morning Mail newsletter Good afternoon. It came as no surprise, but it will be welcome news for homeowners nonetheless. In a widely expected decision, and despite persistent worries about elevated inflation, the Reserve Bank held the cash rate at 4.35%. The announcement comes amid a steep decline in property prices in Sydney and Melbourne after three rate hikes earlier this year and the Labor government’s major reforms to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing. Our economics editor Patrick Commins wrote today that while inflation eased to 3.8% in June, a fourth hike this year remains on the table as the central bank attempts to walk the narrow path back to its 2.5% inflation target without triggering a big rise in unemployment. Coalition divided over tougher gambling laws – with MPs warning Angus Taylor against overreach Native birds in captivity to be vaccinated against H5 bird flu as Australia prepares for more mass mortalities Alan Jones’s alleged victim told brother indecent assaults weren’t ‘too bad’ but involved broadcaster grabbing his pen