On 6 December 2007, the incoming Labor government announced a 'new era' for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) with revised arrangements for appointing the bank's senior officers and external board members, in conjunction with a new joint 'Statement on the Conduct of Monetary Policy' between the bank and the government. On the previous day...

The Reserve Bank’s relationship with government is working well, except from an anachronistic process of appointing board members, writes Nicholas Gruen.

Underground banking, where money is transferred through informal rather than formal banking sectors, is a recognised method by which legitimate remittances from overseas workers are routinely transferred. However, underground banking has also long been regarded as a conduit for money laundering by criminal organisations and arguably by terrorist networks. Rob McCusker provides an overview of...

The recent decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to increase interest rates following seventeen months of unchanged, historically low rates has generated interest in the impact of this decision on the approximately 32 per cent of Australian households with mortgages. It has also prompted speculation about further rate rises in the next few months.

Improving Indigenous people's access to banking and financial services must involve cooperation between Indigenous organisations, the financial services sector, and governments. The author evaluates the Tangentyere Bank Pilot Project in Alice Springs, covering various aspects of the banking and financial services provided by the Tangentyere Council, including the delivery of face-to-face banking services, the financial...