The Australian economy lifted just 0.3% in the March quarter, the Reserve Bank held the cash rate at 4.35%, and consumer watchdog CHOICE escalated unsafe-product complaints to the ACCC. For shoppers, EOFY 2026 is landing into the tightest household budgets in two years, and the AU retailers running genuine discounts deserve every dollar that would otherwise wander to a banned-listing marketplace.
GDP barely budged. Spending will be picky.
Australia’s economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2026, taking the annual rate to 2.5%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics confirmed yesterday. ABC News flagged the quarterly pace as an annualised 1.2%, the slowest meaningful expansion since the post-pandemic plateau. Construction and professional services lifted, while mining and retail trade weighed (sales of goods and services fell in 5 of 15 industries, led by Mining down 3.1%, per the ABS Business Indicators release for March 2026).
For shoppers, the read is simple. Household consumption data through April already showed the first meaningful slowdown since late 2025. The wallet has tightened, and the rest of EOFY 2026 will be about choosing fewer, better deals rather than chasing every banner.
RBA holds at 4.35%, mortgage rates frozen
The Reserve Bank board voted unanimously to hold the cash rate at 4.35% on 2 June, ending six months of move probability priced at every meeting. James Mitchell, writing for Your Finance Guide, notes Governor Bullock used the post-decision press conference to explicitly leave the door open to a further hike if inflation surprises, while the board’s “scope to pause” language appeared again in the statement.
Big 4 owner-occupier variable rates remain in the 5.99% to 6.20% band for prime borrowers, with non-bank lenders running 5.79% to 5.95% on the same files. If you have not had a rate review in 18 months, the maths on a same-lender review for a $700,000 loan is $290 to $470 a month back in the household budget, according to Mitchell. That is real EOFY money before you have walked into a single store.
CHOICE escalates to ACCC over Amazon, Temu, eBay
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE lodged a “super complaint” (the one allowed each year, reserved for the most pressing consumer issues) with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this week. The complaint, covered by the ABC News team, lists novelty smoking cigarettes, toy-like lighters, detachable tongue studs, flammable clothing, and potentially lethal button batteries among the items found on sale across Amazon, Temu, eBay and AliExpress.
CHOICE campaign director Andy Kelly told AAP the legal gap “permits online marketplaces to continue selling these unsafe items with minimal repercussions”. ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe confirmed the watchdog had issued removal requests for the magnet-toy listings to Amazon, eBay, Kogan and Fruugo, and all four took the items down. The ACCC’s separate court case against Amazon Commercial Services (over toddler backpacks with unlabelled button batteries) remains live, with CHOICE calling it a significant test of Amazon’s accountability.
For Australian shoppers the practical takeaway is the same one this brief has run since Issue 01: if a product is for a child, a kitchen, or a power point, prefer an Australian-owned retailer with local fulfilment, real product compliance, and a returns desk you can call. Cheap is not cheap when the listing disappears the next morning.
Special of the Day: House, 84% off Baccarat knife block
Today’s Special of the Day goes to House, the Australian-owned kitchen and homewares retailer. The deepest single deal on the page is the Baccarat Damashiro EMPEROR Hisa 9 Piece Knife Block at $249.99, down from an RRP of $1,639.99. That is a saving of roughly $1,390 and an 84% markdown, the deepest headline figure across the 13 stores reviewed for this issue.
The same Kitchen & Homeware Deals page also lists the Baccarat STONE 10 Piece Cookware Set at 76% off and the iD3 BLACK SAMURAI knife block at 71% off, plus multiple cookware sets at 70%. With EOFY claims for home-office kitchen kit on the table for self-employed Australians, and a slower economy making one-off durable upgrades more sensible than monthly impulse buys, the timing is good. Verify stock at checkout because the deepest Baccarat sets have moved fast at this discount level in prior weeks.
Other Deals Worth a Look
- David Jones: extra 50% off selected sale styles, plus 50% off selected cookware (Essteele, Anolon, Circulon) and up to 40% off bed linen. Strong EOFY pairing with the House cookware run if you want to mix premium with mid-range.
- Repco: Ultimate DIY Workshop Catalogue (ends Tuesday 16 June) with 45% off the Mechpro 120 Piece Automotive Tool Kit ($99, was $190) and 40% off the Mechpro 2000kg Trolley Jack. Rewards members also get the Invisible Glass Rain Repellent at half price.
- Dan Murphy’s: EOFY wine and spirits clearance is running with up to 60% off selected packages. Worth a browse for cellar-door pricing on Australian reds before the July uplifts.
- Spotlight: Spot-Take Sale (Wed 3 to Sun 21 June), VIPs save 50% off flannelette bed linen, electric and winter blankets, and Mygenie vacuums. KOO Bamboo Cotton Sheet Set at 59% off is the standout.
What to watch
Three data points will shape consumer pricing into Q3: the June quarter Wage Price Index (released 13 August), the July monthly CPI indicator (28 August), and household consumption data through July and August. A material upside surprise on either trimmed-mean inflation or services inflation puts the RBA hike back on the table, which means today’s mortgage rate plateau is the easier half of 2026. EOFY savings now are partly an insurance policy against a tougher H2.
Tomorrow’s brief: AU retailer EOFY claim-period guides for working-from-home shoppers, plus a deep dive into a homepage retailer’s deepest single-item deal.
