Afternoon Update: RBA gives households reprieve; former childcare worker faces offences; and post-Ashes drinks moved to nightclub

The Reserve Bank of Australia has held the official cash rate at 4.1%. This is the second consecutive month the rate has not risen. Photograph: Steven Saphore/Reuters

Good afternoon. The Reserve Bank has decided to hold interest rates steady at 4.1% today, extending relief to households once again.

It comes after the RBA board decided to leave interest rates unchanged for a second consecutive month. Economists had been split, with a slight majority predicting a 25-basis-point hike, which would have marked a 13th rate increase since the cycle began in May 2022.