Nearly one in 10 mortgage holders have struggled to make a repayment or pay a bill as rising interest rates tighten the screws on household budgets.
The central bank has already lifted interest rates from historic lows of 0.1 per cent in April last year to 3.35 per cent last month, and is expected to hike rates again when the board meets on Tuesday.
Another 25 basis point increase, as widely anticipated, would take the cash rate to its highest level since May 2012.
