Anthony Albanese’s hopes of holding onto a string of mortgage-belt seats across the nation’s capital cities could hinge on the Reserve Bank delivering the first cut in official interest rates in almost five years amid warnings the institution will undermine its reputation if it does not move.The RBA board will conclude its two-day meeting today, and financial markets and most economists expect governor Michele Bullock to announce a quarter percentage point cut in the official cash rate, which has been at 4.35 per cent since November 2023.A 0.25 percentage point cut would, if passed on in full, reduce repayments on a $600,000 mortgage by $100 a month. Since the bank started lifting rates before the 2022 election, repayments on that mortgage have risen by almost $1500 a month.We’ll have full coverage of the decision when it’s published at 2.30pm, and you’ll also be able to watch RBA governor Michele Bullock’s subsequent press conference in the live blog.Latest postsLatest postsPrime Minister Anthony Albanese denies he has been spreading misinformation after a Labor Medicare campaign was found to be misleading.An attack ad posted online by Labor shows Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in 2014 saying “Medicare is dead”, however, ABC reviewed the original footage and found it had been edited in a misleading way. In the unedited clip, Dutton says, “Medicare is dead if we can’t make it sustainable today”.The full video shows Dutton defending plans to introduce a co-payment for bulk-billed medical consultations.LoadingAsked about the video and whether Albanese was allowing the spread of misinformation, the prime minister denied this was the case.“Peter Dutton, when he was the health minister – and remember, he was voted Australia’s worst health minister by doctors – [he] tried to introduce a GP tax, so a tax every time people went to the doctor that would have had to have made a payment. So abolishing bulk billing,” Albanese told ABC Sydney.“Now, bulk billing is at the heart of Medicare. That’s why we’ve tripled the bulk billing incentive.”A man has died after crashing an SUV into a retaining wall in Jimboomba yesterday.Police were called to the intersection of Edelsten Road and Amber Crescent about 12.35pm yesterday, where a silver Nissan Patrol travelling westward along Amber Crescent had reportedly passed through a T-intersection and crashed into a retaining wall.The 62-year-old man driving the vehicle, who was the sole occupant, died at the scene.Investigations were continuing this morning. As Brisbane continues to sweat through summer, research from The University of Queensland has found people living in cities are at a higher risk of death from extreme temperatures events than in regional areas.PhD candidate Patrick Amoatey said after analysing data for more than 2000 suburbs, he found city dwellers with low income, low education, diabetes and limited access to health services were at highest risk of heatwave related deaths.“We believe the risk is higher in cities because of the ‘heat island effect’, as there are more heat-absorbing surfaces like roads, buildings, and railway lines,” he said.LoadingIn a separate study, researchers from UQ and The Australian National University analysed mortality rates during an extreme heatwave in Victoria in January 2009, along with decades of data, to examine the impacts of climate change on heat related deaths.An estimated 374 excess deaths occurred in Victoria during the five-day heatwave, with maximum temperatures reaching 12 to 15 degrees above normal.“Human-induced climate change had increased the excess heatwave-related mortality in the 2009 event by 20 per cent,” Associate Professor Nicholas Osborne said. Advertisement Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has steered away from saying if he wants to see a rate cut from the Reserve Bank.The RBA board will conclude its two-day meeting this afternoon, and financial markets and most economists expect governor Michele Bullock to announce a quarter percentage point cut in the official cash rate, which has been at 4.35 per cent since November 2023.Treasurer Jim Chalmers also said the RBA’s interest rate decision will be based on economics, not politics.Credit: Alex EllinghausenSpeaking to ABC Sydney this morning, Albanese dodged questions aimed at getting his opinion on the rates decision.“The Reserve Bank, of course, are independent, so we respect the independent decision that they will make,” he said.“What our job has been to do is to get inflation down. We’ve done that. It had a six in front of it when we came to office. It’s now down to a headline rate of 2.4 and so that is much lower, almost a third of when we came to office, and that is within the band that the RBA aims for. But they’ll make a decision based upon the economics, not based upon any politics.”A debate on the cost of living turned tense on Nine’s Today this morning, as Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of “cheering against the Australian people” by questioning if it was time for an interest rate cut.In a panel interview with Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, Rishworth kept to the party lines, reminding viewers that the RBA is “completely independent” and would decide later today based on “economic conditions, not politics”.Loading“What I would say is our government has done everything we can to push down or put downward pressure on inflation,” Rishworth said, before turning on the attack.“We haven’t been doing what Peter Dutton’s been doing, which is somehow arguing that the RBA should keep its interest rates higher. He’s cheering against Australian people.”Last week, Dutton warned that the RBA should avoid a premature cut that could be followed by a rate increase, and claimed any action by the Reserve would not be enough to offset the cost pressures facing families.The discussion soon turned into a shouting match, as the pair argued over which party would have tackled the cost of living crisis more effectively when asked about polling in The Australian that found less than a quarter of voters believe inflation would have been lower under the Coalition.Anthony Albanese’s hopes of holding onto a string of mortgage-belt seats across the nation’s capital cities could hinge on the Reserve Bank delivering the first cut in official interest rates in almost five years amid warnings the institution will undermine its reputation if it does not move.The RBA board will conclude its two-day meeting today, and financial markets and most economists expect governor Michele Bullock to announce a quarter percentage point cut in the official cash rate, which has been at 4.35 per cent since November 2023.A 0.25 percentage point cut would, if passed on in full, reduce repayments on a $600,000 mortgage by $100 a month. Since the bank started lifting rates before the 2022 election, repayments on that mortgage have risen by almost $1500 a month.We’ll have full coverage of the decision when it’s published at 2.30pm, and you’ll also be able to watch RBA governor Michele Bullock’s subsequent press conference in the live blog. Advertisement After a dry start to the week in Brisbane, we’re expecting not much more today, with the weather bureau forecasting a mere 20 per cent chance of a shower.Otherwise, today will be partly cloudy, with a top temperature that won’t quite reach 30 degrees.Here’s the week ahead:Here’s what is making news further afield:Anthony Albanese’s hopes of holding a string of mortgage-belt seats across the nation’s capital cities could hinge on the Reserve Bank delivering the first cut in official interest rates in almost five years amid warnings the institution will undermine its reputation if it does not move.One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has confirmed she asked former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce to join her party, an offer she says still stands.A passenger plane has crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport and injured eight people, officials said, with the plane flipping on landing.Overseas, European leaders have begun Ukraine crisis meetings to reach a consensus on how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s shock peace talks with Russia.Three fights in the first nine seconds of a hotly anticipated USA-Canada hockey clash seemed to speak volumes about the state of relations between the two neighbours.Our expert judges produce the definitive list of the top 50 players in the NRL. Today, we count down from 40 to 31.Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times’ news blog. Today the city can expect a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 29 degrees.In local news you need to know:Mount Gravatt is earmarked by Brisbane City Council for more homes and a mix of new businesses including cafes, restaurants and retail outlets under a new plan.Mount Gravatt will be transformed under a new council plan to create more housing and business opportunities.Credit: NearmapQueensland police need to fill more than 900 positions across the state, with reports the burden of domestic and family violence work is leading to burnout and high attrition rates.Poker machines in Queensland pubs and clubs are collectively raking in $9.7 million on average from patrons every day.Townsville and Cairns have made their pitch for new and improved venues for “Brisbane” 2032 – which is shaping as one of the most decentralised Olympic and Paralympic Games in history.And after revelling in the aftermath of the greatest season of his career, Wallabies captain and Queensland Reds forward Harry Wilson has expressed his desire to remain in Australian rugby for the long haul.