30/09/2026
What does CHILDCARE have to do with your MORTGAGE? 🤔🏠
Sounds completely unrelated.
But there’s been plenty of discussion in the media lately about whether government spending is contributing to inflation.
An article I was reading in the Australian Financial Review highlighted an interesting connection.
A significant part of household spending goes towards essential services such as childcare, healthcare, education and transport — areas where government funding and policy can have a significant influence.
Take childcare.
The article reported that:
👶 Childcare prices increased 11.2% over the year
💰 More than $16 billion was spent on subsidies in the sector
👩🏫 A government-supported 15% pay rise for childcare workers was implemented over two years
But the economic argument isn’t simply:
More government spending = more inflation.
It’s about what happens when different parts of the economy compete for limited workers and resources.
Healthcare needs workers.
Childcare needs workers.
Education and transport need workers.
And so does the private sector.
When demand for those limited resources exceeds the economy’s capacity to supply them, it can put upward pressure on wages, operating costs and ultimately prices.
And that’s where your mortgage enters the conversation.
Persistent inflation can mean tighter monetary policy and higher interest rates than would otherwise be the case.
For property investors, that can flow directly into:
Borrowing capacity → Mortgage repayments → Cash flow → What you can actually afford to hold.
So understanding property isn’t only about watching auction clearance rates and house prices.
Sometimes you need to understand what’s happening in the broader economy too.
Because childcare and your mortgage might seem worlds apart…
but economically, they can be more connected than you think.
Source: Australian Financial Review, with economic views attributed to economists quoted in the article.