China
Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting on 28 September. According to the meeting statement published by the Chinese Government, the cabinet called for stronger counter-cyclical adjustment in response to new pressures in the economy, more effective implementation of existing policies, and faster issuance and use of government bonds.
The meeting directed authorities to improve the allocation of fiscal spending, use remaining local-government debt capacity, and deploy or adjust monetary-policy tools as appropriate. Relending facilities are to provide additional support for technological innovation, industrial upgrading, agriculture and small businesses. The State Council also called for measures to stabilise the property market, support employment and lift incomes, and for major infrastructure projects associated with the six national networks in the 2026–30 Five-Year Plan to begin as soon as possible. The statement did not specify the size or commencement dates of the additional measures.
Australia
The Reserve Bank of Australia's Monetary Policy Board unanimously decided on 29 September to raise the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.60 per cent. It was the fourth increase of 2026, taking the cumulative rise this year to one percentage point and the cash rate to its highest level in about 15 years.
The RBA said inflation remained too high and that some of the upside risks identified at its August meeting were materialising. It cited higher global energy prices, rapid increases in prices for technology-related goods driven by artificial-intelligence demand, domestic capacity pressures, and the partial flow-through of higher fuel prices to other goods and services. The bank also noted that economic growth was slowing, house prices had fallen in most capital cities and new housing lending had declined noticeably. The Board said it remained prepared to raise the cash rate further if needed and would continue to base decisions on incoming data and its assessment of the outlook and risks.
United States
US District Judge Amir Ali ruled on 28 September that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency lacked authority to link counterterrorism grants to changes in state and local election administration. The US District Court for the District of Columbia granted summary judgment to the local governments from Texas, Tennessee and Ohio that brought the case and vacated the challenged conditions.
The conditions would have withheld 20 per cent of about US$1.1 billion in homeland-security grants until recipients committed to equipment accepting hand-marked paper ballots, manual audits of at least 5 per cent of ballots, and checks of voter-registration records against the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE system. The court found that Congress had authorised the grants for preventing and responding to terrorism, not for imposing those election-administration requirements. A separate challenge brought by a coalition of states remains pending. At the time of the Reuters report, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the Department of Justice had responded to requests for comment.
Editorial framework: This briefing uses Sustenesis as an editorial framework for selecting facts, organising relationships and structuring information, with attention to differences and constraints in rules, responsibilities, resources, risks and social relations. Sustenesis functions here as a method of organisation rather than a position or commentary; the body remains limited to verifiable facts.
Sources
Chinese Government — Li Qiang chairs State Council executive meeting on strengthening macro-policy implementation and promoting effective investment
https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202609/content_7082280.htm
Reuters — China's cabinet pledges stronger policy support to meet growth target
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinas-cabinet-pledges-stronger-policy-support-meet-growth-target-2026-09-28/
Reserve Bank of Australia — Statement by the Monetary Policy Board: Monetary Policy Decision
https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2026/mr-26-27.html
Reuters — Australia's central bank raises cash rate to 15-year peak
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-central-bank-raises-cash-rate-15-year-peak-2026-09-29/
Reuters — Judge blocks Trump from tying anti-terrorism grants to election changes
https://www.reuters.com/world/judge-blocks-trump-tying-anti-terrorism-grants-election-changes-2026-09-28/
Harris County Attorney's Office — Trump Administration’s Election Conditions on Anti-Terrorism Funding Struck Down
https://cao.harriscountytx.gov/Connect/Newsroom/trump-administrations-election-conditions-on-anti-terrorism-funding-struck-dow
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