Australia names first woman central bank chief

SYDNEY: Michele Bullock will become the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) first woman chief in its 63-year history starting in September, the government said on Friday, effectively sacking the incumbent following a series of unpopular rate hikes.

After 43 years at the bank, outgoing chief Philip Lowe has recently been dogged by criticism from the government and media over the rate increases, which were aimed at dampening inflation but have raised mortgage costs for homeowners.