Interest rate hikes remain on cards as Australia’s underlying inflation climbs, economists warn

Despite plunging fuel prices, trimmed mean inflation increased from an annual pace of 3.4% to 3.6%Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s inflation challenge is far from over and more Reserve Bank rate hikes remain on the cards, economists warn, even after a plunging petrol costs drove an unexpected fall in consumer price growth in the year to May.Annual inflation dropped to 4%, from 4.2% in the year to April, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, dragged down in large part thanks to a nearly 12% drop