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Reserve Bank board members have left a pause in rates on the table at the next meeting in April, but more rises could be necessary to tackle inflation.

The minutes from the Reserve Bank board's meeting were broadly consistent with recent softening in language in preparation for keeping interest rates on hold sometime soon.

In the minutes detailing the meeting held two weeks ago, board members deliberated the case for moving to the sidelines but ultimately landed on another 25 basis point hike.

In support of another rate rise was inflation that was still "too high" and weak productivity indicators in the national accounts that "could make inflation more persistent than previously thought".

The fact that Australia's cash rate is lower than several other countries is also weighing on board members, as it could impact the exchange rate.

On the other hand, the board recognised that monetary policy was in restrictive territory and that the economic outlook was uncertain.

The board also pointed to the complications posed by lagging impacts in monetary policy, with robust savings buffers and the prevalence of fixed-rate mortgages likely dragging out the wait time.

Looking forward, the central bank stuck with its softened phrasing that "further tightening of monetary policy would likely be required" but also said they would "reconsider the case for a pause" next month.

ANZ senior economist Felicity Emmett noted the minutes were quite dated given recent speeches and public appearances from senior RBA officials, including the governor, and the chaos in financial markets.

She said there were still some interesting takeaways, however, including scepticism about the spate of weaker growth, labour, wages and inflation data.

The board also pointed to the possibility of rebounding strength across economic indicators as seen in the United States and other countries.

Since the meeting, the board has seen a strong labour force report and relatively robust business conditions indicators.

Between now and the April meeting, the RBA will need to digest February CPI data, the retail sales report and the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision.

Ms Emmett said that while the risks of a pause had risen, the bank's economists were still favouring another 25bp hike at the April meeting.

But JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said the case for a pause in April was "relatively settled" given the central bank's wariness of interest rate lags.

"The 'considerations' section warns against over-extrapolating softness in recent data, so the argument for a pause seems to come more from preliminary signs of traction and respect for lags, than the leading edge of the data alone," he said.

"This presumably means the case for a pause in April is relatively settled and not too dependent on the next couple of weeks' worth of data."

Fresh data released on Tuesday was mixed, with the quarterly industrial trends survey from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Westpac revealing a modest expansion in business conditions.

The survey's actual composite index - a gauge of business conditions - lifted from 49 in December to 55 in March. The expected composite eased from 54.9 to 52.1.

ANZ and Roy Morgan's weekly consumer confidence survey lost 0.5 points to 76.5, marking the third consecutive week below 80.

© AAP 2023

For a single parent in Queensland, the prospect of another rent hike will likely mean getting a second job.

Rents have grown at a faster rate in Queensland than any other state or territory, with low-income and regional households the hardest hit, a recent report commissioned by the council of social service says.

Limiting annual rent increases to inflation or just above has been floated as one solution but depending who you ask, that's either a modest intervention or the shattering of confidence for investors.

Tenants Queensland CEO Penny Carr has heard stories of renters going to real estate agents months in advance to find out if their lease is being renewed and if they are up for a hike.

"One of them has had two increases in a row, one of them substantial, and she thinks to accommodate the next one she's likely to have to get a second job because she's a single parent," Ms Carr told AAP.

"She manages her money very tightly."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gave her strongest indication rent caps were a possibility when she said the government is "looking very seriously" at how the policy could be implemented.

But the state's real estate peak body wants those "startling comments" withdrawn immediately.

"In the middle of a housing crisis caused by lack of housing supply, it's beyond belief that the government is now proposing a measure which innately discourages further supply," Real Estate Institute of Queensland CEO Antonia Mercorella said.

She pointed to the government reaction after the Greens last year introduced a bill proposing a two-year rent freeze, followed by modest increases of two per cent every two years.

At the time it was dismissed by Queensland's housing minister Leanne Enoch as extremist.

"With the Queensland property industry providing $27 billion in taxes, it's inconceivable that this government continually bites the hand that feeds them and provides vital shelter for their constituents," Ms Mercorella said.

Deputy premier Steven Miles said there was a big difference between freezing rent completely and a potential limit on increases.

"We've heard from families who have seen their rents increase 20 (or) 30 per cent, we've seen evidence of some property managers price gouging in the market ... so we want to have a conversation about what should be done about rents," he said.

The Liberal National opposition has signalled its objection to any form of rent control.

The best way to increase housing supply was with "stable taxation and regulatory environments" that give investors certainty, treasury spokesman David Janetzki said.

Ms Carr said investors come in and out of the market all the time and decisions tend to centre on long-term gains.

"They're looking at negative gearing and capital gains reductions, rather than ... income on a weekly basis," she said.

"It is government's role to regulate markets so that they operate well and if you look at the market now, you'd probably say it's failed."

© AAP 2023

The Nationals are at odds with health experts over the regulation of vapes, arguing retailers should be allowed to sell the nicotine version.

"We've got an epidemic out there," the party's federal leader David Littleproud told ABC TV on Tuesday.

"These things are on every street corner."

Mr Littleproud believes vapes need to be treated the same as cigarettes, to curb black market sales and limit youth access.

"We have got to get ahead of this because children are the ones that are the victims of this," he said.

Under Australian laws, it is illegal to buy, possess or use nicotine for vaping without a doctor's prescription. Only pharmacies can sell e-cigarettes or e-liquids that contain nicotine.

The Nationals want the laws changed to allow retailers to dispense nicotine vaping products but limit sales to people 18 and over.

Such a measure would reduce under-age access and tighten the supply chain, Mr Littleproud said.

But health experts argue the lack of strong law enforcement against vapes is threatening Australia's hard-won tobacco control successes.

The Australian Medical Association is calling for further limits on access to vapes and a reduction in their nicotine levels.

New research by the Australian National University is being used to back a call for a government crackdown on access to e-cigarettes.

More than 240 chemicals were found in toxicological analyses of non-nicotine e-cigarettes, according to the report.

At least 38 of those chemicals were listed poisons and another 27 were associated with adverse health outcomes.

Users of nicotine e-cigarettes could also be poisoned by the nicotine itself, the study said.

Nicotine poisoning can cause seizures and respiratory depression, which can result in death, according to Cancer Council Victoria.

"The jury is in. It's time for stronger, strictly enforced regulations so we can avoid another public health crisis like tobacco," AMA president Steve Robson said on Tuesday.

The report also found that most use of e-cigarettes is not for smoking cessation, since most smokers who vape continue to smoke, and most use in young people isn't about quitting smoking.

More than one-third of e-cigarette users in Australia are under 25, with 11 per cent of the population 14 and over reporting e-cigarette use in 2019.

"Vaping products are a gateway to smoking for young people," Professor Robson said.

"We know many products marketed as not containing nicotine have been found to contain nicotine."

At least 32 countries have banned the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes, 79 allow them to be sold while fully or partially regulating them and the remaining 84 do not regulate them at all.

The ANU study is published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

© AAP 2023