Author: roymorgansocial

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence is virtually unchanged at 75.6 in mid-July

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jul-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 75.6 in the week to 19 July; however, Consumer Confidence is 10.7pts lower than a year ago (86.3), although it is now 3.8pts above the 2026 weekly average of 71.8. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence was driven up by a large increase in New South Wales, but it was unchanged in Victoria and down in Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia. Now 17% of Australians (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 51% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 22% (down 2ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 39% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 7% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 39% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 20% (up 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 40% (down 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

More than 3.3 million Australians are experiencing some form of gambling harm

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jul-26

The latest Roy Morgan data shows that 15.1% of Australia’s adult population (an estimated 3.32 million people) are experiencing some level of harm from their own gambling behaviours or those close to them. As of March 2026, 13.0% of the Australian population (an estimated 2,857,000 people) were experiencing some form of Gambling Harm from their own gambling behaviours. Approximately 5.4% (1,177,000 people) are experiencing Gambling Harm from other people’s gambling. Importantly, people can fall into both types of gambling harm if they are experiencing both. The Roy Morgan Gambling Harm Index provides a comprehensive snapshot of the incidence and severity of gambling-related harm in Australia. The Index is based on the Gambling Harm Scales, a screening framework developed by Central Queensland University, which uses 10 key questions to capture a range of financial, emotional and social impacts associated with gambling.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY

Young Jews told to hide in fear

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Original article by Bimini Plesser
The Australian – Page: 2 : 22-Jul-26

Leaders of Jewish communities across Australia gave evidence to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion yesterday. Adass Israel Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein told the inquiry that Jewish professionals such as doctors and lawyers are relocating to Israel because they feel safer there than in Australia. Bialik College board president Tyson Wodak said its students have been warned against wearing their uniforms when they go on school excursions in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023. He added that the school’s annual tuition fee includes an $840 security levy, which has increased by more than 230 per cent since 2023.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION ON ANTISEMITISM AND SOCIAL COHESION, ADASS ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE, BIALIK COLLEGE

Treasury warned Labor housing goals would fail

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 22-Jul-26

A report from the Australian National Audit Office shows that the Treasury had consistently advised the federal government that the social and affordable rental homes targets of its Housing Australia Future Fund were unlikely to be met. These warnings were issued both before and after the flagship $10bn fund had been established. The Treasury cited factors such as the bulding industry’s lack of capacity to deliver on the HAFF’s initial tartget of 30,000 homes, as well as inconsistencies in the planning and regulatory systems of state governments. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil says the government welcomes independent scrutiny of its housing targets and it has accepted all five of the ANAO’s recommendations. However, shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg says the report shows that criticism of the HAFF is justified.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. HOUSING AUSTRALIA FUTURE FUND, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Unions’ air war about power, payback

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 15 : 22-Jul-26

The Transport Workers’ Union will use Labor’s upcoming national conference to push for a ‘Safe and Secure Skies Commission’ to be established. Amongst other things, proposed aviation oversight body would have the power to cap executive pay and bonuses in the sector and hold both airlines and airports to account for safety and fairness. However, the Flight Attendants’ Association of Australia’s national secretary Teri O’Toole and the Australian & International Pilots Association’s president Andrew Marshall contend that a new industry oversight body is not necessary. O’Toole says the proposal is merely a "blatant power grab" by the TWU.

CORPORATES
TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS’ ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL PILOTS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Reuters’ top editor slams AI plunder

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 3 : 22-Jul-26

Reuters’ editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni delivered the annual Andrew Olle Lecture at the ABC’s Sydney headquarters last night. Galloni used her speech to warn of the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the media industry. She said the industry is facing a new and potentially existential challenge from AI companies that are using copyrighted news content to train their models, with a resulting loss of revenue for media organisations. Galloni added that Reuters’ business model demonstrates that the licensing of news content to third parties can work; however, she said that some licensing conditions must be non-negotiable, including fair payment and attribution of the original source.

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REUTERS HOLDINGS PLC, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Standard of living worst in a century

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Original article by Michael Read, Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 22-Jul-26

New data shows that Australia’s GDP growth per capita has been just four per cent so far in the current decade, while there is unlikely to be significant growth in coming years. This could potentially put the nation on track to record the lowest growth since the 1910s, when GDP per capita fell by 12 per cent due to factors such as the economic impact of World War I, a severe drought and the Spanish flu pandemic. Former Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has warned that Australia’s living standards have stagnated and there has been no net growth in per capita incomes for at least seven years. He adds that fundamental public policy reform is needed in order to encourage businesses to invest in Australia.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Nine cuts metro news jobs in digital-first restructure

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 22-Jul-26

Nine Entertainment has advised that its publishing division will shed 30 jobs as part of a ‘digital-first’ strategy. Nine’s publishing boss Tory Maguire has told staff that most of the job losses will be at metropolitan mastheads ‘The Age’ and ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’, while its print operations will also be affected; Maguire indicated that the job cuts will be via both voluntary and targeted redundancies. Nine’s flagship ‘The Australian Financial Review’ will not be affected by the latest job cuts.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

BHP lies exposed by union lobbying

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 22-Jul-26

BHP held further Fair Work Commission-mediated talks with a coalition of unions yesterday, in the wake of last week’s eight-hour work stoppage at its Port Hedland iron ore export hub. A BHP spokesman has indicated that its focus is on making constructive progress towards "fair and reasonable" workplace agreements. The industrial action is being headed by the Electrical Trades Union, which has written to large institutional investors and proxy advisers to warn them of "material risks" arising from BHP’s approach to industrial relations in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION

In June risk of mortgage stress up 1.3% points after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates in May to 4.35%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jul-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 30.3% of mortgage holders were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in the three months to June 2026, up 1.3% points from May. This is equivalent to 1,606,000 people (up 68,000 on a month earlier), and the highest level of mortgage stress since the amended Stage 3 income tax cuts were introduced at the end of June 2024. The number of Australians ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress is up by 115,000 on a year ago, after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates in May and August 2025, and then raised them in February, March and May 2026. Meanwhile, the number of Australians who are considered to be ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress is now numbered at 1,096,000 (20.7% of mortgage holders); this is significantly above the long-term average over the last two decades of 16.4%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA