Author: roymorgansocial

New Zealand: In October, National-led Government edges ahead of Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Nov-25

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for October 2025 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 49.5%, up 1% point from a month earlier, marginally in front of the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 45%, down 2.5% points. Within the National-led Government support for National was virtually unchanged at 32%, support for ACT dropped 1% point to 8% and support for NZ First increased 1.5% points to 9.5%. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour increased 2% points to 30.5%, support for the Greens was down 1.5% points to 12%, and support for the Maori Party dropped 3% points to 2.5%. A further 5.5% (up 1.5% points) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 857 electors from 29 September to 26 October. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating was down 7.5pts to 82 in October.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY

Unions to pursue above-CPI pay rises

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 6-Nov-25

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union’s national secretary Steve Murphy has accused the Reserve Bank of being "out of touch" after it forecast that inflation will remain above its target range for at least six months and there will be negative real wages growth in 2026. He says the RBA blames workers, but "profit-driven price hikes" and "corporate greed" are the real problem. Murphy adds that despite the forecast increase in the inflation rate, the AMWU will be able to achieve real wages growth in upcoming negotiations for new enterprise agreements. The Electrical Trades Union’s national secretary Michael Wright says it also will continue to deliver real pay rises for its members.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ACCC’s big tech watchdog low on funding

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 6-Nov-25

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has confirmed that its digital platforms team’s funding is set to lapse at the end of 2025. Sources have indicated that the team now comprises about 10 researchers, experts and lawyers, compared with more than 30 at its peak. The team was established by the former Coalition government in 2020, in response to the recommendations of an ACCC inquiry into digital platforms. Some former members of the team are said to have taken up roles at the technology compaies that it had been set up to monitor. The future of the digital platforms team is part of broader concerns about a looming ‘funding clifff’ for the federal government ahead of its mid-year budget update.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Mining boss calls time at 69 after ushering in golden era for Perseus

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 6-Nov-25

Perseus Mining’s market capitalisation is currently about $6.9bn, compared with just $100m when Jeff Quartermaine became CEO in 2013. The gold miner’s revenue has risen from $293m to $1.24bn over the same period. Quartermaine is stepping down after 13 years at the helm and with his 69th birthday approaching; he says the company’s next stage of growth will require somebody with the energy and commitment to take on the role for 5-10 years. Perseus has a focus on Africa, but Quartermaine says Regis Resources’ blocked McPhillamys gold project in NSW shows that there is sovereign risk much closer to home.

CORPORATES
PERSEUS MINING LIMITED – ASX PRU, REGIS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RRL

Optus’ $1.5b in federal contracts in doubt

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Nicola Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 6-Nov-25

Optus is under renewed scrutiny after a mobile network outage in the Hunter Valley region on Wednesday, which prompted the telco to warn that triple-zero services in 18 postcode areas could be affected. It was Optus’s third network outage in two months, and came just days after a parliamentary committee began an inquiry into the triple-zero outage in September that has been linked to several deaths. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells has indicated that Optus’s contracts with federal government agencies are likely to be reviewed. The telco’s current contracts with the Australian Tax Office and the Department of Home Affairs expire in December 2026.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

Profits easier offshore: O’Neill

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Original article by Colin Packham
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 6-Nov-25

Woodside Energy has forecast that its net cash flow from operations will rise to around $US9bn by 2032, compared with about $US5bn in 2024. CEO Meg O’Neill says this growth will be driven by factors such as the start-up of projects such as Scarborough LNG in Western Australia and Trion oil in Mexico, as well as tighter capital management. O’Neill has also warned that the regulatory burden in Australia is making countries such as the US and Mexico more attractive as investment destinations, which is why Woodside is directing more capital to them.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS

Miners in appeal for a deal

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Original article by Greg Brown, Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Nov-25

Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable agrees with the federal government’s view that proposed changes to environmental laws need to be passed this year. She has urged Labor and the Coalition to reach consensus regarding an overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to ensure that the changes go ahead as quickly as possible, but with appropriate amendments to allay the concerns of the business sector. There are also fears among business leaders that Labor will capitalise on the Coalition’s in-fighting over a net-zero emissions target to strike a deal with the Greens on changes to the EPBC Act.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

News Corp fury after ISS urges vote against Lachlan Murdoch

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 6-Nov-25

Institutional Shareholder Services says News Corporation shareholders should vote against chairman Lachlan Murdoch at the media group’s upcoming annual meeting. ISS has expressed concern that Murdoch’s $5bn bid to gain control of the family’s stake in News Corp and Fox Corp had included pledging $US1bn ($1.5bn) worth of the companies’ shares as collateral; the firm contends that the pledging of company stock by directors or executive officers can pose a risk to the investments of outside shareholders. However, News Corp has accused ISS of using ‘arbitrary metrics’ to misrepresent and overstate the pledge’s applicability to Murdoch, noting that he Lachlan did not own the shares directly and only held a one-third interest in the company that did via a trust. ISS has also recommended voting against the re-election of three other members of News Corp’s board.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES INCORPORATED, FOX CORPORATION

Over one-in-three Australian credit card holders rely on credit to make ends meet

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Nov-25

New research from Roy Morgan’s Single Source shows that the median annual personal income of Australian credit card holders is over $20,000 higher than non-credit card holders. Nevertheless, 36% of credit card holders leave part of their credit card debt unpaid at the end of each month; this equates to an estimated 2,440,000 Australians, or 11% of the adult population. Among the 2.44 million Australians who do not pay off their credit card each month, the median amount owed is $1,037. Those with greater ongoing living expenses tend to owe more, with more owed by mortgage payers ($1,342) and renters ($911) than by those owning their home outright ($787). Not only do credit card holders who have greater ongoing living expenses leave larger amounts unpaid on their credit card each month, but they are also more likely to have accessed buy-now, pay-later services in an average four weeks.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Online retailers are leading Australia’s low-price perception shift, with cheap becoming even cheaper

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 6-Nov-25

Research from Roy Morgan shows that global online retailers are reshaping Australians’ perceptions of value, with "cheap" becoming even cheaper as most traditional discount stores lose their hold on price perception. Kmart and Big W continue to lead on low-price perception, with 58% and 45% of Australians respectively associating these brands with the statement "has low prices". However, over the past five years most traditional discount retailers have seen declines in this measure, while Amazon, Temu and Shein have recorded notable gains. Temu’s "low price" association has risen from 34% to 41% (+7% points) since October 2024, surpassing The Reject Shop. Shein has risen from 23% to 27% (+4% points) during the same period, and is now sitting on par with Bunnings and Target. The Reject Shop’s recent acquisition by Canadian retailer Dollarama is set to inject new competition into this segment. However, Dollarama will be entering a far more competitive environment than The Reject Shop has competed in, with online players now firmly reshaping what Australians perceive as "cheap".

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, TEMU, SHEIN, THE REJECT SHOP LIMITED, TARGET AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, DOLLARAMA