Author: roymorgansocial

Telcos get slower at resolving problems

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Original article by Joseph Lam
The Australian – Page: 17 : 2-Oct-24

Data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman shows that it received 56,718 complaints about telcos in the 2023-24 financial year, which is 14.6 per cent lower than previously. Mobile services accounted for about 43.5 per cent of complaints, while 39.4 per cent of complaints concerned internet services. Meanwhile, about 63 per cent of complaints were made by customers whose telco had failed to address issues in a timely manner or had taken no action at all. Telstra attracted 27.1 per cent of complaints, compared with 23.5 per cent for Optus.

CORPORATES
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

ACTU’s new IR marching orders

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Oct-24

ACTU secretary Sally McManus has revealed the union movement’s priorities if the federal government is re-elected for a second term. Amongst other things, unions will target junior pay rates for people who are 18-20 years of age and work in sectors such as retail, fast-food and pharmacy. The Fair Work Commission will hear the shop assistant union’s application to abolish junior pay rates next year, and McManus says the ACTU will lobby the government to legislate on the issue if the FWC rejects it. She says the loading rate for casual workers also needs to be reviewed, while the minimum standards for gig-economy workers should be extended to freelancers.

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ACTU

Sex work, yoga banned from disability scheme

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 2-Oct-24

The federal government’s first list of approved services for National Disability Insurance Scheme participants will take effect on Thursday. Participants will be banned from using their NDIS funding to pay for a range of products and services; this includes groceries, cigarettes, accommodation costs, sex work and cuddle therapy. Items on the approved list include assistance animals, mobility supports, transport costs, prostheses and nursing care. There will be a 12-month transition period, and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten says remedial action will only be taken if there has been a clear breach of the rules.

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Double dissolution election threat to be revived in parliament over housing fight, as $100m crisis fund opens

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Original article by Tom Lowrey
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 2-Oct-24

The federal government hopes to resolve an impasse over its Help to Buy housing bill when it is put before parliament again next week. The Coalition opposes the shared equity scheme, while the Greens have sought major concessions in other areas of housing policy in return for supporting the bill. Housing Minister Claire O’Neil has left open the possibility of a double-dissolution election if the bill continues to be stalled in the Senate. Meanwhile, the government has begun accepting applications for grants via the Crisis and Transitional Accommodation Program, which will provide financial assistance for victims of domestic violence.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 2.9pts to 82.0 after the RBA leaves interest rates unchanged at 4.35%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Oct-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 2.9pts to 82.0 in the week to 29 September. Consumer Confidence has now spent a record 87 straight weeks below the mark of 85; however, it is still 3.8 points above the same week a year ago (78.2), and in line with the 2024 weekly average of 82.1. Consumer Confidence was down in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, but unchanged in Victoria and South Australia. Now 20% of Australians (down 3ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 53% (up 5ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 32% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 31% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 9% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 31% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 20% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 49% (unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

White-flag Albanese

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Noah Yim
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 2-Oct-24

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has backed Israel’s limited invasion of southern Lebanon that has targeted key Hezbollah sites. Austin discussed the issue with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, and says they agreed with the necessity of the ground operation in Lebanon. However, the federal government is under scrutiny for declining to publicly support the move; a spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, contending that the nation’s civilians should not have to pay the price of defeating Hezbollah. Opposition leader Peter Dutton in turn has stated that Labor’s abandonment of Israel is the "worst foreign affairs call in our generation".

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UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Virgin boss says Qatar partnership will boost competition

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Original article by Amelia McGuire
The Age – Page: Online : 2-Oct-24

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has defended the proposed deal to sell a 25 per cent stake in the carrier to Qatar Airways. As part of the deal with Qatar, Virgin aims to commence ‘wet lease’ services to Doha from mid-2025 using the Qatari airline’s fleet of aircraft. Hrdlicka adds that it would take six years for Virgin to gain access to enough planes to begin its own long-haul international flights. The Transport Workers Union has expressed concern about the implications of the wet lease deal for Virgin employees, given that its international flights will use Qatar Airways pilots and cabin crew.

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VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, QATAR AIRWAYS, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION

Green transition tailwind at our backs: Rio and BHP

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 20 : 2-Oct-24

Rio Tinto Jakob Stausholm says the energy transition is at the heart of the resources group’s strategy. He has used a London Metals Exchange speech to argue that while the transition to net zero emissions is underway, it is not occurring quickly enough; he adds that the energy transition will significantly boost demand for the minerals that Rio Tinto produces, including copper, aluminium, lithium and high-grade iron ore for ‘green’ steel. Meanwhile, BHP has forecast that the energy transition will boost global demand for copper.

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RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED

Racism at ABC systemic, new report declares

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 7 : 2-Oct-24

The ABC’s MD David Anderson says the public broadcaster’s staff will be given anti-racism training following the belated release of a racism review. The independent review was commissioned in mid-2023 and found that ABC employees from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds have been subject to systemic racism. The review has made 15 recommendations aimed at addressing the issue, while Anderson has apologised to current and former ABC employees who had been subjected to racist behaviour.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Brisbane Broncos overtake the Melbourne Storm to be the most widely supported NRL club in 2024 with 1.3 million supporters

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 2-Oct-24

The latest data from Roy Morgan shows that the total NRL supporter base has grown to over 7.4 million Australians (33.1%), up 2.4% from a year ago. Looking over a longer time-period the increase is even more impressive, up by over 2.1 million (+39.7%) compared to four years ago in 2020. The Brisbane Broncos are now the most widely supported NRL club with 1,302,000 supporters in 2024, an increase of 152,000 (+13.2%) on a year ago. This boost for the Broncos comes after the club played off in last year’s NRL Grand Final and had their most successful home and away season for over two decades. In second place and losing top spot (which the club has held for the past four years), is the Melbourne Storm with 1,118,000 supporters. The Storm are set to play off in another NRL Grand Final this weekend against the Penrith Panthers. Meanwhile, 7.1 million Australians (31.8%) now watch the NRL on TV, up 318,000 (+4.7%) on a year ago and up over 1.3 million (+23%) on four years ago. These key findings are derived from detailed in-depth interviews with over 60,000 Australians each year as part of the Roy Morgan Single Source survey.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, BRISBANE BRONCOS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, MELBOURNE STORM RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB LIMITED, PENRITH PANTHERS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB