Aged care taps the rich

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Sep-24

The federal government and the Opposition have reached an agreement on an overhaul of the aged care sector that aims to rein in increasing costs and which will see wealthier retirees pay more for the cost of their care, whether in residential care or in their homes. The overhaul puts an increased focus on in-home care, in acknowledgement that people will increasingly use residential care only for the very end of their lives, while there will be no changes to the treatment of the family home under the new means testing regime that will apply under the overhaul. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked Opposition leader Peter Dutton for the bipartisanship the Coalition had shown hroughout the discussions on the aged care overhaul, while Dutton said he wanted to make sure people have dignity as they age.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

CFMEU $3m transfer stinks to high heaven

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 13-Sep-24

The CFMEU is under renewed scrutiny following revelations that its NSW branch transferred $3.15m of members’ funds to a Sydney law firm that was representing former state secretary Darren Greenfield and his son. Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt has credited the federal government’s "strong action" in appointing an administrator to the CFMEU for exposing the funds transfer, which occured just two days after Labor revealed plans to force the union’s construction divisions into administration. He says it shows that many of the CFMEU’s former leaders had acted in their own interests, rather than the interests of the union’s members.

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CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

Bunnings, Aldi and Kmart are Australia’s three most trusted brands, while Toyota, Bendigo Bank and Nike are on the up

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Sep-24

Bunnings has again been crowned Australia’s most trusted brand in the 12 months to June 2024, retaining top spot ahead of supermarket Aldi and discount department store Kmart in third place. The hardware chain has now held top spot as the nation’s most trusted brand for three consecutive quarters, after previous leaders Woolworths and Coles fell down Roy Morgan’s rankings earlier this year. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the rapid slide down the rankings for both major supermarkets shows how quickly distrust can gain momentum and devalue a brand’s reputation. Meanwhile, Optus is once again the most distrusted brand in Australia, ahead of Qantas and Facebook/Meta.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK

Vile expo protesters’ sickening horse play

Original article by John Ferguson, Mohammad Alfares
The Australian – Page: 5 : 13-Sep-24

Protestors who took part in demonstrations against the Land Forces 24 Expo in Melbourne on Wednesday have been accused of squirting an irritant up the nostrils of some police horses and the visors of some riders. Victoria Police stated that some Mounted Branch members and stable hands had shown signs of skin irritation when washing down horses after their shift, while an assessment of horses on Thursday morning revealed that their symptoms had subsided. Five protestors were arrested during more subdued demonstrations on Thursday, while police are investigating the assault of a conference attendee, who also had urine and faeces tipped on him when he was trying to enter the event.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA POLICE

June 2024 Quarterly Update – Trust, Distrust and Australia’s Energy Dilemma Webinar

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-Sep-24

Join Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine to discover Australia’s most Trusted and Distrusted brands (including dramatic changes in the rankings); if the plummeting distrust in Woolworths and Coles has continued; which form of energy Australians trust to provide a reliable supply; what percentage of Australians want nuclear power plants; if more men or more women want nuclear power, and whether Australians trust the government to make decisions on energy. Watch the webinar on YouTube.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Yarra City Council and Port Phillip City Council could be abolished under plan by lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan

Original article by Laura Placella
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 13-Sep-24

Port Phillip City Council and the City of Yarra would be abolished under a plan being put forward by City of Melbourne lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan. Morgan says he will urge the state government to include the two councils within an expanded City of Melbourne if his campaign to be elected mayor is successful, saying that to do so would deliver significant cost efficiencies, and that it made sense to "bring them together". He said that if the state government implemented his plan, reviews would then be held to see if other neighbouring councils could be brought into an expanded City of Melbourne.

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PORT PHILLIP CITY COUNCIL, CITY OF MELBOURNE, CITY OF YARRA

ANZ’s Elliott dismisses conspiracy theory

Original article by Lucas Baird, Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 13-Sep-24

ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott has sought to downplay the impact of the scandal that has engulfed its trading room during a town hall meeting with the bank’s staff on Wednesday. The trading room is currently the subject of three separate investigations – the reporting of inflated data to a government agency, an investigation into its bond trading and allegations of serious workplace misconduct – with Elliott telling staff the ANZ’s view was that the three issues were unrelated. However, he said the media has speculated otherwise, and has "spun them into this big conspiracy theory".

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AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Lithium rollercoaster decade: IGO

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 13-Sep-24

Data from S&P Global Platts shows that spodume was fetching $US730 per tonne on Wednesday, compared with a peak of more than $US8,000 in early 2023. IGO CEO Ivan Vella says investors should expect further volatility in the price of lithium over the long-term. Vella adds that battery minerals will continue to be the focus for IGO, which produces both lithium and nickel. However, IGO aims to diversify its operations by expanding into copper production; this will help offset the "extreme" volatility of the lithium sector and the structural changes in the nickel market caused by Indonesia’s move to ramp up production with Chinese backing.

CORPORATES
IGO LIMITED – ASX IGO, S&P GLOBAL PLATTS

Sneesby had to go: top Nine investor

Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 13-Sep-24

Nine Entertainment Company has advised that CEO Mike Sneesby will step down at the end of September, after more than three years in the role. Nine’s chief finance and strategy officer Matt Stanton will become acting CEO until the media company appoints a permanent replacement. Reece Birtles from institutional investor Martin Currie says Sneesby’s departure was not unexpected, given the challenges that Nine is facing; they include revenue growth, cultural issues and concerns about its Domain property listings business. Nine’s market capitalisation has fallen below $2bn, compared with more than $5bn when Sneesby became CEO in April 2021.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Greens are gambling their future on violent activists

Original article by John Ferguson
The Australian – Page: 5 : 13-Sep-24

The Greens are being accused of supporting the actions of violent pro-Palestinian activists at demonstrations in Melbourne in a cynical attempt to secure the pro-Palestinian vote in Labor seats like Wills and Calwell at the next federal election. However, while there may some short-term gain in supporting the protestors, the repulsive nature of the demonstrations, which saw protesters going after police horses with plastic bread crates and deliberately trying to scare them, could damage the Greens’ brand over the longer term.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS