Australian journalists finally waking up to Australia’s real problem of massive under-employment

Original article by Gary Morgan, Michele Levine, Julian McCrann
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Dec-16

The past week has seen a procession of journalists finally mentioning Australia’s largest problem that’s never talked about – the massive level of under-employment throughout the Australian economy. Today Jessica Irvine in The Age asks the simple question – does working one hour a week sound like a good job? Well of course not, and Jessica’s column highlights the problem of under-employment – working a few hours but wanting to work far more hours, or indeed, work full-time. Jessica’s column follows articles by her Age colleague Ross Gittins, and columnists in The Australian including Judith Sloan and Graham Richardson in the past week who have all highlighted the rising level of part-time work at the expense of full-time work and alongside that comes an increasing level of under-employment – now at 8.4% (1.1 million Australians) in November according to the latest Roy Morgan employment estimates. The Turnbull Government’s recent announcements on plans to crack-down on the ‘cash economy’ are also long overdue. However the real challenge facing Federal, State and Local Governments is to ensure employment, or more specifically the eradication of unemployment and under employment, is top of the agenda. This means a ‘line by line’ analysis of policy and legislation of all kinds to remove everything that is a barrier to employment, or is contributing to unemployment and underemployment.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED

Mortgage stress strikes bush, city amid fears of an interest rate hike

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 21-Dec-16

Standard & Poor’s has reported that the number of Australian mortgage borrowers in arrear rose in October 2016. Digital Finance Analytics has identified the 20 postcodes across Australia that boast the highest level of mortgage stress. Many of these are in regional areas, although the list includes a number of suburbs in major capital cities. Martin North of DFA says the outlook for interest rates will determine whether there is an increase in home loan arrears and defaults. He anticipates that the cash rate will rise by 50 basis points in 2017.

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DIGITAL FINANCE ANALYTICS, STANDARD AND POOR’S FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING LP, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BANK OF QUEENSLAND LIMITED – ASX BOQ, CLSA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

A-League soccer strikes record $346m TV deal with Fox

Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 21-Dec-16

Fox Sports has secured a six-year deal to broadcast the A-League, as well as matches featuring the Socceroos and the Matildas. The pay-TV group will pay $A310m for the broadcasting rights, plus $A36m in contra advertising. The deal is worth about $A58m a year, although Football Federation Australia had been hoping to gain around $A80m a year. FFA has yet to secure a free-to-air broadcaster for soccer matches, but CEO Geoff Gallop says the major networks have expressed interest.

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FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, SOCCEROOS, MATILDAS, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, CRICKET AUSTRALIA, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, ADARA PARTNERS, NIELSEN SPORTS AUSTRALIA

Boutique burgers and fancy fowl: the hipsterisation of fast food

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 29.4 per cent of Australians visited McDonald’s at least once in an average four weeks in the year to September 2016, compared with 31.2 per cent in the year to September 2012. While this is due partly to the shrinking proportions of Generations Y (from 39.4 per cent to 35.3 per cent) and Z (from 40.3 per cent to 36.1 per cent) eating at or taking away from the hamburger giant, Generation X and Baby Boomers also appear to be losing interest. Grill’d has seen a slight year-on-year increase among Generation X visitors, but a noticeable drop among Gen Y (from 8.0 per cent to 5.4 per cent), and little change among Gen Z (8.3 per cent to 8.1 per cent). Meanwhile, the proportion of Australians visiting KFC has fallen from 20.4 per cent to 19.3 per cent since 2012. Like McDonalds, KFC’s popularity is strongest with Gens Y (23.9 per cent) and Z (26.2 per cent). Domino’s Pizza also continues to draw the younger generations, with Gen Y up from 13.6 per cent to 15.3 per cent, and Gen Z up from 14.2 per cent to 18.5 per cent, a growth also seen across other generations.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GRILL’D PTY LTD, KFC, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, HUNGRY JACK’S PTY LTD, RED ROOSTER FOODS, NANDO’S AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, OPORTO PTY LTD, PIZZA CAPERS

Buoyant stocks at high for the year

Original article by David Rogers, Chris Kohler
The Australian – Page: 13 & 18 : 21-Dec-16

The Australian sharemarket posted solid gains on 20 December 2016, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.5 per cent to close at 5,591.1. The benchmark index has risen by 5.6 per cent so far in 2016, and it may be poised for its best performance in a calendar year since 2013. Credit Suisse expects the S&P/ASX 200 to top 6,000 points by the end of 2017. The firm also forecasts that Australian bond yields will rise further.

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STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, ESTIA HEALTH LIMITED – ASX EHE, SIRTEX MEDICAL LIMITED – ASX SRX, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, BLOOMBERG LP, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD

Super trustees ‘fail to act’ on liquidity risks

Original article by Alice Uribe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 21-Dec-16

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has expressed concern that many trustees of superannuation funds are not using the results of liquidity stress testing when making investment decisions. APRA has noted that while super funds have made progress with regard to liquidity stress testing, further improvement is needed. Rice Warner adds that Australia’s ageing population presents a major liquidity risk for super fund trustees.

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AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD

Treasurer won’t pledge to a surplus

Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Dec-16

The expected Budget surplus of $A1.087bn in 2020-21 equates to about 0.05 per cent of GDP. Ratings agencies have warned that the Federal Government must achieve a surplus by 2020-21 in order to retain its triple-A credit rating, but Treasurer Scott Morrison claims that he has never committed to that target date. He says the Government will seek to balance the Budget as quickly and responsibly as possible, and stressed that this will require the support of Parliament.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE INCORPORATED, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SEEK LIMITED – ASX SEK, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES

Blocked $13.2bn in savings to secure AAA: Morrison

Original article by David Uren, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 21-Dec-16

Treasurer Scott Morrison argues that delivering on savings measures that have been blocked by the Senate would enable the Federal Government to achieve a modest Budget surplus in 2020-21. He has ruled any budget cuts in addition to those that have already been put to Parliament and blocked. Many of these measures were announced in the Coalition’s first Budget in 2014, and it still appears to be unlikely that some will be passed by the upper house.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS

How Optus Xtra could become an advertiser’s dream

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 5.9 million Australian smartphone owners aged 14+ (37 per cent) agree that they would be interested in receiving ads on their mobile phone if it reduced their bill. The survey, which was carried out in the year to September 2016, also shows that 27 per cent of this potential mobile advertising audience is aged 14-24, while 26 per cent is aged 25-34. These are often the hardest audiences to reach (and engage) via traditional media advertising. Meanwhile, among smartphone owners who are receptive to mobile advertising, 56 per cent have not read a print newspaper in the last week and 44 per cent have not looked at a print catalogue; 31% have not even flipped through the latest issue of any magazine, and 24 per cent have not made a single trip to the cinema in the last year. On a normal weekday, 31 per cent do not listen to commercial radio and 14 per cent do not watch commercial TV.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Over $5billion in car sales next year could be decided over Big Bash cricket

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Dec-16

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that nearly 570,000 Australians plan to buy a new car in 2017, and 21 per cent of them say they "almost always" watch Twenty20 cricket on TV (compared with 16 per cent of all Australians aged 14+). The survey, which was carried out in the year to September 2016, also shows that these dedicated Twenty20 viewers have an average budget of $43,000 for their next car, compared with $38,500 among new car buyers overall. Meanwhile, compared to the average new car buyer in the market, Twenty20 fans are 28 per cent more likely to agree that they would like a car that handles like a racing car, 23 per cent are more likely to say they will only be buying a car that is fun to own, and 21 per cent are more likely to regard themselves as a car enthusiast.

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ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED