Author: roymorgansocial

News outlets producing covert marketing for McDonald’s, KFC and Domino’s, study finds

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Original article by Natasha May
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 5-Jun-24

Researchers have concluded that Australian media outlets are overtly endorsing fast-food products by publishing positive stories that are based on press releases issued by these restaurant chains. The research team analysed all press releases issued by McDonald’s, KFC and Domino’s Pizza Enterprises between July 2021 and June 2022. These press releases were found to have generated 86 articles in 31 news outlets; four of the articles were identical to the corresponding press release, while many others were largely based on the original press release. All but six of the articles were favourable towards the fast-food chains.

CORPORATES
McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KFC, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP

Microwave the way for Rio Tinto to go low-carbon

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 5-Jun-24

Rio Tinto will invest $215m in a microwave facility at its BioIron project in Western Australia. The plant is slated to produce one tonne of direct reduced iron per hour, and is part of the resources group’s push to reduce the carbon-intensity of steel-making. The BioIron plant will use microwave technology rather than traditional blast furnaces to produce steel, using a combination of Pilbara iron ore and biomass waste. Rio Tinto executive Simon Trott says the plant has been specifically designed for Pilbara iron ores.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

PM locked out by war protests

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Original article by Dennis Shanahan, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 5-Jun-24

The security protection of federal MPs and Parliament House has been ramped up in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October and the resultant pro-Palestine demonstrations across Australia. It has been revealed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not used his electorate office in Marrickville since early January due to concerns about the safety of his staff. Meanwhile, federal police and intelligence agencies are believed to have advised parliamentarians that anti-Israel demonstrations have been infiltrated by Islamic extremists.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PC: mining subsidy not tax reform

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-Jun-24

Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood has defended the federal government’s critical minerals production tax credit regime, which was a key measure in the 14 May budget. Wood has told a Senate estimates hearing that the tax credit scheme is tax policy rather than tax reform. However, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has repeatedly described the tax credits scheme as tax reform. Wood also contended that reducing Australia’s company tax rate of 30 per cent would make the nation more internationally competitive.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Unions push for total ban on non-competes

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 5-Jun-24

The federal government is reviewing the use of non-compete clauses in employment contracts, amid growing concern that they have become too prevalent. The issue will be on the agenda for the ACTU’s upcoming triennial congress, and the union movement will push for a blanket ban on the use of these clauses. ACTU assistant secretary Joseph Mitchell says post-employment restraints are having a "chilling" effect on the labour market. However, economists favour imposing restrictions on the use of these clauses instead of a total ban, arguing amongst other things that they are needed to protect the intellectual property of business start-ups.

CORPORATES
ACTU

Sharp drop in profit growth amid anaemic household spending

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Jun-24

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that earnings outside the resource sector have risen by just 1.6 per cent over the last year. A downturn in consumer spending amid the cost-of-living crisis was the key contributor to the decline in earnings growth. However, lower coal and iron ore exports also weighed on earnings in the resources sector. KPMG’s chief economist Brendan Rynne says the figures show that the nation is "a heartbeat away from a recession". The quarterly national accounts data to be released today will provide more evidence regarding the state of the economy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged at 80.5 in early June

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Jun-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 80.5 in the week to 2 June, but it has now spent a record 70 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is now 4.7 points above the same week a year ago (75.8), but 1.8 points below the 2024 weekly average of 82.3. Consumer Confidence was up in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, down in Queensland and virtually unchanged in New South Wales. Now 21% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 51% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 31% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 35% (also unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the equal highest figure for this indicator so far this year). Now 8% (unchanged) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 35% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 21% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 49% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Scared, scarred: the women Giles forgot

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Original article by Alexi Demetriadi, Rhiannon Down, Liam Mendes, Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 5-Jun-24

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will announce a replacement for Ministerial Directive 99 by the end of this week. However, it could take up to six weeks for the new directive to take effect, based on Home Affairs’ advice to Giles in late 2022. Shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan says Giles must explain how he will deal with decisions made by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal during this period. Meanwhile, single mother Jesica Mills has revealed that she had lived in constant fear of a former neighbour after he subjected her to threats and harassment; the New Zealand-born career criminal was released from immigration detention in February under MD99. Giles is on record as having stated that Australia has an "obligation" to foreign-born criminals who have been in the country for most of their life.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS TRIBUNAL

News Corp pain as executive heads roll

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 5-Jun-24

News Corp Australia’s state general managers are among the casualties of the media group’s restructuring program. Other News Corp staff who are said to have been retrenched include the general manager of print production, Marcus Hooke. Some editors of metropolitan mastheads will also take on additional responsibilities at part of the move to split the company’s publishing operations into three divisions. Meanwhile, former Sunday Telegraph editor Mick Carroll will succeed Lisa Muxworthy as editor-in-chief of the news.com.au website, while Lou Barrett will head the new national sales team.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Bargain-savvy shoppers to splash $10 billion on EOFY sales

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Jun-24

Australian shoppers are tipped to spend $10.1 billion on mid-year/end of financial year sales in 2024, which is up $800 million (8.6%) from 2023, as retailers showcase their mid-year and tax-time promotions in a bid to entice cash-strapped shoppers. The research by the Australian Retailers Association in collaboration with Roy Morgan shows that 27% quarter of Australians (6.2 million people) will participate in the sales, which is 1% higher than last year. They will each spend an average of $1,638 (up $22 per person from 2023); 35% plan on spending more than last year, 43% plan on spending the same and 22% plan on spending less. The ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 3,301 Australians aged 18+ on 17- 23 May.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, ROY MORGAN LIMITED