Author: roymorgansocial

A massive majority of Australians support the legalisation of medicinal marijuana

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-Oct-15

A special Roy Morgan telephone survey has found that 91 per cent of Australians aged 14+ believe the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes should be made legal. The survey, which was carried out from 20-22 October 2015, also shows that 94 per cent of Australians aged 50-64 and 94 per cent of those aged 65+ believe that medicinal marijuana should be legalised. Support for legalisation is similarly strong among Australians intending to vote for the L-NP (92 per cent) in the next federal election and those planning to vote for the ALP (94 per cent), and almost unanimous among Green voters (97 per cent). Roy Morgan Research CEO Michele Levine notes that the survey found that only one-third of Australians believes that the smoking of marijuana should be made legal. This demonstrates that Australians understand that smoking and consuming marijuana for medicinal purposes are two very separate issues.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Labor won’t play PM’s ‘game’ on union power

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Original article by Stefanie Balogh, Elizabeth Colman
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Oct-15

Legislation to reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission and increase the governance standards of union officials have been blocked by the Senate twice. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned that industrial relations will be a focus of the Coalition’s 2016 election campaign unless the Opposition supports its proposed reforms. Meanwhile, the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union intends to review its governance following the trade union royal commission.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY, FAMILY FIRST PARTY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA, ACTU, MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, MARITIME UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Automatic ad-trading an overnight hit for Foxtel’s sales arm

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Original article by Dominic White
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 26-Oct-15

The MCN sales division of pay-TV group Foxtel launched its programmatic trading system earlier in 2015. MCN has indicated that it now sells 30-40 per cent of advertising via the Landmark automated trading system. CEO Anthony Fitzgerald wants to increase MCN’s share of the total video advertising market, including internet advertising. MCN now sells all of the Ten Network’s advertising, as part of the equity alliance between Ten and Foxtel.

CORPORATES
MULTI CHANNEL NETWORK PTY LTD, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, THE QUANTIUM GROUP PTY LTD

Sellers beware: Auction clearance rates forecast in the 50s

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Original article by Su-Lin Tan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 26-Oct-15

The residential property market in Sydney boasted an auction clearance rate of around 64 per cent on the weekend of 24-25 October 2015, compared with 75 per cent 12 months ago. Andrew Wilson of Domain Group says the clearance rate is likely to fall below 60 per cent in coming weeks, noting the recent rise in the major banks’ mortgage interest rates. The clearance rate in Melbourne was 69.8 per cent.

CORPORATES
DOMAIN.COM.AU, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, STARR PARTNERS (MERRYLANDS), LAING AND SIMMONS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BELLE PROPERTY PTY LTD

Open up economy or suffer for years

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Rick Wallace, Rick Morton
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Oct-15

The head of the Australian Government’s competition review, Ian Harper, has called for urgent action to address the nation’s decline in productivity. He has warned that annual growth in productivity could fall to around one per cent unless action is taken, noting that Australians face lower growth in incomes and lower living standards. Harper says the Government should adopt the approach to economic reform that boosted productivity in the 1990s.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE

Bank ‘power’ to protect $30b profits

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Original article by Shaun Drummond, Patrick Commins, Clancy Yeates, Joyce Moullakis
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 26-Oct-15

Some fund managers believe that Australian bank customers rather than shareholders are likely to bear the brunt of complying with new capital requirements. Australian Prudential Regulation Authority chairman Wayne Byres recently suggested that shareholders should expect a slightly lower return as a result of the new requirements. However, all four major banks have now lifted their variable mortgage loan interest rates. Meanwhile, the major banks are poised to post a combined profit in excess of $A30bn for 2014-15.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AURORA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BELL POTTER SECURITIES LIMITED, WATERMARK FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CONTANGO ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, ARGO INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX ARG, CLYDESDALE BANK PLC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, MARTIN CURRIE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Nine to stream all channels in law challenge

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Original article by Dominic White, Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 28 : 26-Oct-15

Nine Entertainment Company is expected to use its "upfronts" event to reveal that it will introduce live streaming of its three TV channels. WIN Corporation CEO Andrew Lancaster and Prime Media chairman John Hartigan say the move by metropolitan networks to offer live streaming across Australia demonstrates the need to abolish the "reach rule". Seven West Media will commence live streaming of its channels in early November 2015.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, WIN CORPORATION PTY LTD, PRIME MEDIA GROUP LIMITED – ASX PRT, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX TEN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ

Mackenzie backs keeping London listing

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Original article by James Chessell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 26-Oct-15

Proxy advisers are believed to have recommended that BHP Billiton shareholders vote in favour of a new dividend sharing policy at its 2015 Australian AGM. Some fund managers have suggested that the resolution could prompt BHP to rethink its dual-listed structure, but CEO Andrew Mackenzie says there are many advantages to being listed in both Australia and the UK. He argues that it reduces the cost of raising capital, while many of its institutional shareholders prefer to invest in the UK-listed shares.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BILLITON PLC, NIKKO ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, CGI GLASS LEWIS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SUPERANNUATION INVESTORS INCORPORATED, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, BRAMBLES LIMITED – ASX BXB, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

Turnbull supported as Liberal Leader by 64% while Shorten (9%) is fourth choice as ALP Leader behind Plibersek, Albanese & Swan

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Morgan Poll Update – Page: Online : 23-Oct-15

A special telephone Morgan Poll, which was carried out from 20-22 October 2015, has found that 64 per cent of Australian electors prefer Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal Leader, an increase of 20 per cent since July. Some 12 per cent of electors prefer Deputy Leader Julie Bishop as Liberal Leader, while eight per cent prefer former PM Tony Abbott. Meanwhile, 27 per cent of electors prefer Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek as Australian Labor Party Leader, ahead of Anthony Albanese (23 per cent), former treasurer Wayne Swan (10 per cent) and current Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (nine per cent). Roy Morgan Research executive chairman Gary Morgan notes that Coalition supporters have swung decisively behind the new PM: 70 per cent now strongly prefer Turnbull, ahead of Abbott (12 per cent) and Julie Bishop (seven per cent).

CORPORATES
MORGAN POLL, ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Extra taxes for rich would raise $8b

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Oct-15

Deloitte has released a report which proposes taxing superannuation in the same way that income is taxed. The flat tax rate of 15 per cent for super contributions would be replaced with a progressive tax system whereby low income earners would pay a contributions tax of just six per cent, while those on higher incomes would pay 34 per cent. Deloitte also proposes reducing the capital gains tax discount from 50 per cent to 33 per cent.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY