Author: roymorgansocial

PNG backs down on China security deal

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 31-Jan-24

Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko has emphasised that security and defence agreements with Australia and the US are the nation’s top priority. This follows revelations that China had approached the PNG government in September about a possible security and policing deal. Tkachenko says PNG will not jeopardise or compromise relations with its two traditional security partners. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the nation is the security partner of choice for PNG and most of the countries in the Pacific region. Australia signed a $200m security agreement with PNG in December.

CORPORATES
PAPUA NEW GUINEA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE AND IMMIGRATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

National/ ACT/ NZ First with majority support of 51.5% ahead of Labour/ Greens/ Maori on 42.5%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Jan-24

The Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll for December 2023 shows new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) with a majority of 51.5% (down 6.5% from November) in their first month since being sworn in on November 27, 2023). Support for National was down 1.5% to 36%, while support for ACT dropped 3% points to 9.5% and support for NZ First was down 2% points to 6%. In December support for the defeated Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition was at 42.5%, up 6.5% points from November. Support for Labour increased 1% point to 22%, while support for the Greens surged 3% points to 15.5% (the highest support for the Greens since October 2022) and support for the Maori Party was up 2.5% points to 5%. The survey results for December would lead to 66 seats (down eight seats) being won by the current National/ ACT/ NZ First governing coalition, compared to only 56 seats (up eight seats) for the Labour/ Greens/ Maori Party Opposition. This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 947 electors during December. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating increased 2.5pts to 93 in December.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY

$3bn tied to lift in learning

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Original article by Natasha Bita
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 31-Jan-24

The federal government’s share of public school funding has traditionally been set at 20 per cent. However, Education Minister Jason Clare will propose progressively increasing this to 22.5 per cent by 2026. The state and territory governments will in turn be required to increase their own funding for public schools. The additional funding will have to be spent on measures aimed at improving teaching standards and educational outcomes, including assistance for students who are at risk of being ‘left behind’. The Australian Education Union has advocated lifting the federal government’s share of education funding to 25 per cent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EDUCATION, AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION UNION

Sovereign Borders wasted and mismanaged millions, claims senior official

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Original article by Nick McKenzie, Michael Bachelard
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 31-Jan-24

The former Coalition government’s offshore detention regime for asylum seekers is under renewed scrutiny following the release of sworn evidence given by the Department of Home Affairs’ assistant secretary Derek Elias. It has been revealed that Elias raised concerns about the waste and misuse of taxpayers funds via the so-called Pacific Solution policy in evidence given to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in his claim for workers’ compensation. The federal government has yet to release a report on the offshore processing regime by the nation’s former director-general of security, Dennis Richardson.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 1.9pts to 82.5 after Albanese Government breaks promise and vows changes to the Stage 3 tax cuts

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Jan-24

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.9pts to 82.5 in the week to 28 January, and it has now spent a record 52 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is 4.3pts below the same week a year ago (86.8), but still 4.5 points above the 2023 weekly average of 78.0. There were mixed results around the States, with Consumer Confidence down in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia but up in Victoria. Now 19% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 50% (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 34% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the equal highest figure for this indicator since late January 2023), while 32% (up 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 9% (down 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 31% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 22% (down 3ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 48% (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

Coalition voters win in Labor’s tax U-turn: PM

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 31-Jan-24

Treasury analysis shows that the federal government’s proposed changes to the stage-three income tax cuts package will strongly benefit Coalition voters. The analysis suggest that about 85 per cent of voters in seats held by the Liberal or National parties will be better off than they would have been if the tax cuts had gone ahead in their original form. The federal government will use the Treasury data to seek the Coalition’s support for its changes. The Opposition will not decide its formal stance on the changes until parliament resumes next week; however, it will continue to reiterate that Labor has broken an election promise regarding the tax cuts.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Burke open to IR bill concessions

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 31-Jan-24

A Senate inquiry’s report on the federal government’s Closing Loopholes Bill will be tabled on Thursday, and the remaining provisions of the bill are set to be debated in parliament next week. Sources have indicated that the government is prepared to make some amendments to the bill in order to secure the support of Senate crossbenchers. These could potentially include delaying the starting date for measures relating to casual employment and the gig economy. However, Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black says the bill requires substantial changes rather than ‘technical amendments’, given that it will have a significant economic impact on jobs and employment.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Mortgage stress increased in December following RBA’s November rate rise but still below mid-year highs

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 31-Jan-24

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 1,527,000 mortgage holders (30.3%) were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in the three months to December 2023. This period included an interest rate increase on Melbourne Cup Day, with the RBA raising interest rates to 4.35%. The figure for December represented the highest level of mortgage stress for three months as the impact of the interest rate increase flowed through, but still below the record highs above 1.56 million mortgage holders ‘At Risk’ in both August and September 2023. This is only the fourth time the index has shown over 1.5 million mortgage holders to be considered ‘At Risk’. The number of Australians ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress has increased by 720,000 since May 2022, when the RBA began a cycle of interest rate increases. Meanwhile, the number of mortgage holders considered ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress is now numbered at 964,000 (19.8% of mortgage holders), which is significantly above the long-term average over the last 10 years of 14.2%. These are the latest findings from Roy Morgan’s Single Source Survey, based on in-depth interviews conducted with over 60,000 Australians each year, including over 10,000 owner-occupied mortgage-holders.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

‘Very dangerous prime minister’: Turnbull attacks Abbott in new ABC documentary

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 30-Jan-24

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told an ABC documentary that chronicles the former Coalition government’s nine years in power that Tony Abbott was a "very dangerous prime minister". Turnbull, who toppled Abbott in 2015, claims that Abbott sought to exaggerate the threat of terrorism in order to frighten people, and that he was too forceful in his response to Russia in the wake of the downing of flight MH17 in 2014 in which 38 Australians died. Abbott, who did not take part in the documentary, has been approached for comment.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Latest wage growth tops 4pc

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 30-Jan-24

Analysis of data from the Fair Work Commission shows that workers received an average pay rise of four per cent in enterprise agreements that were lodged in the second half of 2023. ACTU secretary Sally McManus says stronger wage growth in enterprise agreements demonstrates the value of joining a union; however, she adds that more needs to be done to achieve real wage growth during the cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile, the FWC has released a discussion paper on hybrid working arrangements and employees’ right to disconnect from their workplace outside of designated working hours.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU