ATO interest on late debt soars as waivers denied

Original article by Edmund Tadros
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 16-Sep-25

It has been revealed that the interest on overdue tax bills to the Australian Tax Office stood at $9.4 billion last financial year, with the ATO tightened its approach to debt collection. The interest imposed on outstanding tax debts is known as the "general interest charge", and taxpayers can ask the ATO for the charge to be cancelled by what is known as a remission request, but figures show it is refusing more of these requests than was previously the case.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Wellbeing budget still relies on old data

Original article by Lily McCaffrey
The Australian – Page: 2 : 16-Sep-25

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the timeliness of data is a vital part of the federal government’s Measuring What Matters national wellbeing framework. The government announced this framework as part of its ‘wellbeing budget’ in 2023, and Chalmers subsequently transferred responsibility for the framework’s reporting to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, the latest update to the framework shows that the ABS is largely using data that is at least three years old for many of the key wellbeing metrics. Chalmers says the government’s $14.8m funding boost for the ABS in 2024 will improve future Measuring What Matters data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS

Apocalyptic climate risk on horizon

Original article by Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Sep-25

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Australian Climate Service’s National Climate Risk Assessment report is a "wake-up call" for people who still question the need for action to address climate change. Amongst other things, the report has warned that climate change could potentially result in heat-related deaths rising by more than 400 per cent, while property values could fall by more than $600 billion by 2050; it also concludes that more frequent heatwaves could result in employers losing 2.7 million additional days of work by 2061. The Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar says governments must strike an appropriate balance between science and economics.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN CLIMATE SERVICE, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

PM sticks to defence dollars before US visit

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Sep-25

Australia’s spending on defence is slated to rise to 2.33 per cent of GDP by 2033, compared with just over two per cent at present. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese contends that defence spending should be measured as a total dollar amount, arguing that people are "too fixated" on the GDP figure. The federal government continues to face pressure from the Trump administration to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP; however, Albanese contends that the US should take into account factors such as the in-kind military support it receives from Australia and the security partnerships that the nation has struck in the Asia-Pacific region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

‘A testament’: Toyota’s winning formula is all about trust

Original article by Ethan Cardinal
drive.com.au – Page: Online : 14-Sep-25

Roy Morgan’s 2025 Trusted Brand Awards have revealed that Toyota is Australia’s most trusted automotive brand, a title it has now held for seven years in a row. Roy Morgan states that when it comes to the automotive industry, Australians typically trust brands based on three factors, namely their personal experiences with vehicles, vehicle reliability and quality of service. A Toyota spokesperson notes there are millions of Toyota vehicles on Australian roads, which is a "testament to the trust that customers continue to place in us and our vehicles".

CORPORATES
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Nutrien Ag Solutions is Australia’s Most Trusted Agribusiness Brand for the first time

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Sep-25

Roy Morgan has announced that Nutrien Ag Solutions is Australia’s Most Trusted Agribusiness Brand for 2025. This is the first win for Nutrien Ag Solutions, which also won the Agribusiness Products and Services category to cement the company as one of Australia’s leading agribusinesses. There were six repeat winners across the 8 categories in the annual awards, including Zoetis (Animal Health), Bendigo Bank (Agribusiness Banks), Norco (Farmers Co-op), GrainCorp (Grain Company), Meat & Livestock Australia (Industry Group) and Ridley (Stock Feed); they all backed up wins in last year’s Trusted Agribusiness Brand Awards. In addition, first-time winner Nufarm was awarded the Most Trusted Chemicals and Fertilisers brand. The Trusted Agribusiness Brand Awards are based on interviews with over 1,000 Australians farmers interviewed as part of Roy Morgan’s annual Farmer Agribusiness Brand Trust survey.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS LIMITED, ZOETIS INCORPORATED, BENDIGO BANK, NORCO CO-OPERATIVE LIMITED, GRAINCORP LIMITED – ASX GNC, MEAT AND LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, RIDLEY CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX RIC, NUFARM LIMITED – ASX NUF

ANZ faces record $240m penalty for ripping off customers and government

Original article by Michael Janda, Emilia Terzon
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 16-Sep-25

The ANZ Bank has agreed to a total financial penalty of $240m to settle a case brought by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. The record fine includes an $85m penalty for the bank’s management of a $14bn government bond issuance in April 2023, and a $40m fine for overstating its bond trading turnover over a period of nearly two years. ANZ has also been fined $115m for widespread misconduct in its retail banking division; this includes failing to respond to hundreds of customer hardship notices, failing to refund fees to thousands of deceased customers, and making false and misleading statements regardings its savings interest rates. The penalty must be approved by the Federal Court.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Banks are in and ABC is out in trust rankings

Original article by Danielle Long
The Australian – Page: Online : 16-Sep-25

The latest Roy Morgan ranking of Australia’s most trusted and distrusted brands has revealed a big gain in trust for the nation’s major banks. The Commonwealth Bank is Australia’s most trusted bank and the seventh most trusted brand overall, while Roy Morgan’s rankings also show a decline in trust in the ABC, which fell out of the top 20 most trusted brands for the first time since the report commenced in 2017. Commenting on the ABC’s decline, Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said it was due to a decline in trust among the ABC’s ‘heartland ‘of Labor voters

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

BHP chief issues warning on impact of Australia’s inflated energy costs

Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 16-Sep-25

BHP CEO Mike Henry has told a shareholder forum that the cost of electricity in Australia is much higher than in countries that it is competing with for investments, with Henry citing the US as a prime example. He said that Australia needs to have "stable, reliable and affordable energy on the path to net zero"; he also noted that the resurgence in demand for nuclear power has boosted demand for uranium, with BHP among the world’s top 10 uranium producers. On the question of copper, BHP is aiming to more than double production in South Australia over the next decade, although a final investment decision on a major smelter upgrade at its Olympic Dam mine is not expected until 2028.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Australia’s Most Trusted and Distrusted Brands + Most Trusted Brand Awards 2025

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Sep-25

Join Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine in this webinar to discover Australia’s most trusted and distrusted brands in sectors such as banking, supermarkets, airlines, health insurance and energy. Michele also reveals the winners of Roy Morgan’s annual Most Trusted Brand Awards for 2025. View the webinar now:

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED