Author: roymorgansocial

Right fright sees Labor go for woke

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Original article by Greg Brown, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 8-Jul-26

The Australian Labor Party’s draft national policy platform has been amended to include a commitment to an anti-racism strategy. The revised draft platforms states that Labor will continue to oppose people who "foster extremism, hatred, ethnic division or incitement to violence". Senior Labor sources have indicated that the move to include this in the draft platform is a direct response to growing concern within the party about rising levels of racism and the growing support for One Nation. The draft platform also formalises Labor’s support for Welcome to Country ceremonies, which were not mentioned in its 2023 national platform.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.2pts to 74.7 driven by more people concerned about the economy over the next year

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Jul-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.2pts to 74.7 in the first week of July; Consumer Confidence is now 13.9pts lower than a year ago (88.6), but 3.2pts above the 2026 weekly average of 71.5. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence increased marginally in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but fell in New South Wales and Western Australia. Now 15% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 51% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 22% (down 2ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 40% (up 1 ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 7% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 40% (up 5ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 19% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 42% (down 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Recession off the cards but Australia faces dreary outlook, economists say

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Original article by Patrick Commins
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 8-Jul-26

Tim Robinson from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic & Social Research expects Australia’s economic growth to remain "quite weak" for the rest of 2026; he says this means a per capita recession is likely. The Commonwealth Bank’s head of Australian economics Belinda Allen also expects economic growth to remain weak in the near-term, but she is more upbeat about the outlook for 2027. Allen adds that she had never expected Australia to experience a recession, and notes that the impact of the Iran war on energy markets and the economy have not been as severe as the bank had anticipated. However, Allen believes that further increases in the cash rate are needed.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

$12m cancel-culture cost to expunge uni’s ties to Cook

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Original article by Natasha Bita
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Jul-26

A spokesman for James Cook University has advised that the north Queensland higher education institution is not proposing a change to its name. However, JCU’s governing council has endorsed a report produced by an internal committee which concluded that Captain James Cook’s legacy is "complex", and that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people his discovery of Australia’s east coast in 1770 was the beginning of colonisation. The report also estimated that changing the university’s name would cost between $4.8m and $12m and risk a backlash from donors. Rebranding JCU would require state parliament’s approval.

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JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY

In June Roy Morgan Business Confidence up slightly by 1.4 points to 77.5 – but still fourth lowest of all time

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Jul-26

In June 2026 Roy Morgan Business Confidence increased 1.4 points to 77.5, a slight recovery from the all-time record low in May of 76.1. However, Business Confidence during the June 2026 quarter was at a record low quarterly rating of only 76.7; this is 7.6 points below the previous quarterly low from the September 2020 quarter of 84.3. Business Confidence is also down 24.9 points from a year ago. Now 25.2% (up 1.2ppts) of respondents say their business is ‘better off’ financially than a year ago, while 44.9% (up 0.9ppts), say the business is ‘worse off’ (the highest figure for this indicator since December 2023). Just 26.1% of respondents (up 0.9ppts), said their business is ‘better off’ financially than a year ago, while 51.4% (up 6.5ppts), said the business is ‘worse off’ (the highest figure for this indicator since October 2020). Meanwhile, 33.4% (up 4.4ppts) of respondents expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 31.5% (down 2.6ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Foxtel goes global to fund record NRL deal

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones, Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 8-Jul-26

The Australian Rugby League Commission’s chairman Peter V’landys says the National Rugby League’s new seven-year broadcasting rights deal will "future proof" the game. He adds that the record $5.3bn deal will allow the NRL to grow both in Australia and internationally. Incumbent broadcasters Foxtel and Nine Entertainment have retained the rights; every match in the regular season and the finals will be televised by Foxtel and its Kayo Sports streaming service, while Nine will show three matches per week and have exclusive rights to the NRL grand final and the State of Origin series. New Zealand pay-TV network Sky is also included in the deal. The NRL and Foxtel owner DAZN will establish a revenue-sharing deal which is aimed at launching the league in new markets.

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NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY LEAGUE COMMISSION LIMITED, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SKY NETWORK TELEVISION LIMITED – ASX SKT, DAZN

‘Provocative’: PM strikes back at Beijing

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Jul-26

Chinese state media outlet The Global Times has defended the nation’s test-launch of a nuclear-capable missile in the Pacific, arguing that it was "both necessary and restrained". The daily tabloid also stated that countries in the Pacific region must "accept and get used to China’s nuclear program". The missile test has been criticised by the Australian government, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describing it as a "provocative act" which risks destabilising the region. His comments were made during an official visit to the Solomon Islands, whose Prime Minister Matthew Wale urged China to "be our friend" but said "don’t threaten us". Former Home Affairs head Mike Pezzullo has questioned the timing of the missile test, which coincided with Albanese’s visit to Fiji to sign a defence agreement.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

ING, Suncorp Bank and Bendigo Bank home loan customers are the most satisfied with their bank after three interest rate rises

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Jul-26

New financial data from Roy Morgan’s Single Source shows that ING has topped the latest banking customer satisfaction ratings among home loan customers. ING’s home loan customer satisfaction rating is a market leading 92.1%, up 0.9% points from a year ago. In second place is Suncorp Bank, which completed its merger with ANZ almost two years ago; customer satisfaction among Suncorp’s home loan customers is 87.1%, up 2.3% points on a year ago. Filling out the top four banks are Bendigo Bank on 84.1% (up 1.6% points on a year ago) and Macquarie on 79.7% (up 0.4% points). Meanwhile, NAB now has the highest home loan customer satisfaction rating among the big four banks, with a rating of 78.8%, and the largest increase in customer satisfaction compared to a year ago, up 6.5% points. The latest data covers the six months to May 2026, and overall home loan customer satisfaction amongst Australia’s top banks collectively was at 78.3% during this period; this represents a collective increase of 4.2% points from a year ago. The atest banking satisfaction ratings come from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over 60,000 Australians each year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ING BANK (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SUNCORP BANK, BENDIGO BANK, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

China-linked rare earths investors flout Chalmers’ sale edict

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Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 8-Jul-26

Northern Minerals has confirmed that six companies with links to China still hold a combined stake of about 17.6 per cent in the criticial minerals producer. Treasurer Jim Chalmers had directed the six companies to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals by 2 July. He had previously attempted in 2024 to compel China-linked investors to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals, citing national security concerns. Northern Minerals’ Browns Range rare earths project in Western Australia is considered to be of strategic importance in reducing China’s dominance of critical minerals supply.

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NORTHERN MINERALS LIMITED – ASX NTU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Lynas in magnets deal with Malaysia

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Jul-26

Lynas Rare Earths has signed a partnership agreement with South Korea-based JS Link, which will build a rare earths permanent magnet plant in Malaysia. Lynas will acquire a $50m equity stake in JS Link as part of the deal, and this investment will help support construction of the magnets plant near Lynas’s rare earths processing hub in Malaysia. Lynas will also supply rare earths materials to the new plant, as well as JS Link’s magnet factory in South Korea. Lynas has yet to appoint a permanent successor to former CEO Amanda Lacaze, who stepped down at the end of June after 12 years at the helm.

CORPORATES
LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC, JS LINK INCORPORATED