Author: roymorgansocial

Immigration bar must be higher

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Original article by Lachlan Leeming
The Australian – Page: 5 : 25-Feb-26

Australia’s immigration policy came under scrutiny on the first day of the Aspire conference in Sydney on Tuesday. Former prime minister Tony Abbott called for a "big reconsideration of our immigration program", arguing that the nation has "imported division" and that it is very hard for migrants to honestly subscribe to the Australian citizenship oath if they support sharia law or the leading role of the Communist Party. Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg in turn said immigration policy should be based on what is in the national interest and the "type of people we want" in Australia. Frydenberg also said it is a privilege rather than a right to come to Australia, and that this needs to be emphasised.

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Federal Voting Intention: L-NP Coalition support up marginally in the last week, ALP and One Nation both down slightly

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Feb-26

The latest Roy Morgan Poll shows that primary support for the L-NP Coalition is up 0.5% to 24%, the ALP is down 1% to 31% and One Nation is down 1% to 20.5%. Support for the Greens is at 12.5%, and Independents/Other Parties are up 1.5% to 12%. On a two-party preferred basis, the ALP is on 54.5% (down 0.5% from the days immediately after the L-NP leadership change), ahead of the Coalition on 44.5% (up 0.5%). The distribution of preferences will be more important than ever at the next Federal Election and when preferences from this week’s Roy Morgan survey are allocated based on how Australians voted at the 2025 Federal Election the two-party preferred result is slightly closer than the respondent allocated preferences, with the ALP on 54% leading the L-NP Coalition on 46%. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would be easily returned to Government with a similar majority. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,649 Australian electors from 16-22 February.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 3.1 points to 80.2 driven by rising confidence about the Australian economy

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Feb-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 3.1 points to 80.2 in the week to 22 February; it is now 9.6pts lower than a year ago (89.8), and in line with the 2026 weekly average of 80.4. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence is rising in most States (including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia), but down in Western Australia. Now 18% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 44% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 24% (up 2ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 36% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 9% (up 2ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 34% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 20% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 38% (down 2ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were at 5.2% in mid-February – down 0.3% points from the month of January

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Feb-26

The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations have remained high so far in 2026, averaging 5.4% over the first seven weeks and were at 5.2% for the week of 16-22 February (down 0.3% points from the full month of January). A look at monthly Inflation Expectations for January shows the measure at 5.5% for the month – unchanged from the prior month of December, and the equal highest monthly figure since July 2023. Looking back over the last six months, since late August 2025, weekly Inflation Expectations have moved in a band of 4.7% to 5.6%, and averaged 5.2%. A look at Monthly Inflation Expectations on a State-based level for January shows increases in Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, but sharp declines in both Queensland and South Australia cancelling out the overall movement. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source, which has interviewed an average of around 5,300 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade and includes interviews with 3,023 Australians aged 14+ in January 2026.

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

Warning Bell: focus on antisemitism first

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Original article by James Dowling
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 25-Feb-26

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion held its first public hearing in Sydney yesterday. Royal commissioner Virginia Bell used her opening statement to disclose that the inquiry will not hear evidence from witnesses to the Bondi Beach terrorist attack or family members of victims; she contended that doing so could prejudice the criminal trial of the surviving gunman. Bell also emphasised that the inquiry will primarily focus on anti-Semitism, although she acknowledged that people of other faits and ethnic backgrounds are also subject to prejudice in Australia.

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AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION ON ANTISEMITISM AND SOCIAL COHESION

AI deals a Labor ‘priority’: Nine

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 25-Feb-26

Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2025-26 interim net profit of $81.4m, which is 42 per cent higher than previously. Group revenue was down four per cent at $1.1bn, while its TV division’s revenue was 14 per cent lower at $508.2m. The Stan streaming video platform’s revenue rose 15 per cent to $282.7m, while the publishing division’s revenue was down two per cent at $262.2m. Meanwhile, CEO Matt Stanton is confident that the federal government will support the media sector’s push to secure increased payments from technology companies for using their content to train AI models.

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NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

CBA plans to retrain workers to head off anger over job cuts

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Feb-26

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia will launch a new skills program that aims to retrain its staff and provide them with the AI skills and other expertise that will be needed in the future. CEO Matt Comyn says employers have an obligation to help workers to build up their AI skills, and he argues that Australian companies must embrace AI technology in order to remain internationally competitive. CBA’s focus will be on training staff in areas that will be in demand, with the aim of shifting thousands of workers into higher-value roles. Meanwhile, CBA has advised of another 300 job cuts across its banking and human resources teams, although they have not been specifically linked to AI.

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COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Elliott drops legal case against ANZ over unpaid bonus

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Original article by Angira Bharadwaj, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 25-Feb-26

The ANZ Bank withheld some $32m worth of bonuses to some current and former executives in 2025, in response to the regulatory failing that resulted in a record fine. The executives included former CEO Shayne Elliott, who subsequently pursued legal action to recover more than $13.5m in bonuses that had been cancelled. Elliott contended that ANZ had breached the terms of his departure by withholding his bonuses. The bank has welcomed Elliott’s decision to abandon the lawsuit, and has advised that both parties will pay their own legal costs. Elliott is entitled to an additional $8m worth of future bonuses, which may also be in doubt.

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AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Magazines matter to a clear majority of Australians: over 14.5 million read magazines in print or online

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 25-Feb-26

The Roy Morgan Australian Readership report for the 12 months to December 2025 shows that 10.7 million Australians aged 14+ (46.4%) now read print magazines. This market broadens significantly to over 14.5 million Australians aged 14+ (63%) who read magazines in print or online either via the web or an app. Overall, a total of 11 of the top 25 most widely read magazines increased their readership over the last year. Food & Entertainment is again Australia’s best performing magazine category, with a readership of 6,296,000 (well over 2 million ahead of any other category, and reaching 27.2% of the population). Meanwhile, Better Homes and Gardens is still Australia’s most widely read paid magazine, with a print readership of 1,593,000. These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey of 64,960 Australians aged 14+ in the 12 months to December 2025.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Queensland private coal miner joins state’s royalties graveyard

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 25-Feb-26

Privately-owned coal miner Vitrinite has been placed in the hands of voluntary administrators from Cor Cordis and receivers from KordaMentha. Vitrinite’s assets include the Vulcan coking coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. A spokesperson for KordaMentha says it will shortly begin the process of selling or recapitalising Vitrinite’s assets. Vitrinite’s collapse has put further scrutiny on the Queensland government’s controversial coal royalty regime, which it inherited from the former Labor government and has refused to change.

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VITRINITE PTY LTD, COR CORDIS PTY LTD, KORDA MENTHA AND COLLEAGUES PTY LTD