Author: roymorgansocial

PM warns: unite or lose poll

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Original article by Greg Brown, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 9-Feb-22

Parliament is expected to vote on the federal government’s revised religious discrimination bill and amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act within days, after a Coalition partyroom meeting endorsed the reforms on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Coalition MPs to back the reforms, warning that the government faces the prospect of losing the upcoming election if it does present a united front. However, some Liberal MPs have expressed reservations about the religious discrimination bill, and Bass MP Bridget Archer says she cannot support the bill in its current form.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Labor Covid policies an extra $81bn hit: Finance Minister

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Feb-22

The federal government has spent about $337bn on economic and health support programs since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which has contributed to the budget deficit blowing out to $134bn. However, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the government has contained spending during the pandemic by making its emergency measures "temporary, targeted and proportionate". He adds that Labor’s pandemic policies would have cost an additional $81bn in unnecessary spending and increased the deficit by 20 per cent. Shadow finance minister Katy Gallagher has in turn described the Coalition as the most wasteful government since Federation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

NZ’s new Opposition Leader Christopher Luxon boosts support for National to 35%; now ahead of Labour on 33%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

Support for New Zealand’s Labour/Greens government was down 0.5% points to 43.5% in January, the fourth straight month of declines for the ‘coalition’ government. Support for the Labour Party was down 2.5% points to 33% (the lowest since Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took office in late 2017), while support for the Greens increased 2% points to 10.5%. In contrast, support for a potential National/Act NZ coalition government is now at 48.5%. Support for the National Party rose 3.5% points to 35%; it has increased 8.5% points since Christopher Luxon took over the leadership at the end of November 2021 and has now overtaken Labour for the first time since October 2019. However, support for Act NZ fell 5% points to 13.5%, to its lowest since August 2021. Support for the Maori Party increased 1.5% points to 2.5%. A small minority of 5.5% of electors support other minor parties outside Parliament, with support for New Zealand First up 0.5% points to 2.5%, The Opportunities Party up 0.5% points to 1.5% and support for the New Conservative Party up 0.5% points to 1% in January. 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 951 electors during January.

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

New media reforms to hurt Australian TV production

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Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

The federal government’s latest media reforms will require streaming providers to invest at least five per cent of their Australian revenue in local content. This is well below the 10 per cent local content quota that the government had flagged in September 2020, while streaming services will not be penalised for failing to meet the revised quota unless Communications Minister Paul Fletcher decides to intervene. Screen Producers Australia CEO Matt Deaner is concerned that streaming services will produce local content in name only, using all-American casts to make US-style programs in Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS, SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRALIA

Andrews targeted on red shirts rort

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Original article by Rachel Baxendale
The Australian – Page: 2 : 9-Feb-22

The Victorian Opposition will support Adem Somyurek’s motion to have Labor’s ‘Red Shirts’ scandal referred to the state’s Ombudsman for further investigation. The motion will also require the support of at least eight crossbenchers. Amongst other things, Somyurek wants the Ombudsman to investigate the role of Premier Daniel Andrews in "designing, propagating and facilitating" the misuse of taxpayers’ funds when he was opposition leader in 2014. Somyurek, who has admitted to being involved in the rort, was expelled by Labor in 2021 following a branch-stacking scandal.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN

Tourists may need to be triple-jabbed: Andrews

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Original article by Lucas Baird, Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Feb-22

The Victorian government is at odds with its federal counterpart regarding the vaccination status of international tourists when Australia’s borders reopen on 21 February. The federal government has advised that inbound travellers will only be required to have two COVID-19 vaccine doses. However, Premier Daniel Andrews says the state will require tourists to have a booster shot if the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that people must have had three doses in order to enter the country. This could lead to international visitors being barred from hospitality, retail and entertainment venues in Victoria, in a new blow for the tourism industry.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION

Anger after News Corp and Google Australia set up journalism academy at university business school

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Original article by Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

News Corporation executive Campbell Reid will be the inaugural head of the Digital News Academy, which is a joint venture between the media giant and Google Australia. Reid says the University of Melbourne’s business school was selected to provide the nine-month course because it is "unashamedly about the business of journalism". However, the decision to offer the course via the business school has been criticised by Andrew Dodd, the director of the university’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. He says it reflects News Corp’s long-standing antagonism for university journalism programs. Dodd adds that he was not aware of the new initiative until he read about it in a press release.

CORPORATES
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. CENTRE FOR ADVANCING JOURNALISM

Construction costs rise at fastest pace since 2005

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 9-Feb-22

CoreLogic has warned that residential construction costs are likely to rise further in the March quarter, citing factors such as ongoing supply chain disruptions. The firm’s Cordell Construction Cost Index rose by just 1.1 per cent in the final three months of 2021, compared with 3.8 per cent in the September quarter. The index rose by 7.3 per cent in the year to December, its highest annual increase since March 2005. Tim Lawless of CoreLogic says the big rise in annual construction costs might increase the cost of new homes and renovations, which may in turn put upward pressure on inflation.

CORPORATES
CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence decreases 1.9pts to 99.9 as Western Australia’s border remains closed

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Feb-22

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.9pts to 99.9 during the first week of February; it is 11.5pts below the same week a year ago (111.4), and just below the 2022 weekly average of 101.1. Consumer Confidence has decreased 9pts in Western Australia and 14pts in Perth, indicating dissatisfaction with the state’s continuing border closure. Now 23% (down 4ppts) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 32% (up 4ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ financially. In addition, 35% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, and 21% (up 3ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ financially. However, just 14% (down 1ppt) of Australians now expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 26% (down 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 36% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 33% (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

ALP (56.5%) increases lead over the L-NP (43.5%) in late January as Australia continues to battle Omicron surge of COVID-19

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

ALP support is now at 56.5% (up 0.5% points since mid-January) cf. L-NP on 43.5% (down 0.5% points) on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention conducted via telephone and online interviewing with 2,783 Australian electors aged 18+ over the two weeks from January 17-30, 2022. There were 7.5% of electors (up 0.5% points from mid-January) who can’t say who they support. The ALP holds two-party preferred leads in all six States including NSW (ALP 54% cf. L-NP 46%), Victoria (ALP 59% cf. L-NP 41%), Queensland (ALP 51.5% cf. L-NP 48.5%), Western Australia (ALP 55.5% cf. L-NP 44.5%), South Australia (ALP 64% cf. L-NP 36%) and Tasmania (ALP 61.5% cf. L-NP 38.5%). There is also a huge gender gap with the ALP enjoying a huge two-party preferred lead amongst women: ALP 60.5% cf. L-NP 39.5% while men are more evenly split between the two parties: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%. Roy Morgan Government Confidence is well into negative territory, below the neutral level of 100, at a rating of only 84.5 with a majority of 50.5% of electors saying Australia is ‘heading in the wrong direction’ compared to only 34.5% that say the country is ‘heading in the right direction’. Full results of this week’s Roy Morgan Poll on Federal Voting Intention will be released later today.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA