Author: roymorgansocial

Labor flags wider tax makeover

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Original article by John Kehoe. Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 18-Jun-25

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will use a National Press Club speech today to identify boosting productivity, budget sustainability and economic resilience as the federal government’s reform priorities for its second term in office. Chalmers will contend that while the federal budget is now stronger, it is not yet sustainable; he will also argue that the domestic economy is growing and resilient, but it is not productive enough or resilient enough. Meanwhile, he has given indications that tax reform may be on the agenda for the productivity roundtable in August, stating that Labor may be open to broader tax reforms than its proposed changes to the tax treatment of superannuation accounts with balances exceeding $3m.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY. NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

In May Australian unemployment dropped to 10.9% – however, this was due to people leaving the workforce rather than finding jobs

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Jun-25

In May 2025, Australian ‘real’ unemployment fell by 65,000 to 1,715,000 (down 0.3%, to 10.9% of the workforce). However, the fall in unemployment was not because people looking for work found jobs, but because they gave up and left the workforce. In addition to the unemployed, a further 1.44 million Australians (9.1% of the workforce) were under-employed, i.e. working part-time but looking for more work (down 36,000 from April). In total, 3.15 million Australians (20.0% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in May. Meanwhile, Roy Morgan estimates that the overall workforce size (which adds together both the employed and unemployed) was just over 15.7 million in May, down 206,000 on a month ago and representing 68.3% of Australians aged 14+. This is the smallest estimated workforce so far this year, and the largest monthly workforce contraction since October 2021. Roy Morgan also estimates that just over 14 million people (14,025,000) were employed in May; this is down 141,000 from a month ago, and the lowest level of employment since November 2023.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Social media overtakes online as news source

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 18-Jun-25

Research undertaken by the University of Canberra shows that television is still the biggest source of news for Australians, at 37 per cent. However, some 26 per cent of respondents to the annual survey said they use social media as a primary source of news, while just 23 per cent nominated online news as their main source for such content. The Digital News Report also found that nearly 50 per cent of Australians aged 18-24 identified social media as their primary source of news, compared with just eight per cent of people over the age of 65. In contrast, TV is the primary source of news for the 65+ age group, compared with only 18 per cent of the 18-24 age cohort.

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UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 1.3pts to 85.4 as Israel and Iran conflict threatens to engulf Middle East

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Jun-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.3pts to 85.4 in the week to 15 June; however, Consumer Confidence is 5.1 points above the same week a year ago (80.3), and just below the 2025 weekly average of 86.2. Analysis by State shows mixed results, with Consumer Confidence down in the largest States of New South Wales and Victoria, up in Queensland and South Australia, and unchanged in Western Australia. Now 20% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 43% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 27% (up 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (rising off a five year low), while 34% (up 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the highest figure for this indicator so far this year). Now just 11% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 30% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 23% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 34% (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

The race for Sydney’s second film studio

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 18-Jun-25

The NSW government’s decision to contribute $100m to the construction of a new film studio in Sydney has been welcomed by Zareh Nalbandian, the founder of animation studio Animal Logic. He says the existing Disney Studios at Moore Park – which was formerly called Fox Studios Australia – is great, but Disney has priority in using its nine sound stages. The government has yet to open a formal tender process for the new film studios, although three private consortiums are said to be serious bidders. Nalbandian produced the first two Peter Rabbit films in Sydney, but warns that the third one in the series may have to be made elsewhere unless he has access to a film studio.

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ANIMAL LOGIC PTY LTD. DISNEY STUDIOS AUSTRALIA

Qantas rebounds in world airline awards

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Original article by Anna McCooe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 18-Jun-25

Qantas has been ranked 14th in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, compared with 24th in 2024. Qantas has also received the award for the Best Airline in Australia and the Pacific region. CEO Vanessa Hudson says the award is testament to the airline’s global workforce of 29,000. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has been named the World’s Best Airline for a second successive year; it has now won the top award nine times. The Skytrax awards are based on a survey of more than 22 million airline customers worldwide.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN. SKYTRAX. QATAR AIRWAYS

Couples need $73,875 a year in retirement

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Original article by Anthony Keane
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 18-Jun-25

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s modelling suggests that a couple who own their home now requires annual income of to live comfortably in retirement. The figure for a single person who owns their home is $52,383. The analysis also shows that the cost of a comfortable retirement increased by 1.6 per cent in the year to March, compared with the inflation rate of 2.4 per cent. ASFA CEO Mary Delahunty says retirees are starting to benefit from a slowdown in inflation, although she notes that the prices of essentials are still rising.

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THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Gold and iron ore prices set to drop, Citi warns

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Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 19 : 18-Jun-25

US investment bank Citi is bearish about the price of both gold and iron ore. The gold price has risen by about 30 per cent so far in 2025, and peaked at a record $US3,500 an ounce in April. However, Citi has forecast that it will fall around $US2,5000 to $US2,700 an ounce by the end of 2026, due to factors such as lower investment demand, an improving outlook for the global economy and US interest rate cuts. The iron ore price in turn has shed about five per cent in the year-to-date, and is currently trading at around $US93 per tonne; Citi expects it to fall to around $US90 per tonne over the medium-term.

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CITIGROUP INCORPORATED

The cost-of-living crisis creates opportunities for Mobile Virtual Network Operators

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Jun-25

Australia’s Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are increasing their share of the mobile phone market during a sustained cost-of-living crunch. MVNOs have increased their share of mobile phone Services in Operation (SIOs) from 17% in the 6 months to March 2021 to 19% in the 6 months to March 2025. This equates to 4.3 million SIOs in the 6 months to March 2025 now using an MVNO (about 700,000 higher compared to four years ago). Consumers making the choice to switch to a MVNO are more likely to cite ‘price’ and ‘network’ related reasons as top reasons for choosing a particular brand than those sticking with the flagship brands of the big three networks. However, cheaper prices do not mean poorer customer service. The Net Promoter Scores of MVNOs are consistently higher than those of the network owner with whom they share a network; overall, MVNOs have an average NPS of 33.1. These are the latest findings from Roy Morgan’s Single Source (Australia) which is based on a survey of over 65,000 consumers per annum.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

BHP-Rio US copper mine clears environment hurdle

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 18-Jun-25

The US Department of Agriculture has granted environmental approval for the Resolution Copper project in Arizona. The publication of the final environmental impact statement for the underground copper mine will allow the transfer of federal land to occur, which is the next step in the long-running battle to develop the Resolution deposit. Joint venture partners BHP and Rio Tinto have yet to make a final investment decision on the project, which has faced strong opposition from environmentalists and Indigenous groups.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP. RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO. UNITED STATES. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE