Author: roymorgansocial

NZ: In May, for an eighth straight month, both National and Labour are supported by fewer than a third of the electorate

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for May 2025 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 50% (up 1% point) and the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 45% (down 2% points), with both failing to muster a majority of public support. This is the fifth straight month the two main blocks representing both sides of politics have fallen short of a majority of support. There were changes in the composition of support for the Government, with support for ACT up 3% points to 12% (the highest support for ACT so far this year) while support for NZ First dropped 2.5% points to 6.5%; support for National was little changed at 31.5%. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour was virtually unchanged at 29%, support for the Greens dropped 2.5% points to 11.5% and support for the Maori Party was unchanged at 4.5%. A further 5% (up 1%) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. This New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 799 electors from 28 April to 25 May. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating dropped 17pts to 80.5 in May.

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

Renumeration Tribunal sets 2.4 per cent pay rise for federal MPs

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Original article by Jessica Wang
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

Federal politicians, department secretaries and senior public servants will receive a pay rise of 2.4 per cent from 1 July. This is in line with the inflation rate, but below the pay rises that were awarded by the Remuneration Tribunal in the previous two years. The salary package of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will rise from about $607,471 per year to $622,050; Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ remuneration will in turn rise by $10,514 a year, to $448,625. The annual pay of other cabinet ministers will rise to $412,735.

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AUSTRALIA. REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Budget faces $9b hit from NDIS delays

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Jun-25

The federal government’s budget papers in March showed that it is targeting $19bn worth of savings related to the National Disability Insurance Scheme over the next four years. However, some $8.8bn of these savings are now in doubt, which will jeopardise the government’s goal of restricting growth in the NDIS to just eight per cent a year from mid-2026. Its annual growth rose to 20 per cent in 2022, prompting former NDIS minister Bill Shorten to commission a review of the scheme; amongst other things, it recommended the introduction of ‘foundational supports’.

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Roy Morgan Business Confidence increases modestly after the Albanese Government’s decisive election win

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

In May 2025, Roy Morgan Business Confidence increased by 2.9pts to 99.6 in the weeks after last month’s Federal Election, although it is still marginally below the neutral level of 100. Business Confidence had dropped by 2.9 points in the weeks after the previous Federal Election in late May 2022. Business Confidence is now 10.5pts below the long-term average of 110.1, although it is up 2.6pts from May 2024. Now 22.5% (down 1.8ppts) of businesses says their business is ‘better off’ financially than this time a year ago (the lowest figure for this indicator since August 2020, during the pandemic), while 36% (down 0.7ppts) say the business is ‘worse off’. Meanwhile, 32.3% (down 3.7ppts) expect the business will be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the lowest figure for this indicator since August 2015), while 23.5% (down 2.1ppts) expect the business will be ‘worse off’. The latest Roy Morgan Business Confidence results for May are based on 1,218 detailed interviews with a cross-section of Australian businesses from each State and Territory.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged at 86.7, but net buying sentiment improves to strongest since April 2022 as End of Financial Year sales begin

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 86.7 in the week to 8 June; Consumer Confidence is now 9.7 points above the same week a year ago (77.0), and in line with the 2025 weekly average of 86.5. Analysis by State shows mixed results, with Consumer Confidence increasing in New South Wales and Western Australia, but down slightly in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia – a reversal of last week’s results. Now 20% of Australians (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 42% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 25% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the lowest figure for this indicator since late March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic), while 30% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 12% (down 2ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 30% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 25% (up 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 34% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Bosses demand tax reform as a priority

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 12-Jun-25

The Centre for Independent Studies’ chairman Nicholas Moore has welcomed the federal the government’s decision to make productivity a focus of its policy agenda for its second term in office. Business leaders and economists agree that tax reform should be a key priority for the government’s productivity roundtable in August. However, the former Macquarie Group CEO, who is an adviser to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, says tax reform is difficult and it has been an issue for 25 years; Moore adds that issues such as housing and the red-tape burden are likely to take precedence at the roundtable.

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THE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT STUDIES LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Wong’s Israeli sanctions create legal minefield

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Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 12-Jun-25

The federal government is under growing scrutiny over its decision to back a joint statement imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli cabinet ministers. Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated Labor’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in announcing the sanctions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade has warned that Australian individuals or companies that have business interests in Israel should seek legal advice, because they could potentially be in breach of the sanctions and may incur large fines or even imprisonment.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Final call for Jetstar Asia as Qantas reclaims its planes

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Original article by Robyn Ironside
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 12-Jun-25

Qantas has advised that 500 employees at its Singapore-based Jetstar Asia subsidiary will be retrenched when the carrier ceases operations at the end of July. Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully has indicated that Jetstar Asia is like to book a loss of $35m for the 2025 fiscal year, and it has been profitable in just six of the 20 years since it was established. She adds that other airlines that fly under the Jetstar banner are profitable. Jetstar Asia’s fleet of 13 Airbus A320s will be redeployed on Australian routes operated by Jetstar and Network Aviation; the latter provides ‘fly-in, fly-out’ services in Western Australia.

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QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, JETSTAR AIRLINES PTY LTD, JETSTAR ASIA

AUKUS under threat as Trump launches review

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

The US Department of Defense has confirmed that it will undertake a review of the AUKUS alliance with Australia and the UK. The Pentagon says the review will aim to ensure that the alliance is in the best interests of the US and that it aligns with the ‘America First’ agenda of President Donald Trump. The review is expected to be led by defence official Elbridge Colby, who has been a notable critic of AUKUS in the past; amongst other things, he has previously stated that the alliance’s benefits and viability is "questionable". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is likely to come under pressure to obtain a firm commitment to AUKUS from Trump if the two leaders meet on the sidelines of the upcoming G7 summit in Canada.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

China puts six-month limit on ease of rare-earth export licenses

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Original article by Lingling Wei, Brian Schwartz
The Australian – Page: Online : 12-Jun-25

Sources have indicated that the Chinese government has agreed to start approving rare-earth license applications for US companies immediately, as part of a proposed trade deal between the two nations. However, China is said to be planning to initially restrict rare earths export licences to just six months, which would give the nation leverage if renewed trade tensions emerge. These export licences are also said to primarily cover rare earths elements that are used in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, wind turbines, consumer electronics and military equipment. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has indicated that tariffs will stay at the levels that were agreed to during the recent negotiations in Geneva.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT