Author: roymorgansocial

‘Furious’: Nationals MP says Littleproud misled the party

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Original article by James Massola
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 28-May-25

National Party leader David Littleproud is under scrutiny in the wake of the recent falling out with the Liberal Party which briefly ended their long-standing coalition. Nationals MP Colin Boyce has accused Littleproud of misleading his colleagues regarding the scope of the Nationals’ demands in four key policy areas which prompted the split. Boyce has described the split as a ‘fiasco’ and says he cannot support a leader who misleads the party room. Boyce adds that he opposes the Coalition’s net zero emissions target of 2050, and contends that the issue should have been discussed in the Nationals’ party room meeting last week.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Australian tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle may avoid jail in plea deal

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Original article by
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 28-May-25

Former Australian Tax Office debt collection officer Richard Boyle has pleaded guilty to four criminal charges in the Adelaide District Court, while 15 charges were withdrawn. Another five charges had been withdrawn in March. Former senator Rex Patrick, who founded the Whistleblowers Justice Fund, has described Boyle as a ‘superhero’ for publicly exposing the ATO’s debt recovery tactics; he adds that it is a disgrace that Boyle has been pursued for eight years over his revelations. Patrick believes that Boyle could potentially avoid custodial sentence after pleading guilty; however, he adds that Boyle may still be convicted, which would affect his future career prospects.

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AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, DISTRICT COURT OF ADELAIDE

Steph Hunt (Melbourne) and Aaron Violi (Casey) are the only two Liberals to achieve a primary vote swing of +4%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

The Liberal Party suffered a crushing defeat at the Federal Election held earlier this month, and the recriminations continue under new leader Sussan Ley. However, there were some bright spots for the party with 20 Liberal/LNP candidates achieving a positive primary vote swing, led by Liberal candidate for Melbourne, Steph Hunt, who achieved a primary vote swing of +4.6% from 2022, and Liberal MP from Casey (Victoria), Aaron Violi, with a primary vote swing of +4.4%. Other notable performances included Simmone Cottom with a primary vote swing of +3.9% in the Victorian seat of Hawke, Benson Saulo with a swing of +3.5% in the inner Melbourne seat of Macnamara, Tim Beddoe with a swing of +3.3% in the western Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong and re-elected Liberal MP Tim Wilson reclaiming his seat on Melbourne’s bayside with a primary vote swing of +3.1%. Of the 20 Liberal/LNP candidates to achieve a positive primary vote swing in their electorate, 15 were in Victoria, three were in New South Wales and two were in Queensland.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.8pts to 87.0 in the week the RBA cut interest rates to 3.85%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.8pts to 87.0 in the week to 25 May; however, Consumer Confidence is now 6.8 points above the same week a year ago (80.2), and 0.5pts above the 2025 weekly average of 86.5. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence fell in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but rose slightly in Western Australia. Now 18% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 42% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 28% (down 2ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 30% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 13% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 29% (up 5ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 23% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 35% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since March 2022).

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

PM urged to act over US Darwin port offer

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 5 : 28-May-25

Landbridge Group’s long-term lease on the Port of Darwin is under renewed scrutiny, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese under growing pressure to act on his election pledge on the issue. Shadow home affairs minister James Patersons says Albanese should use the federal goverment’s constitutional powers to force Landbridge to relinquish its lease if it does not do so willingly on commercial terms. US-based private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management has proposed buying the port lease; Paterson says Cerberus would be an acceptable buyer under Australia’s foreign investment rules.

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PORT OF DARWIN, LANDBRIDGE GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, CERBERUS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP

Forever chemicals found in blood of 97 per cent of Victorians

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Original article by Adam Carey
The Age – Page: Online : 28-May-25

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that 97.1 per cent of people aged 12+ nationwide have a detectable concentration of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in their bloodstream. Some 98.9 per cent of Tasmanians were found to have the synthetic chemicals in their bloodstream, compared with 97.3 per cent of Victorians and just 91.2 per cent of Northern Territory residents. Professor Stuart Khan from the University of Sydney says the data is "shocking but not surprising", given that everybody is exposed to these chemicals. He adds that the findings are broadly in line with overseas studies.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

More AI, fewer staff for Telstra

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Original article by Joseph Carbone
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 28-May-25

Telstra CEO Vicky Brady revealed details of the telco’s Connected Future 30 strategy on Tuesday. The five-year strategy includes using artificial intelligence and cloud technology to enhance its communications network and deliver a better experience for customers. Telstra will also aim to increase its strategic net promoter score to more than 50 per cent by 2030. However, Brady conceded that the increased use of AI will result in more job losses at Telstra. She also responded to claims that Telstra has overstated the size of its mobile network, stating that the telco stands by its claim that it provides three million square kilometres of coverage without the need for an external antenna.

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TELSTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX TLS

Gas exporters on notice to lock in more supplies for Australians

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 28-May-25

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King addressed the Australian Energy Producers conference in Brisbane on Tuesday. Amid growing fears of a looming gas shortage on the east coast, King said that Australians are tired of seeing the nation’s vast gas resources exported while paying high prices themselves. King added that while some Australian LNG producers are "doing the right thing" by ensuring that there is sufficient domestic supply, a lot of work still needs to be done on this issue. She added that the federal government plans to undertake a review of laws and regulations governing the LNG sector, to ensure that they are working as intended.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY PRODUCERS

MinRes slices into iron ore guidance

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 14 : 28-May-25

Mineral Resources has advised that its Onslow Iron project has shipped 1.7 million tonnes of iron ore so far in May, and shipments for the full month are expected to total 1.9 million tonnes. This compares with 1.3 million tonnes in April, while the company expects shipments for June to be within the range of 2.3 million to 2.6 million tonnes. However, Mineral Resources has indicated that the Onslow Iron project’s full-year output for 2024-25 is now expected to be within the range of 7.8 to 8 million tonnes, compared with previous guidance of 8.5 million to 8.7 million tonnes.

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MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Risk of mortgage stress unchanged in April, but set to fall in May after the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 28-May-25

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 1,429,000 mortgage holders (26.5%) were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in April 2025, unchanged from a month earlier. These figures relate to the period before last week’s interest rate cut, which is projected to reduce mortgage stress by 13,000 in May to 1,416,000 (26.3%). The number of Australians ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress has increased by 622,000 since May 2022, when the RBA began a cycle of interest rate increases. Meanwhile, the number of mortgage holders considered to be ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress is now numbered at 955,000 (18.0% of mortgage holders), which is clearly above the long-term average over the last 10 years of 14.7%. These are the latest findings from Roy Morgan’s Single Source Survey, based on in-depth interviews conducted with more than 60,000 Australians each year, including over 10,000 owner-occupied mortgage-holders.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA