Author: roymorgansocial

National nightmare of teals on a Green pitch

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Original article by Paul Garvey, Perry Williams, Colin Packham, Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Feb-25

Woodside Energy CEO Meg O’Neill says it would be bad for households, business and the environment if the Greens or the teals hold the balance of power after the federal election. Beach Energy CEO Brett Woods has expressed similar concerns, warning that a minority government could result in "exorbitant power" being given to a small collection of MPs who are focused solely on their own narrow agenda rather than the good of the nation. He contends that electors should vote for either Labor or the Coalition, as the consequences of giving the Greens or teals greater influence would include higher unemployment and severe energy shortages.

CORPORATES
WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, BEACH ENERGY LIMITED – ASX BPT, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence jumps 4.7pts to 89.8 after the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates for the first time since 2020

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 4.7pts to 89.8 in the week to 23 February, after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates by 0.25% to 4.1%. Consumer Confidence is now 6.6 points above the same week a year ago (83.2), and 2.7 points above the 2025 weekly average of 87.1. A look at Consumer Confidence by State shows increases in all States, with the largest increase in Western Australia and increases of at least 3 points in the other States. Now 22% of Australians (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 44% (down 6ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since January 2023). Looking forward, 37% (up 5ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the highest figure for this indicator since January 2022), while 27% (down 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since May 2022). Now 11% (up 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 26% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’ (the lowest figure for this indicator since April 2022). Meanwhile, 24% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the equal lowest figure for this indicator since before the Black Friday sales period), while 44% (down 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Public service’s dirt job for Chalmers

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Feb-25

The federal government is continuing to attract scrutiny over claims that it had asked the Treasury to undertake costings on the Coalition’s proposal to offer tax breaks of up to $20,000 for small businesses. Treasury is not permitted to provide the government of the day with costings on the opposition’s policies. However, a series of emails between senior Treasury officials and the office of Treasurer Jim Chalmers shows that the Treasury was aware that it was modelling Coalition policy. Chalmers has publicly stated that he had asked Treasury to cost the policy; shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has accused him of using the Treasury as his personal "dirt unit".

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Nine flags cuts amid advertising downturn

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 15 & 23 : 26-Feb-25

Nine Entertainment Company has posted a 2024-25 interim net profit of $95.1m, which is 29 per cent lower than previously. EBITDA fell by 15 per cent to $268m, and revenue was steady at $1.39bn. The media group has advised that it will seek to generate cost savings of $100m across its operations over the next two years, and interim CEO Matt Stanton has indicated that the restructuring will involve some job cuts. Stanton also stated that the Domain property listings business is a key part of Nine’s growth strategy, in the wake of a $2.6bn bid for Domain from US-based CoStar Group.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, DOMAIN HOLDINGS AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX DHA, COSTAR GROUP INCORPORATED

FIRB blamed as iron ore deal collapses

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 18 : 26-Feb-25

Iron ore hopeful CZR Resources’ directors have endorsed a takeover offer from Fenix Resources which is priced at $0.85 per share. This will increase to $0.98 if Fenix gains acceptances for 75 per cent of CZR’s shares before 21 March. CZR announced the bid from Fenix after abandoning a deal to sell its 85 per cent stake in the Robe Mesa deposit in the Pilbara to Miracle Iron Resources, which is owned by a Chinese company. CZR cited delays in gaining Foreign Investment Review Board approval for the decision to walk away from the Miracle Iron deal. Veteran prospector Mark Creasy is the major shareholder in CZR; he also owns a 15 per cent stake in the Robe Mesa project.

CORPORATES
CZR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX CZR, FENIX RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX FEX, MIRACLE IRON RESOURCES, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD

Magazines matter to most Australians, 65%, or 14.8 million, read magazines in print or online

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

The Roy Morgan Australian Readership report for the 12 months to December 2024 shows that 11.5 million Australians aged 14+ (50.5%) now read print magazines. This market broadens significantly to 14.8 million Australians aged 14+ (65%) who read magazines in print or online either via the web or an app. The most widely read category is Food & Entertainment Magazines with a readership of 7,373,000, over 3 million ahead of any other category and reaching nearly a third of the population. Better Homes and Gardens is still Australia’s most widely read paid magazine with a print readership of 1,809,000 ahead of the second-placed The Australian Women’s Weekly on 1,222,000. Meanwhile, Australia’s two most widely read free magazines are Coles Magazine (with a print readership of 5,399,000) and Woolworths’ Fresh Ideas (4,786,000). These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey of 64,823 Australians aged 14+ in the 12 months to December.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Ukraine agrees minerals deal after Washington drops toughest demands

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Original article by Christopher Miller, Alec Russell, Gideon Rachman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 26-Feb-25

Ukrainian officials have advised that the war-torn nation’s government will sign a deal with the US to jointly develop its mineral and energy resources after the Trump administration agreed to abandon its most onerous conditions. The US had initially sought a right to some $US500 billion ($788 billion) in potential revenue from exploiting Ukraine’s mineral and energy resources. The final version of the agreement will establish a fund into which Ukraine will contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the future monetisation of state-owned mineral and energy resources, as well as and associated logistics; The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine. However, the agreement does not mention the US security guarantees that Ukraine had sought in return for backing the deal.

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News consumption surpasses daily essentials, reaching 22 million Australians: A testament to Total News Publishing’s impact

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

The latest data from Roy Morgan shows that Total News Publishing now engages 22 million Australians on a monthly basis, and 18.4 million weekly. This extensive reach reflects the breadth of readership, cutting across diverse demographic groups. To put it in perspective, more Australians engage with news on a weekly basis than consume vegetables or drink milk – reinforcing the vital role news plays in everyday life. This broad reach provides advertisers with the opportunity to connect with practically any target audience through Total News Publishing. Some 93% of news consumers access up to five different news brands each month, indicating a strong demand for diverse viewpoints. General News continues to dominate as the most read category, engaging 93% of the population. Additionally, 62% of Australians explore at least three content categories, while half delve into four or more in any given month.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Internet price war rattles Aussie’s cheap challenger

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Feb-25

Aussie Broadband has posted a 2024-25 interim net profit of $12.2m, which is 24 per cent higher than previously. The result was boosted by factors such as the sale of its stake in Superloop following a failed takeover bid. The company recorded 12.5 per cent growth in broadband connections during the half-year, to more than 727,000 in total. Brian Maher, who will become CEO on 1 March, concedes that the take-up rate for the company’s new low-cost Buddy Telco brand has been below expectations, with a total of 6,484 customers at the end of 2024; Buddy has added 2,131 new customers so far in 2025.

CORPORATES
AUSSIE BROADBAND LIMITED – ASX ABB, BUDDY TELCO PTY LTD, SUPERLOOP LIMITED – ASX SLC

Cash splash to increase tax burden

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 25-Feb-25

Analysis shows that the federal government has made $123.6bn worth of discretionary spending decisions in the three budgets it has handed down since taking office in May 2022. The government has also announced some $20bn worth of election promises since the start of 2025, headlined by the $8.5bn expenditure on Medicare. Independent economist Chris Richardson says the cost of Labor’s spending decisions since taking office will ultimately be borne by taxpayers via ‘bracket creep’. He adds that it will also delay any prospect of further tax cuts by 5-6 years.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY