Author: roymorgansocial

Family of Iran prison detainee Kylie Moore-Gilbert pin hope on DFAT getting out of Iran

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Original article by Samantha Dick
The New Daily – Page: Online : 15-Sep-19

University of Melbourne lecturer Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been named as the third Australian currently being held in Iran’s Evin prison. Pouria Zeraati, who is the editor of Persian language broadcaster Manoto TV, says Moore-Gilbert was arrested in the 2018 summer, and that she is serving a 10-year jail sentence on unknown charges; Moore-Gilbert is understood to be in solitary confinement. Her family says they have been working closely with the Australian government to try to secure her release. Moore-Gilbert had been lecturing on Islamic studies at the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute prior to her arrest.

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UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

The challengers to China’s rare earth monopoly

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Original article by
rt.com – Page: Online : 12-Sep-19

China houses around 85 per cent of the world’s rare earths production capacity, with rare earths used in the making of products such as magnets and batteries, as well as having defence industry applications. The US imports around 75 per cent of its rare earths needs from China, and there is concern China could use this dominance as a weapon in the current China-US trade war. The Australian government recently flagged 15 rare earths mining projects that it will back as part of a combined effort with the US to combat China’s market dominance; the projects involve funding of $US$3.9 billion ($5.7 billion).

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LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC,{SHARE}AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

Saudi attack to send oil prices soaring

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Original article by Vesna Poljak,{SHARE}Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 13 : 16-Sep-19

Federal energy minister Angus Taylor has stated there are no immediate threats to Australia’s oil supplies, following attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure on 14 September. The drone attacks, by Iranian-backed Yemen Houthi rebels, are the most serious thus far on Saudi oil infrastructure, according to Ben Cleary from the Tribeca Global Natural Resources Fund. Saudi Arabia reported that over five million barrels oil production a day would be foregone immediately following the attacks, equivalent to between five and six per cent of global output. The attacks are tipped to spark a surge in oil prices when trading resumes on 16 September.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Auction clearances hit a ceiling

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Original article by Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 16-Sep-19

Data from Corelogic reveals that Sydney recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 80.3 per cent on 14 September, while Melbourne recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 75.7 per cent. Nationally, the preliminary auction clearance rate came in at 75.7 per cent, down from the previous weekend’s preliminary clearance rate of 77 per cent. Industry observers note that general fears about a weak economy are prompting potential vendors to hold back on listing their property.

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CORELOGIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Bunnings hammers competitors with twenty straight satisfaction awards

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Sep-19

New customer satisfaction data from Roy Morgan shows Bunnings to be the winner of the Hardware Store of the Month Award for July 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 91%. Bunnings has now won an impressive twenty monthly awards in a row, with July’s win putting it into an unbeatable position for the 2019 Hardware Store of the Year. Bunnings’ customer satisfaction rating of 91% in July was followed by Mitre 10 (90%), Home Timber & Hardware (87%) and True Value (73%). Home Timber & Hardware, which won its last monthly customer satisfaction award in November 2017, has experienced a slight drop in customer satisfaction (-1%) since July 2018. True Value has also slipped 3% over the same period. These are the latest findings from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Australians each week in their homes and over 50,000 each year.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED,{SHARE}BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED,{SHARE}ROY MORGAN LIMITED,{SHARE}MITRE 10 LIMITED,{SHARE}HOME TIMBER AND HARDWARE,{SHARE}TRUE VALUE HARDWARE LIMITED

Dream in tatters: doping spotlight on Rioli

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Original article by Courtney Walsh
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 13-Sep-19

West Coast Eagles football player Willie Rioli has been stood down by the club after it was revealed ASADA has alleged he substituted a urine sample during a drug test in August. Former ASADA chief Richard Ings says it ‘can never be for a good reason’ when someone substitutes a urine sample, and it is an act that normally results in a four-year ban. Rioli will not play for the Eagles, who are seeking to defend their 2018 premiership, for the rest of the season, but he can still train with them.

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WEST COAST EAGLES FOOTBALL CLUB, AUSTRALIAN SPORTS ANTI-DOPING AGENCY

Minister’s direct plea to Iran

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Original article by Ben Packham, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-Sep-19

Foreign Minister Marise Payne told parliament on 12 September that the federal government is making continued efforts to get three Australians released from jail in Iran. The three are Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, Jolie King and Mark Firkin, with King and Firkin arrested for flying a drone over a military installation. As part of the government’s efforts to get the three released, Payne flew to Bangladesh in the week ending 6 September to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Luxury car sales lift and follow rising house prices

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 13-Sep-19

Luxury car sales rose for the second month in a row in August, while sales for the year to August increased by 0.6 per cent. However, sales of standard cars fell by 10.1 per cent in August. Nonetheless, the increase in luxury car sales for two months in a row, along with a similar increase in Sydney and Melbourne house prices, has sparked hope that the Australian economy might be on the mend, with Commsec chief economist Craig James saying he thinks "the worst is behind us".

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COMMONWEALTH SECURITIES LIMITED

PM lashes Liu security risk claims as racism

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 13-Sep-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told Parliament he is satisfied Gladys Liu is not a national security risk, while claiming those who questioned her fitness to serve in parliament were racist. Liu has been under the spotlight recently over allegations regarding her connections to organisations in China, one of which is Beijing’s propaganda arm, and Labor and Centre Alliance have both called for her to be investigated. Morrison has declined to answer what steps he took to assure himself that Liu was not a security risk, while Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger said he knew nothing about suggestions raised in a newspaper that ASIO had advised the Liberal Party against pre-selecting Liu.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Airlines dump economic eggheads to lobby pollies

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 13-Sep-19

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has called for airlines to be able to seek access to arbitration in the event of disputes with airports. However, the Productivity Commission, which is reviewing airport regulation, rejected this idea in its draft report, which it released in February. Airline lobby group Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ) expects the Commission will maintain this view in its final report, which the federal government is due to release by 22 October. A4ANZ chair Graeme Samuel says it is ignoring the Commission, and will be calling on politicians to take action in line with the ACCC’s recommendations.

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