Over 600,000 jobs created since last election, but is it enough for the L-NP?

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-May-19

Roy Morgan real Australian unemployment is 8.9% in April, down 2% in a month, and following the same pattern seen during the last Federal Election when unemployment declined by 1.1% during the campaign before rebounding. There were 1.2 million Australians unemployed in April and a further 1.18 million Australians under-employed – a total of 2.38 million Australians looking for work or looking for more work (17.7% of the workforce). Full-time employment was 8.03 million, up nearly 350,000 since the last election, while part-time employment was 4.22 million (up 260,000). Although over 600,000 jobs have been created since the last Federal Election in July 2016, total unemployment and under-employment remains stuck well above 2 million people.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine analyses the boost in support for the ALP a week before the Federal Election

Original article by Michele Levine
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-May-19

The ALP campaign launch last week with a message of unity has helped provide a ‘boost’ in ALP support with under a week to go until the Federal Election. The ALP 52% now holds an election winning lead over the L-NP 48% on a two-party preferred basis. In addition Bill Shorten’s good week came as many Australians felt sympathy for Shorten after he described the struggles his mother had endured to undertake her dream of completing a law degree. A front-page headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph which sought to attack Shorten for drawing on his mother’s story only served to highlight his mother’s achievements to a wider audience. Shorten also had two successful leadership debates with Prime Minister Scott Morrison including a quick-witted put-down of Morrison as a ‘classic space invader’ during the second leader’s debate and a solid performance in the third, and final, leader’s debate last Wednesday. In calculating the two-party preferred support the Roy Morgan Poll uses respondent’s stated preferences. While Greens supporters strongly preferences the ALP, other parties stated preferences are dividing fairly evenly between the ALP and L-NP and as many as one-in-four electors still haven’t made their mind up. However, most Australians believe the ALP will win the election with many polls for months showing the ALP well ahead of the Government. But will all the polls be proven wrong again like with the US Presidential Election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016? Most people believed Clinton would win and this belief was reflected by most of the American polls at the time.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Rinehart’s Roy Hill comes clean about digging the dirt: lots of it

Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 19 & 30 : 14-May-19

A Roy Hill spokesperson has indicated that the iron ore project’s costs will not be affected by the revised mining plan it has submitted to Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority. Roy Hill has advised that the amount of waste ore it expects to shift over the mine’s 17-year life has been increased by 62 per cent, due to "variable iron ore quality". The Gina Rinehart-backed company says it has gained a better understanding of the ore body since mining commenced at Roy Hill in 2015.

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ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MARUBENI CORPORATION, POSCO, CHINA STEEL CORPORATION, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION

Foxtel eyeing sport, programming costs

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 14-May-19

Sports rights and associated production costs accounted for $800m of Foxtel’s $1.6bn expenditure on programming costs in 2018. The pay-TV group’s total operating expenditure for the calendar year was $2.56bn. Parent company News Corp has indicated that there is potential to reduce spending on "non-marquee" sports content, as well as non-sports programming costs. Foxtel is also reviewing the prices of its programming packages and has not ruled out an increase.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KAYO SPORTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, THE W LEAGUE, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

Weak housing data boosts odds of rate cut

Original article by Sarah Turner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 14-May-19

Financial markets have priced in a 30 per cent chance that the Reserve Bank of Australia will reduce the cash rate in June, following the release of the latest housing finance data. The figures show that lending fell by 3.2 per cent in March, and by 18.4 per cent year-on-year. Financial markets have now priced in a 98 per cent chance of a rate cut in August. Meanwhile, UBS expects interest rate cuts in July and August,

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

ALP regains initiative with a week to go: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-May-19

The last face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll before the election shows the ALP regaining the initiative and pulling away from the L-NP with an election winning two-party preferred lead: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%. The increase for the ALP came through an increased primary vote at the expense of the Greens, according to the final face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll of the Federal Election, and indicates the chances of Australia electing a hung Parliament this weekend have diminished. Primary Voting Intention: Primary support for the L-NP was unchanged at 38.5% this week but support for the ALP increased by 1.5% to 35.5%. The ALP gained support from the Greens, down 1% to 10%. Support for One Nation was unchanged at 4% and support for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party (UAP) was unchanged at 3.5%. Support for Independents/Others is down marginally by 0.5% to 8.5%. In a worrying sign for the L-NP Government the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has dropped 6pts to 93 this week with 44.5% of electors (up 3.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘wrong direction’ and only 37.5% (down 2.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘right direction.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY

ALP regains initiative with a week to go: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%

The last face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll before the election shows the ALP regaining the initiative and pulling away from the L-NP with an election winning two-party preferred lead: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%.

The increase for the ALP came through an increased primary vote at the expense of the Greens according to the final face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll of the Federal Election and indicates the chances of Australia electing a hung Parliament this weekend have diminished.

Primary Voting Intention

Primary support for the L-NP was unchanged at 38.5% this week but support for the ALP increased by 1.5% to 35.5%. The ALP gained support from the Greens, down 1% to 10%.

Support for One Nation was unchanged at 4% and support for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party (UAP) was unchanged at 3.5%. Support for Independents/Others is down marginally by 0.5% to 8.5%.

In a worrying sign for the L-NP Government the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has dropped 6pts to 93 this week with 44.5% of electors (up 3.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘wrong direction’ and only 37.5% (down 2.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘right direction’.

Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan says:

“The ALP campaign launch last week with a message of unity has helped provide a ‘boost’ in ALP support with under a week to go until the Federal Election. The ALP 52% now holds an election winning lead over the L-NP 48% on a two-party preferred basis.

“In addition Bill Shorten’s good week came as many Australians felt sympathy for Shorten after he described the struggles his mother had endured to undertake her dream of completing a law degree. A front-page headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph which sought to attack Shorten for drawing on his mother’s story only served to highlight his mother’s achievements to a wider audience.

“Shorten also had two successful leadership debates with Prime Minister Scott Morrison including a quick-witted put-down of Morrison as a ‘classic space invader’ during the second leader’s debate and a solid performance in the third, and final, leader’s debate last Wednesday.

“In calculating the two-party preferred support the Roy Morgan Poll uses respondent’s stated preferences. While Greens supporters strongly preferences the ALP, other parties stated preferences are dividing fairly evenly between the ALP and L-NP and as many as one-in-four electors still haven’t made their mind up.

“However, most Australians believe the ALP will win the election with many polls for months showing the ALP well ahead of the Government. But will all the polls be proven wrong again like with the US Presidential Election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016? Most people believed Clinton would win and this belief was reflected by most of the American polls at the time.”

 

Electors were asked: “At the Federal election for the House of Representatives on May 18 – which party will receive your first preference? and “Generally speaking, do you feel that things in Australia are heading in the right direction or would you say things are seriously heading in the wrong direction?”

This final Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention and Roy Morgan Government Confidence was conducted via face-to-face interviewing with a representative cross-section of 1,265 Australian electors aged 18+ concluding on the weekend. 5% of electors can’t say who they support.

 

For comments or more information about Roy Morgan data, please contact:

Contact Office Mobile
Gary Morgan: +61 3 9224 5213 +61 411 129 094
Michele Levine: +61 3 9224 5215 +61 411 129 093

PM’s late pitch for young voters

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-May-19

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has used the Coalition’s official election campaign launch to announce a First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. The $500m scheme will allow Australians to buy their first home with a deposit of just five per cent rather than 20 per cent, with the government to underwrite the balance via its National Housing Finance & Investment Corporation. Labor responded by announcing that it will match the policy while pressing ahead with its negative gearing reforms. Morrison also committed to providing $4bn worth of federal funding for the East West road link in Melbourne.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL HOUSING FINANCE AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION

Over 15.7 million Australians read newspapers in print or online

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-May-19

Roy Morgan has released the latest readership results for Australian newspapers, for the 12 months to March 2019. Over 15.7 million Australians aged 14+ (76.3%) now read or access newspapers in an average seven-day period via print or online, a fall of 2.2 per cent from a year ago. Although most leading newspapers had a decline in total cross-platform readership, ‘The Australian Financial Review’ increased its digital audience over the last year, up by 4.6 per cent to 1,469,000; ‘The Saturday Paper grew its total cross-platform audience by 16.7 per cent to 259,000. ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ is still Australia’s most widely-read masthead, with a cross-platform audience of 4,043,000, down 5.3 per cent from a year ago. Meanwhile, ‘Good Weekend’ remains Australia’s most widely-read newspaper inserted magazine, with print readership of 1,006,000 (down 13.8 per cent over the last year).

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Newstart review will go beyond adequacy of dole

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 13-May-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he does not intend to pre-empt the findings of the review of Newstart that Labor will conduct if it wins the federal election, and that the review will not just be about increasing the dole. A study commissioned by the Australian Council of Social Service in 2018 concluded that increasing the dole by $75 a week would cost taxpayers $3.3 billion, but that it would deliver $4 billion in economic benefits. ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie contends that people on Newstart are the "real victims of growing inequality in Australia".

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD