Author: roymorgansocial

Free TV miffed by government’s iceberg of policy in a sea of nothing

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 15-Apr-19

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair has criticised the federal government’s failure to relax the content requirements of traditional broadcasters after nearly six years in office. She was responding to its decision to allow streaming video companies to access tax offsets for content that is filmed in Australia. Traditional broadcasters remain subject to quotas for content such as children’s programs and adult dramas. Fair contends that such quotas do not reflect changes in viewing habits.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, TEN ALL-ACCESS

Turnbull’s plan to destroy News Corp influence

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Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 15-Apr-19

Alex Turnbull is helping independent candidates in a number of seats at the federal election, but he says that Zali Steggall is not one of them. The former Olympian is running against ex-prime minister Tony Abbott in the seat of Warringah. Turnbull, who is a private investor based in Singapore and the son of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, says he wants to get more centrist MPs into parliament, as well as reducing the influence of the Murdoch family on Australian politics.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GETUP LIMITED, BRONTE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

CFMEU’s election windfall

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Weekend Australian – Page: 18 & 19 : 15-Apr-19

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining & Energy Union has been fined some $7.9m in total since 2016, due to legal action instigated by the Australian Building & Construction Commission. The CFMMEU will benefit significantly if Labor wins the federal election and pushes ahead with plans to scrap the ABCC. The militant union and its officials would face much lower financial penalties for breaches of the Fair Work Act, while Labor would also abolish the national construction code. Meanwhile, employers’ groups are not unduly concerned about a potential conflict of interest for shadow workplace relations minister Brendan O’Connor, whose brother is the national president of the CFMMEU.

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF JOBS AND SMALL BUSINESS, AUSTRALIAN MINES AND METALS ASSOCIATION (INCORPORATED), MASTER BUILDERS AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

Phelps should quit after alleged breach

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Original article by Ean Higgins
The Australian – Page: 7 : 15-Apr-19

It has been revealed that independent federal MP Kerryn Phelps is treating patients one day a week as a GP. Phelps has previously claimed that she has legal advice that her actions do not place her in breach of section 44 of the Constitution, which states that persons who receive money from the Commonwealth under a financial arrangement with it are ineligible to sit in parliament. Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce says Phelps should not seek re-election if she is not willing to release that legal advice.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Tax gamble hits most workers

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Original article by Paul Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Apr-19

The Coalition has released data which suggests that low- and middle-income earners will be better off under the government’s tax policy than that of Labor. The tables indicate that people with annual income of $80,000 in 2024-25 will be $875 a year better off under the government rather than Labor; this rises to $2,125 a yearly for those who earn $100,000 and $5,705 a year for those whose income is $140,000. The figures are based on expectations that all three stages of the government’s tax cuts will be passed, reducing the marginal tax rate for the average worker to 30 per cent. Labor opposes the second and third stages of the tax cuts.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Chinese prefer Indonesian coal

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal, Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 15-Apr-19

Michael Cooper of S&P Global Platts says new tenders being issued by China’s state-owned power stations are specifying lower-grade thermal coal of the type that is produced by Indonesia. He adds that traders have indicated that the preference for coal from Indonesia rather than Australia is politically motivated. He also notes that Chinese power stations are also favouring coal sourced from Colombia, despite much longer shipping times. There has been speculation that restrictions on Australian coal imports could be lifted at the end of May, but it has not been confirmed by the Chinese government.

CORPORATES
S&P GLOBAL PLATTS, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS

Shorten digs in over franking

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Apr-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says that providing cash refunds for excess franking credits currently costs $6bn a year, and this is projected to rise to $8bn in coming years. Shorten has described the franking credits system as a "gift" for people who have paid no income tax, and the money should instead be used to fund services such as healthcare. Meanwhile, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will use a speech on 15 April to argue that the Coalition’s proposed income tax rate of 30 per cent for most workers is unfair and regressive, and that the third stage of its tax cuts package could see the Budget return to deficit in 2024-25.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, CENTRE ALLIANCE

Australia’s personal wealth declines

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Apr-19

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that the gross personal wealth (assets) of Australians aged 14+ (including owner-occupied homes) stood at $9,784 billion in the December 2018 quarter. This represents a drop of $512 billion or 5.0% from the September quarter when it was $10,296 billion, and is now at the lowest level recorded throughout 2018. Net wealth (after debt) has also decreased by 4.3%, from $8,993 billion to $8,608 billion. Despite the overall decline in household wealth over the December quarter, the average gross household wealth remains over one million dollars, at $1,016,000. This is $58,000 or 5.4% below the average recorded in the September quarter and the lowest since December 2017. The average gross wealth per capita was $502,000 in September and this has also fallen by 5.4% to $475,000 in December, the lowest for 12 months. The survey is based on in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 consumers per annum in their homes.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Online grocery shoppers are a small but lucrative market

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Apr-19

New research from Roy Morgan shows that Australian grocery shoppers aged 14+ who bought groceries from Woolworths online in the year to December 2018 spent an average of $186 a week, compared to only $103 for those buying from Woolworths’ ‘bricks and mortar’ stores. The same trend is evident for Coles, with grocery shoppers spending $158 at Coles Online in an average week, compared with $97 on average for those shopping at a ‘bricks and mortar’ store. The huge difference in spending patterns between the online and ‘bricks and mortar’ stores is driven by women, who spend far more on average via the online outlet than via the physical store.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, COLES SUPERMARKETS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, WOOLWORTHS SUPERMARKETS

Fewer Australians gambling

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 15-Apr-19

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that 47.9% of Australians aged 18+ (9.3 million people) gambled in an average three months during the year to December 2018, compared with 64.7% (10.5 million) in the year to December 2008. A decline has occurred across all major types of gambling over the last decade; the biggest drop in participation has been for lottery/scratch tickets, which are down 16.3% points to 40.1% but remain the most popular gambling category. Poker machines showed the next biggest loss, declining by 11.9% points to 13.7%, followed by betting (down 5.9% points to 9.4%). The survey is based on in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face with over 50,000 consumers per annum in their homes. This survey includes detailed questioning of over 7,000 gamblers per annum from which the comprehensive ‘Gambling Currency Report’ is produced, covering long term gambling trends from 2002.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED