Author: roymorgansocial

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine: Woolworths and Coles have gone from the Most Trusted to Most Distrusted in just over a year

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Jan-25

In a dramatic shift in consumer sentiment, Woolworths and Coles have recorded the highest distrust since Roy Morgan began tracking brand trust in late 2017. Woolworths now replaces Optus as the most distrusted brand in Australia, while Coles has followed closely, recording the second-highest level of distrust on record. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine commented that "Distrust has a far more potent impact on consumer behaviour than trust. While trust creates loyalty, distrust can drive customers into the welcoming arms of more trusted brands. The reputational fall of Woolworths and Coles is a powerful reminder of the fragility of trust in today’s environment. The pandemic placed the major supermarkets at the centre of Australian lives. But the goodwill they built during that period has been reversed by perceptions of too profit-motivated and unaffordable pricing".

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says understanding how electors feel about issues is critical as Federal Election approaches

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Jan-25

Australians are shifting their focus on what are the ‘Issues of most importance’ ahead of this year’s Federal Election. The rising focus on cost-of-living pressures – spanning day-to-day expenses, interest rates, and housing affordability – reflects a growing urgency among voters to address financial strain, making it the defining issue of this election cycle. Concern about ‘reducing crime’ has surged around Australia and for supporters of all major parties, especially in Queensland, doubling from 16% to 32%, in Victoria, with a rise from 14% to 26% and in the NT, up 13% to 33%. In Victoria, new State Liberal Leader Brad Battin faces his first electoral test in early February in the Labor Government-held seat of Werribee. Battin is a former policeman, like Federal Coalition Leader Peter Dutton, and will be hoping his tough reputation will add momentum to the Liberal Party’s campaign to win the seat.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Coalition demands Labor hate speech crackdown explicitly outlaw threats and attacks on places of worship

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Original article by Krishani Dhanji
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 24-Jan-25

Federal parliament will resume in February, with Labor’s proposed crackdown on hate speech set to be one of the major points of discussion. Tabled in September, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus contends that the legislation will act as a deterrent to anti-Semitism and other forms of hate speech and would protect places of worship, but the Coalition wants the legislation to explicitly outlaw threats and attacks against places of worship. For her part, independent MP Allegra Spender has called on the government to include a stronger vilification offence for hateful speech in the legislation. Her eastern Sydney electorate has a large Jewish community and LGBTQ+ community, who she said have both raised concerns about the proposed legislation not doing enough.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT

Coalition will stay in Paris climate pact

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 24-Jan-25

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Thursday that he will not withdraw Australia from the Paris climate accord if he wins the upcoming election, despite pressure from the Conservative wing of the Coalition for such a move in the wake of Donald Trump taking the US out of it. The Coalition will set an emissions reduction target for 2035 if it does win the election, although its target is unlikely to be as ambitious as Labor, which is also yet to announce its 2035 target, given that 2035 would be before the proposed operation of the Coalition’s first nuclear reactor.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Myer to relaunch loyalty scheme after merger

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 24-Jan-25

More than 96 per cent of Myer shareholders have voted in favour of a deal to acquire Premier Investments’ clothing brands. The deal was also backed by more than 99 per cent of Premier’s shareholders. Myer’s executive chair Olivia Wirth says the department store group will relaunch its Myer One customer loyalty program later in 2025 and expand it to include the network of stores in Premier’s Apparel Brands portfolio; they include Just Jeans, Portmans and Jacqui E. Premier’s chairman Solomon Lew will have a stake of about 27 per cent in the enlarged Myer and gain a seat on its board, while Premier will now focus on its Smiggle and Peter Alexander brands.

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, JUST JEANS PTY LTD, PORTMANS PTY LTD, JACQUI E PTY LTD

Rivers rus dry with no buyers

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 15 : 24-Jan-25

The receivers and managers of Mosaic Brands have advised that they have been unable to find a buyer for its Rivers footwear and clothing brand. David Hardy from receiver KPMG says all remaining 136 stores operating under the Rivers brand will be close by mid-April, with the loss of about 650 jobs. Rivers and several other brands were acquired in 2018 by Noni B, which subsequently became Mosaic Brands. The company collaped in late 2024 with debts of nearly $250m, and several of its retail brands were immediately axed. The brand that eventually became Rivers was established in 1863.

CORPORATES
RIVERS (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, MOSAIC BRANDS LIMITED – ASX MOZ, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

BHP corruption probe tipped to expand as contractors axed

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 24-Jan-25

A whistleblower has claimed that there is widespread corruption among contractors working for BHP’s Queensland coal mining operations, and that they had raised their concerns with the Australian ­Securities & Investments Commission and police. BHP has so far axed dozens of contractors who were hired for work at its Saraji mine, with it being suggested these sackings are just the tip of the iceberg. The whistleblower has indicated that the corruption has been going on for a number of years, and that tens of millions of dollars were involved.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Fortescue posts record tonnes amid tariff threat

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 24-Jan-25

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue has advised that its shipments from the Pilbara rose to a record 97.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2024-25. This includes 49.4 million tonnes in the three months to 31 December. Fortescue has maintained its full-year guidance of 190-200 million tonnes. Fortescue’s shares have shed four per cent in recent days, amid fears that the tariff policies of US President Donald Trump will dampen the Chinese steel industry’s demand for iron ore.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 1.3pts to 85.8 as buying intentions drop for a second straight week

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jan-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.3pts to 85.8 in the week to 19 January. However, Consumer Confidence is now 1.4 points above the same week a year ago (84.4), and 2.9 points above the 2024 weekly average of 82.9. A look at Consumer Confidence by State shows decreases in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, whilst remaining unchanged in Western Australia and South Australia. Now 21% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 48% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 34% (unchanged) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 31% (up 3ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now 9% (down 1ppt) of Australians expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 27% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 25% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 46% (unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Support for National-led Government increases in December with National, ACT and NZ First all up

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jan-25

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for December 2024 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 51.5% (up 7.5% points), clearly ahead of the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 44% (down 6.5% points). For the National-led Government there were increases for all three coalition parties led by National, up 2.5% points to 31% and joined by ACT (up 4% points to 13%) and NZ First (up 1% point to 7.5%). This is the highest level of support for ACT since the 2023 New Zealand Election. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour was down 2% points to 26%, support for the Greens was unchanged at 13.5% and support for the Maori Party was down 3.5% points to 5.5%. A further 3.5% (down 2% points) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. The survey results for December would lead to 64 seats (down 4 seats from the election) being won by the National/ ACT/ NZ First governing coalition, compared to 56 seats (up 1 seat) being won by the current Labour/ Greens/ Maori Party Opposition. This New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 885 electors from 25 November to 15 December. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating dropped 21.5pts to 82.5 in December, the lowest rating for this indicator since March 2024.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY