Author: roymorgansocial

Miners claim uranium ban negligent, nonsense policy

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 5 : 17-Dec-24

Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable will appear before a parliamentary inquiry into nuclear power on Tuesday. Constable will argue that there is no scientific, technical or economic justification for retaining Australia’s long-standing legislative ban on nuclear energy. She will also contend that adding nuclear to the nation’s energy mix will be necessary in order to fully decarbonise the domestic economy by 2050. Electrical Trades Union organiser Simon Brezovnik has told the inquiry that nuclear energy is too expensive and high-risk.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION

Roy Morgan Poll: Coalition boosts primary support and retains clear two-party preferred lead for Christmas: L-NP 52% cf. ALP 48%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Dec-24

A Coalition Government, with a slim majority, would now win a Federal Election with the two-party preferred vote unchanged from last week: L-NP 52% cf. ALP 48%, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. Primary support for the Coalition increased 3% to 41% – the highest since the last Federal Election and came at the expense of One Nation 5% (down 1.5%), and drops in support for the ALP 27.5% (down 0.5%), Greens 12.5% (down 0.5%), and Other Parties 3.5% (down 0.5%) which all lost support. Support for Independents remained steady at 10.5%. The rise in Coalition primary came after the RBA left interest rates unchanged and the Coalition outlined its energy plan to bring in nuclear power and lower energy costs.

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

Rocky start to Lew’s British adventure

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Original article by Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 17-Dec-24

Internal documents have revealed that Solomn Lew’s Premier Investments is having problems in both the UK and Australia. Sales from the first three UK stores of its sleepwear brand Peter Alexander are trading at 61.6 per cent below budget, while sales for its Smiggle brand in the UK between August and last weekend were down 12.2 per cent on the same period last year. Premier Investments’ other retail and fashion brands in Australia are also seeing negative sales growth when compared to 2023, with those brands including Jacqui E and Just Jeans.

CORPORATES
PREMIER INVESTMENTS LIMITED – ASX PMV, PETER ALEXANDER SLEEPWEAR PTY LTD, SMIGGLE PTY LTD, JACQUI E PTY LTD, JUST JEANS PTY LTD

Chalmers’ budget update locks in extra $25bn of unavoidable expenditure

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Original article by Jack Quail, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Dec-24

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says that although global economic volatility is weighing on the federal budget, Labor has delivered two surpluses and lower debt since taking office in May 2022. Meanwhile, the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook on Wednesday will feature some $25.1bn worth of additional government spending; this will include $16.3bn for increased welfare payments, childcare subsidies and cost of living relief. The government describes this as ‘automatic spending increases’, while Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has flagged $8.8bn of ‘unavoidable spending’. Independent economic Chris Richardson refutes suggestions that some expenditure cannot be avoided.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Action-packed year tipped for lithium deals

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 17-Dec-24

Mergers and acquisitions activity in Australia’s critical minerals sector has been subdued in 2024; there have been just 25 such deals, compared with 49 in the previous calendar year. However, the total value of deals in the sector has risen from $5.3bn in 2023 to $14.8bn in the year to date. Law firm Allens is upbeat about the outlook for the critical minerals sector in 2025, forecasting an upturn in M&A activity that will flow through to other resources commodities.

CORPORATES
ALLENS

Academic and banker to join RBA policy board

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-Dec-24

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the federal government undertook a "very robust and very consultative" process to select the members of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s two new boards. Professor Renee Fry-McKibbin and former Bendigo Bank CEO Marnie Baker will join four of the RBA’s current external board members on the new interest-rate setting board, which will also include governor Michele Bullock, deputy governor Andrew Hauser and Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy. Current board members Carol Schwartz and Elana Rubin will join the RBA’s governance board.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN

ABC to get extra $126m funding after election

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 17-Dec-24

The federal government will boost funding for the ABC in its Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has advised that the public broadcaster will receive an additional $40.9m in 2026-27, $42.2m in the following financial year and $43m in 2028-29. Rowland has also indicated that the government will legislate five-year funding agreements for the ABC. The former Coalition government had significantly reduced the ABC’s funding.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Arcadium investors sue over Rio takeover

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 17-Dec-24

Arcadium Lithium and its board of directors are facing legal action from three shareholders over the company’s acquisition by Rio Tinto. The investors contend that Arcadium’s directors had misled shareholders and failed in their fiduciary duty to maximise value in the $US6.7 billion ($9.9 billion) deal. Rio Tinto has not been named as a defendant in the lawsuits. The proposed merger will require the support of at least 75 per cent of Arcadium’s shareholders when they vote on the deal next week.

CORPORATES
ARCADIUM LITHIUM PLC – ASX LTM, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Chalmers’ budget update locks in extra $25bn of unavoidable expenditure

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Original article by Jack Quail, Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 17-Dec-24

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says that although global economic volatility is weighing on the federal budget, Labor has delivered two surpluses and lower debt since taking office in May 2022. Meanwhile, the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook on Wednesday will feature some $25.1bn worth of additional government spending; this will include $16.3bn for increased welfare payments, childcare subsidies and cost of living relief. The government describes this as ‘automatic spending increases’, while Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has flagged $8.8bn of ‘unavoidable spending’. Independent economic Chris Richardson refutes suggestions that some expenditure cannot be avoided.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE

Pesutto leadership on the line as he faces special party room meeting

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Original article by Kieran Rooney
The Age – Page: Online : 17-Dec-24

A special meeting of the Victorian Liberal party room will be held on Friday, with its purpose being to return exiled MP Moira Deeming to the party room. The meeting is seen as a test of the leadership of John Pesutto, who last week lost his high-profile defamation case against Deeming. He was ordered to pay her $300,000 in damages, with Justice David O’Callaghan finding that Pesutto harmed Deeming’s reputation by "repeatedly and falsely implying that she knowingly associated with neo-Nazis". Deeming said after the judgement that she expected and wanted to be returned to the Liberal party room, while Pesutto has previously stated that any decision about her status is for the party room.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF VICTORIA