O75 Public Administration

Super tax puts SMSFs on red alert

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 26-Aug-26

The federal government is under growing pressure to make further changes to its tax reforms following revelations about their potential impact on superannuation funds that have exposure to managed investment trusts. The SMSF Association has warned that "hundreds of thousands" of self-managed super funds will face higher effective tax rates due to the new rules, which place restrictions on how managed investment trusts can offset capital gains and losses. CEO Peter Burgess notes that the latest data from the Australian Taxation Office shows that SMSFs allocated some $264bn to listed, unlisted and ‘other managed investments’ which could potentially be impacted by the tax changes.

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SMSF ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 1pt to 77.5 – highest rating since the Iran War began in late February

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-Aug-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 1pt to 77.5 in the week to 23 August; Consumer Confidence is still 8.5pts lower than a year ago (86.5), but it is 5.2pts above the 2026 weekly average of 72.3. Analysis by State shows that consumer confidence is increasing in Western Australia and South Australia, but is virtually unchanged in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Now 17% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 49% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 21% (down 4ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 37% (up 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 8% (up 2ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 35% (down 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’ (the best results for these indicators since before the Iran War in late February). Meanwhile, 20% (up 3ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 39% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were at 6.1% in late August – up 0.5% points from the month of July

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 26-Aug-26

The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations declined early in the month of July but have now increased for six out of the last seven weeks since mid-July, as cuts to the petrol and diesel fuel excises were wound back in early July and ended in early August. Inflation Expectations are now at 6.1% for the week of 17-23 August, up 0.5% points from the month of July. The latest weekly reading is just 0.1% points below the average of 6.2% for Inflation Expectations over the 26 weeks since the Iran War began. A look at monthly Inflation Expectations for July shows the measure at 5.6% for the month – down 0.4% points from June. Inflation Expectations hit a record monthly high of 7% for April 2026 following the US and Israel attack on Iran but then dropped rapidly. However, the recent standoff has sent Inflation Expectations back up for six of the last seven weeks. The data for the Inflation Expectations series is drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source, which has interviewed an average of around 5,300 Australians aged 14+ per month over the last decade, and includes interviews with 4,113 Australians aged 14+ in June 2026.

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

Key costs that rose 50pc in five years

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Original article by Anthony Keane
The Australian – Page: 4 : 26-Aug-26

Analysis of official price data for the last five years shows that the cost of some household products and services has risen significantly more than the overall inflation increase of 24 per cent over this period. The cost of household gas has risen by 48 per cent since mid-2021, while the price of cooking oil and fats is up 47 per cent; meanwhile, the average household is paying 38 per cent more for electricity than five years ago, while the price of both milk and coffee has risen by 35 per cent. AMP’s chief economist Shane Oliver says inflation is likely to slow in coming months, but he warns that it will be "fairly painful" for households for at least the next year; he adds that the inflation outlook means the Reserve Bank is likely to increase the cash rate again by the end of 2026.

CORPORATES
AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Mediocre nation: business warns of competition crisis as Labor unrest grows

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Original article by Geoff Chambers, Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 26-Aug-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered the keynote speech at the Business Council of Australia’ annual dinner last night. He emphasised the need for business and the federal government to work together to keep the economy and democracy strong amid the rise of populism, and argued that Labor’s property tax reforms are the key to fighting populism and ensuring prosperity. Meanwhile, BCA president Geoff Culbert said every policy decision has consequences for business, investment and all Australians. Noting that the nation now ranks rank 21st out of 42 nations on the Competitiveness Index, he has called for action to reverse this, including more competitive tax rates, reduced red tape and government spending, and an overhaul of the planning system.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Controversial NDIS bill passes Senate with substantial amendments as Labor and Coalition strike deal

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Original article by Sarah Basford Canales
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 19-Aug-26

Independent senator David Pocock says the federal government’s amendments to its National Disability Insurance Scheme reform bill have improved the legislation. However, Pococks adds that he still does not support the bill, due to measures such as a reduction in funding for NDIS participants’ social and community participation. The Senate passed the bill last night without Pocock’s support, after the Coalition agreed to back the government’s amendments. The bill will be put to a final vote in the lower house today, while legislation to repeal the so-called ‘widow tax’ is also expected to be passed; the Coalition had previously stated that its support for the NDIS reforms was conditional on removing the controversial tax.

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Warning bells ring out as business survival rate falls to decade low

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Original article by Matthew Cranston, David Tanner
The Australian – Page: 4 : 19-Aug-26

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there was a net increase of just 85,000 businesses nationwide in 2025-26. Some 460,000 businesses were created during the financial year, while 375,000 ceased trading. Analysis of the data shows that just 61.9 per cent of new businesses survive for at least four years; businesses in the agricultural sector have the highest four-year survival rate, at 60.2 per cent, followed by healthcare and social assistance businesses (59.2 per cent). CreditorWatch’s chief economist Ivan Colhoun notes that a lot of new businesses are sole operators, and many of them do not survive.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, CREDITOR WATCH PTY LTD

More than 2.6 million Australians will be living with cancer diagnosis by 2050

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Original article by Melissa Cunningham
The Age – Page: 6 : 18-Aug-26

Researchers have for the first time used scientific modelling to estimate the future prevalence of cancer in Australia. Nearly 1.7 million Australians either currently have cancer or are in the post-treatment phase of the disease; the researchers have predicted that the total number of Australians living with cancer will rise by 57 per cent by 2050, to more than 2.6 million people. About 44 per cent of them are expected to have an incurable cancer that will require ongoing treatment. The study predicts that breast cancer will be the nation’s most prevalent cancer in 2050, followed by prostate, melanoma, colorectal and kidney cancer. However, the researchers have predicted that cancer survival rates will improve in the future due to factors such as earlier detection and advancements in treatments such as immunotherapy.

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Coalition and One Nation to win narrow majority in Victoria’s upper house, new Roy Morgan poll finds

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Original article by Patrick Hannaford
News24 – Page: Online : 19-Aug-26

A new SMS Roy Morgan poll shows that the Victorian government would lose six of its 15 seats in the state’s 40-seat upper house at the election in November. The Greens’ representation in the upper house is projected to fall from four seats to just two. The poll also shows that the Coalition would be unable to reach an upper house majority in its own right at the election, with the Liberal and National parties projected to win a combined 11 seats. One Nation is in turn projected to win 10 seats, which would give the Coalition a narrow two-seat majority with One Nation’s support. Meanwhile, legislation to abolish group voting tickets passed the upper house last week, which will result in the number of minor and macro parties falling dramatically; they will also no longer be able to dictate the flow of preferences.

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

Costello’s formula to fix sickly Victoria

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Original article by Anthony Galloway
The Australian – Page: 6 : 19-Aug-26

Former federal treasurer Peter Costello will address an Institute of Public Affairs summit in Melbourne today. Costello will contend that although Victoria is in a "sickly" state, its financial position is "very serious" but not "hopeless". He will urge the winner of the election in November to adopt a " back-to-basics" approach to government, with a focus on core responsibilities such as roads, policing, schools, hospitals and affordable energy. Costello will also state that it will take at least several four-year terms in government to fix Victoria’s problems, and budget repair must be a priority for the next state government.

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INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS LIMITED