O75 Public Administration

Australian study finds link between irregular blood pressure and poorer brain health

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Original article by Claire Sadler
The West Australian – Page: Online : 28-May-26

Professor Matthew Pase from Monash University says a study that saw its researchers track the blood pressure of 225 Australians aged between 55 and 80 for 24 hours shows the importance of extended blood pressure monitoring. The researchers found that fluctuations in blood pressure over the course of a day can impact cognitive health and can contribute to the risk of dementia, while higher average blood pressure over 24 hours was also associated with greater evidence of vascular brain injury, which occurs when blood vessels are blocked, narrowed, or weakened

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MONASH UNIVERSITY

BRAIN – RESEARCH – AUSTRALIA]

NSW Police accuse AFP, ASIO of hoarding information

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Original article by James Dowling
The Australian – Page: Online : 28-May-26

NSW Premier Chris Minns said after the Bondi massacre that the Jewish-run Community Security Group could be given authorisation to carry firearms at public events. However, deputy police commissioner David Hudson told the Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission on Wednesday that he had major reservations about the idea, saying "isolating a particular group for additional powers within our community is problematic". Hudson also told the commission that "other agencies" he works with had withheld intelligence in joint cases, while the commission heard that federal agencies were reluctant to share information with the NSW gun registry, due to concerns that sensitive details could be exposed if applicants challenged police over a ­licence decision.

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ANTISEMITISM – AUSTRALIA,{SPACE]DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION – AUSTRALIA]

Rate hold expectations on slowdown

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Original article by Lea Jurkovic
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 28-May-26

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday show that the nation’s headline inflation rate declined from 4.6 per cent in March to 4.2 per cent in April, which was lower than the forecast of 4.4 per cent. Fuel prices fell by seven per cent in April after the federal government cut the fuel excise to $0.263, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers claiming that inflation would have increased to 4.7 per cent without the cut to the fuel excise, while the slowing of inflation in April has increased expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will leave interest rates on hold in June.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS,{SPACE]AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY,{SPACE]RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Limit CGT changes to homes: BCA

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 28-May-26

The Business Council of Australia has called on the federal government to abandon its plans to rush through legislation to enact its proposed tax changes and to instead hold a proper parliamentary inquiry into them. The BCA and other business groups are united in their view that the government’s capital gains tax changes be limited to real estate, although Treasurer Jim Chalmers contends that allowing too many exemptions will only further distort the tax system. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims only 10 per cent of small businesses will be impacted by the CGT changes as they will qualify for one of four existing concessions that apply to businesses with turnover of under $2 million, but Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO Skye Cappuccio says the $2 million threshold has not been lifted for 19 years.

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BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA,{SPACE]AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET,{SPACE]AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY,{SPACE]COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

BUSINESS AND POLITICS – AUSTRALIA]

Overall Australian unemployment and under-employment at almost 3.3 million in April; Real Unemployment at 1.63 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-May-26

In April 2026, Australian ‘real’ unemployment fell 58,000 to 1,635,000 (10.1% of the workforce, down 0.4%), and under-employment dropped 48,000 to 1,639,000 (down 0.2% to 10.2%). In total, 3.27 million Australians (20.3% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in April. Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at just under 16.1 million in April (16,091,000 to be exact, down 94,000 on a month ago, and representing 68.8% of Australians aged 14+). Employment was down 36,000 to 14,456,000; this was driven by a sharp fall in full-time employment (down 225,000 to 9,145,000), although part-time employment rose 189,000 to a record high of 5,311,000. Overall employment represents 61.8% of Australians aged 14+. The April Roy Morgan Unemployment estimates were obtained by surveying an Australia-wide cross section of people aged 14+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Workers pay as income taxes hit a 30-year high

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: B5 : 13-May-26

The federal government’s budget includes a new and permanent income tax break for wage and salary earners. The Working Australians Tax Offset will be worth up to $250 per annum and is slated to cost about $3bn in its first full year of operation; an estimated 13.3 million workers will be entitled to the tax offset, although it will not be available until they submit tax returns for the 2027-28 financial year. Meanwhile, the budget papers show that government revenue from individuals’ income tax is forecast to exceed $382bn in 2027-28; this equates to 52 per cent of the total tax take, and it is expected to rise to 54.5 per cent by 2029-30.

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Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll: Support for National-led Government and Labour-led Opposition remains tied in April

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-May-26

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for April 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) unchanged on 47.5%, and effectively tied with the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 48% (also unchanged). Amongst the Government support for National fell 1% to 25.5% (its lowest level of support since National was elected to Government in late 2023), support for NZ First was up 0.5% to 11.5% (its highest level of support since being elected to Government), and support for ACT increased by 0.5% to 10.5%. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour was unchanged on 34%, support for the Greens was unchanged on 11%, and support for the Maori Party was unchanged on 3%. A further 4.5% (unchanged) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. The survey results for April would lead to the National-led Government winning 60 seats (down eight seats from the election) and the Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition would win 60 seats (up five seats). This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 887 electors from 30 March to 26 April. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating dropped 2.5 points to 75.5 in April.

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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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence dropped 3.1pts to 64.1 after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates by +0.25%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 13-May-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 3.1pts to 64.1 in the week to 10 May; this is the fourth-lowest Consumer Confidence reading in the history of the index stretching back to 1972. Consumer Confidence is now 20.3pts lower than a year ago (87.5), and 5.1pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.3. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence dropped in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, but increased slightly in Western Australia. Now just 14% of Australians (down 2ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 56% (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 19% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 45% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 4% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 48% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 13% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 53% (up 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Youth boon in anti-Boomer push

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Original article by Grace Lagan, Isabella Freeland, Andrew Hobbs
The Australian Financial Review – Page: B9 : 13-May-26

The federal government has used its 2026 budget to announce that it will scrap negative gearing on established properties from July 2027, although the move does not apply to existing investments in such properties, or to investments in new properties. It is one of a number of tax policies announced that are seemingly aimed at making it easier for members of Generation Z to get into the property market in what has been labelled an anti-Boomer budget. However, some Gen Z members are of the view that they will struggle to save enough for a house deposit, due to the cost of living and the rising cost of houses.

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Treasury warns of inflation at 7.25pc

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Original article by Matthew Cranston
The Australian – Page: 4 : 13-May-26

The budget papers show that the Treasury’s base case is that the inflation rate will ease to 2.5 per cent in 2027, after peaking at a forecast five per cent in mid-2026. This is based on expectations that the price of crude oil will fall; however, the Treasury’s worst-case scenario modelling suggests that inflation will rise above seven per cent if a protracted war in the Middle East results in the crude oil price rising above $US200 a barrel in the September quarter. This would in turn reduce real GDP growth by 0.5 per cent over the next two financial years and result in an official unemployment rate of nearly five per cent in 2027-28.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY