O75 Public Administration

Australia won’t receive AUKUS nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Doherty
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 29-Jul-25

The rate of construction of Virginia-class submarines is currently about 1.13 per year. This is well below the US Navy’s estimate that two of the nuclear-powered vessels will need to be built each year to meet its own needs, and 2.33 per year to supply vessels to Australia via the AUKUS alliance. US Admiral Daryl Caudle has told a Senate committee that a "100% improvement" in the shipbuilding rate will be necessary if the US is to sell any of the vessels to Australia. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says there is a "very, very high" chance that Australia will never buy a Virginia-class submarine; he has questioned the federal government’s lack of a ‘plan B’, given that AUKUS-class vessels will not enter service until the 2040s.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES NAVY, UNITED STATES. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES

Roy Morgan Poll: ALP maintains strong two-party preferred lead in July: ALP 57% cf. L-NP 43%

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-25

In July the ALP maintained its commanding two-party preferred lead on 57% (down 0.5% from June 23-29, 2025) ahead of the L-NP Coalition on 43% (up 0.5%), the latest Roy Morgan survey finds. The Albanese Government’s two-party preferred lead is significantly higher than the 2025 Federal Election result in early May: ALP 55.2% cf. L-NP 44.8%. In the month of July primary support for the ALP was at 36.5% (unchanged from June 23-29, 2025) and is again clearly ahead of the Liberal-National Coalition on 31% (up 0.5%). Support for the Greens was unchanged at 12% and support for One Nation was down 1.5% to 7%. In addition, support for Independents/Other Parties was at 13.5% (up 1%).

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

Australia can’t sue UK for dud subs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Jul-25

Defence Minister Richard Marles and British counterpart John Healey recently signed a 50-year AUKUS treaty. The document was tabled in federal parliament on Monday, and many of its clauses heavily favour the UK. Amongst other things, Australia will not be able to sue the UK if there are defects in the design of the AUKUS-class nuclear-powered submarines or any equipment supplied by the UK; this includes the nuclear reactors that will be made in the UK and installed in the vessels to be built in Adelaide. In addition, although the two nations will jointly design the new vessels, Britain will approve the final design and will effectively be able to veto any Australian input into this.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, GREAT BRITAIN. MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

A culture of dependency has taken root

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 23-Jul-25

Research by the Centre for Independent Studies shows that more than 50 per cent of Australian voters now rely on federal or state governments for most of their income. This includes public sector workers, welfare recipients and people who receive subsidies of some kind. Robert Carling from the think tank says this dependence presents a major challenge for politicians who might attempt to reduce government spending. Analysis shows that total federal and state government spending has increased to 39 per cent of GDP; this is its highest level since the end of the second world war, and compares with about 35 per cent of GDP prior to the global financial crisis in 2008.

CORPORATES
THE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT STUDIES LIMITED

Trust in Indonesian Government increases since inauguration of President Prabowo

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Jul-25

Roy Morgan’s latest research shows an increase in trust in the Indonesian Government since new President Prabowo’s inauguration in October 2024. For the first six months of Prabowo’s Presidency, a majority of 69% of Indonesians say they trust the current government, up 8% points from the 61% recorded for the six months before the inauguration. This rise in trust is mirrored by a sharp increase in the approval of government performance. A large majority of 79% of Indonesians agree that "the government is doing a good job running the country", up 7% points compared to the prior six months before President Prabowo came to power. While trust and approval of government performance have risen, concern about corruption remains widespread. In the first six months of the new presidency, 84% of Indonesians agreed that "corruption is one of the major problems facing this country", up 3% points since before Prabowo’s inauguration.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Jobs, inflation swayed RBA on shock rates call

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 23-Jul-25

The minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy board meeting for July shows that it expects a further decline in underlying inflation by the end of 2025, which will justify more interest rate cuts. The board noted that the focus of the July meeting was on the timing and extent of further monetary policy easing. The minutes also show that factors such as the monthly inflation data and the resilience of the labour market contributed to the board’s decision to leave the cash rate unchanged in July, despite widespread expectations of a 25 basis point cut.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

AI a Trojan horse for IR rules, business warns

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 23-Jul-25

A recent survey by KPMG found that Australians have lower levels of artificial intelligence use, training and confidence than their global peers. Meanwhile, business leaders are concerned that the union movement will use the federal government’s upcoming productivity summit to argue for increased workplace regulation due to the growing adoption of AI technologies. Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black says the business community will oppose any attempt to use to summit to further shift the balance of power in workplaces from employers to unions.

CORPORATES
KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence virtually unchanged at 86.3 in mid-July

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Jul-25

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 86.3 in the week to 20 July; however, Consumer Confidence is now 1.9 points above the same week a year ago (84.4), and in line with the 2025 weekly average of 86.5. Analysis by State shows mixed results, with Consumer Confidence down in Queensland and South Australia, up slightly in Victoria and New South Wales, and virtually unchanged in Western Australia. Now 20% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 45% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 26% (down 4ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 31% (down 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Now just 11% (unchanged) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 28% (down 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 24% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 35% (unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

‘Stronger together’: Congress pushes AUKUS before Morrison hearing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-Jul-25

Australia’s former prime minister Scott Morrison will shortly appear before the US House of Representatives’ Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Morrison will testify about China’s use of "economic coercion", amid the Pentagon’s ongoing review of the AUKUS alliance. The committee is headed by Republican John Moolenaar and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, who have stated that all three members of the alliance are stronger because of it. They also contend that AUKUS will be vital to containing China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

CORPORATES
REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UNITED STATES)

ALP ups its attack on Israel over Gaza

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 23-Jul-25

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has defended the federal government’s decision to issue a joint statement with 27 other nations urging Israel to end the war in Gaza. Amongst other things, the statement contended that Israel’s "drip feeding" of aid into Gaza is "dangerous and unacceptable", and that the suffering of civilians in Gaza has "reached new depths". Burke had described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as "indefensible", but acknowledges that Hamas must release its remaining hostages. The joint statement has in turn been criticised by Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, who says it is "disconnected from reality" and "sends the wrong message to Hamas".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS