BHP warned of potash mission impossible

Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian – Page: 19 & 24 : 20-May-19

BHP recently advised that the first stage of its proposed $US5.7 billion ($8.3 billion) Jansen potash project in Canada will produce 10 per cent more a year than previously forecast, but that it will cost around 10 per cent more to construct. Green Markets research director Alexis Maxwell says rival potash producers would seek to keep prices sufficiently low so that BHP did not have sufficient incentive to develop Jansen, while JP Morgan analyst Lyndon Fagan says BHP is using unrealistically high potash prices to justify the economics of Jansen. BHP is expected to make a decision on whether to proceed with Jansen within 18 months.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, GREEN MARKETS, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Aunty takes ratings crown

Original article by Zoe Samios, Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 26 : 20-May-19

The ABC had the highest-rating federal election coverage on 18 May, with its audience peaking at 1.336 million – including 940,000 metropolitan viewers – from 8-9pm. The ABC News channel attracted an average metropolitan audience of 258,833, while some 300,000 people watched the public broadcaster’s election coverage via iview. Meanwhile, the Nine Network’s election coverage attracted some 450,000 metropolitan viewers, and pay-TV channel Sky News was watched by an average of 132,000 viewers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SKY NEWS, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), RMIT UNIVERSITY

Guardian wins Pharmacy satisfaction ahead of Priceline

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-May-19

Guardian is the Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist of the month for March 2019 with a customer satisfaction rating of 93%, edging out Priceline Pharmacy on 92% and TerryWhite Chemmart and Discount Drug Stores (both on 91%). Guardian is a former winner of the Roy Morgan Pharmacy/Chemist of the Year Customer Satisfaction Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014, and it has returned to the winner’s circle with a significant improvement in performance over the last year. Guardian increased customer satisfaction by 6% points from a year ago to 93% – a larger increase than any of its leading rivals. Several other leading pharmacies improved their customer satisfaction over the last year, including Priceline Pharmacy (up 2% points to 92%), TerryWhite Chemmart (up 2% points to 91%), Amcal/Amcal Max (up 2% points to 90%) and Chemist Warehouse (up 1% point to 90%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, GUARDIAN PHARMACY, PRICELINE PHARMACY, TERRYWHITE CHEMMART, DISCOUNT DRUGSTORES PTY LTD, AMCAL CHEMISTS, AMCAL MAX, CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

Foxtel eyeing sport, programming costs

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 14-May-19

Sports rights and associated production costs accounted for $800m of Foxtel’s $1.6bn expenditure on programming costs in 2018. The pay-TV group’s total operating expenditure for the calendar year was $2.56bn. Parent company News Corp has indicated that there is potential to reduce spending on "non-marquee" sports content, as well as non-sports programming costs. Foxtel is also reviewing the prices of its programming packages and has not ruled out an increase.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, KAYO SPORTS, AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE, RUGBY AUSTRALIA, FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE A LEAGUE PTY LTD, THE W LEAGUE, SOCCEROOS, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED

ALP regains initiative with a week to go: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%

The last face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll before the election shows the ALP regaining the initiative and pulling away from the L-NP with an election winning two-party preferred lead: ALP 52% cf. L-NP 48%.

The increase for the ALP came through an increased primary vote at the expense of the Greens according to the final face-to-face Roy Morgan Poll of the Federal Election and indicates the chances of Australia electing a hung Parliament this weekend have diminished.

Primary Voting Intention

Primary support for the L-NP was unchanged at 38.5% this week but support for the ALP increased by 1.5% to 35.5%. The ALP gained support from the Greens, down 1% to 10%.

Support for One Nation was unchanged at 4% and support for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party (UAP) was unchanged at 3.5%. Support for Independents/Others is down marginally by 0.5% to 8.5%.

In a worrying sign for the L-NP Government the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating has dropped 6pts to 93 this week with 44.5% of electors (up 3.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘wrong direction’ and only 37.5% (down 2.5%) saying Australia is heading in the ‘right direction’.

Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan says:

“The ALP campaign launch last week with a message of unity has helped provide a ‘boost’ in ALP support with under a week to go until the Federal Election. The ALP 52% now holds an election winning lead over the L-NP 48% on a two-party preferred basis.

“In addition Bill Shorten’s good week came as many Australians felt sympathy for Shorten after he described the struggles his mother had endured to undertake her dream of completing a law degree. A front-page headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph which sought to attack Shorten for drawing on his mother’s story only served to highlight his mother’s achievements to a wider audience.

“Shorten also had two successful leadership debates with Prime Minister Scott Morrison including a quick-witted put-down of Morrison as a ‘classic space invader’ during the second leader’s debate and a solid performance in the third, and final, leader’s debate last Wednesday.

“In calculating the two-party preferred support the Roy Morgan Poll uses respondent’s stated preferences. While Greens supporters strongly preferences the ALP, other parties stated preferences are dividing fairly evenly between the ALP and L-NP and as many as one-in-four electors still haven’t made their mind up.

“However, most Australians believe the ALP will win the election with many polls for months showing the ALP well ahead of the Government. But will all the polls be proven wrong again like with the US Presidential Election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016? Most people believed Clinton would win and this belief was reflected by most of the American polls at the time.”

 

Electors were asked: “At the Federal election for the House of Representatives on May 18 – which party will receive your first preference? and “Generally speaking, do you feel that things in Australia are heading in the right direction or would you say things are seriously heading in the wrong direction?”

This final Roy Morgan Poll on Federal voting intention and Roy Morgan Government Confidence was conducted via face-to-face interviewing with a representative cross-section of 1,265 Australian electors aged 18+ concluding on the weekend. 5% of electors can’t say who they support.

 

For comments or more information about Roy Morgan data, please contact:

Contact Office Mobile
Gary Morgan: +61 3 9224 5213 +61 411 129 094
Michele Levine: +61 3 9224 5215 +61 411 129 093

Pundits and pollies in a race to call it first

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 13-May-19

Australia’s five free-to-air TV networks will provide live coverage of the federal election on 18 May. Data from OzTAM shows that 1.8 million people watched the 2016 election coverage on the ABC, Seven and Nine, after Ten opted against live coverage. Nunn Media MD Chris Walton notes that the 2019 election has attracted more interest than other recent elections, adding that the cost of providing live election coverage is not significant for the networks. Pay-TV company Sky News will also have live election coverage.

CORPORATES
OZTAM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS), SKY NEWS, NUNN MEDIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Bill Shorten warns News Corp against acting like a political party

Original article by David Crowe
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 13-May-19

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claimed on 12 May that parts of News Corporation appear to be acting like political parties in their "campaigning against Labor" in the lead-up to the federal election. Shorten’s comments followed a recent controversial story about his mother in ‘The Daily Telegraph’. He said he has some sympathy for the threat that traditional media faces from social media companies, but that becoming more frenzied is not the solution to their problems. Shorten called on voters to reject the minor parties in the Senate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, ONE NATION PARTY, UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Mentioned in dispatches: Shorten and Morrison share the coverage spoils

Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 23 & 25 : 13-May-19

Analysis by Streem shows that Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been mentioned in the metropolitan press some 25,693 times between 11 April and 9 May, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison was mentioned 24,195 times. Shorten was mentioned 10,042 times on metropolitan TV during this period, while Morrison rated 9,242 mentions. In contrast, Morrison has been mentioned 4,693 times online, compared with 4,628 times for Shorten.

CORPORATES
STREEM PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ABC boss busy playing politics

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: 4 : 8-May-19

The ABC’s MD David Anderson recently rejected claims of political bias at the public broadcaster. However, former chairman Maurice Newman says it was inappropriate for Anderson to use his first interview in his new role to suggest that if electors care for the ABC, they should not vote for the Coalition on 18 May. Anderson warned that the ABC will need to reduce its services due to the funding freeze in the May 2019 Budget.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Plan to silence enemies in media

Original article by Chris Merritt
The Australian – Page: 8 : 8-May-19

Media lawyer Kevin Lynch says the Australian Greens’ communications policy appears to be targeting the party’s real or perceived enemies in the media sector. Amongst other things, the policy advocates an inquiry to address the issue of media concentration and the introduction of a public interest veto regarding acquisitions in the sector. Greens leader Richard Di Natale has also confirmed that the party’s proposal for new criminal laws on hate speech is aimed at the broader media industry rather than just the three broadcasters who have been named.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY