Each morning we post a selection of our favourite news stories from the day’s news. These posts also give you a chance to see how we can summarise news for you.
Qld bids to lure US minerals investors
Original article by Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Jul-26
Queensland’s Resources Minister Dale Last will launch the state’s new critical minerals strategy today. He will pitch Queensland as a stable, secure and trusted trading partner for the US in the critical minerals sector. Amongst other things, the state government’s new strategy will aim to approve critical minerals projects more quickly. The Trump administration announced plans for a critical minerals "preferential trade zone" with America’s partners and allies earlier this year.
CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND MINES, MANUFACTURING AND REGIONAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Fuel excise relief set to dry up on Sunday night
Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 2 : 29-Jul-26
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out extending the current reduction in the fuel excise tax beyond 2 August. The excise tax will return to $0.52 a litre on Monday, after having been cut to $0.26 a litre from March to June and $0.16 during this month. Albanese has emphasised that the federal government will pursue other measures to provide Australian families with cost-of-living relief. However, some Labor MPs advocate further excise tax relief; Rob Mitchell, the MP for McEwen, has suggested that it should be considered on a month-by-month basis, based on the global oil price.
CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY
Bullock rings alarm on living standards
Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Jul-26
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Michele Bullock has warned that slowing productivity growth is making the domestic economy more vulnerable to global shocks. She also stated that the nation’s living standards will continue to stagnate unless the issue of productivity is addressed. Bullock also said the RBA will be open to further interest rate rises if this is deemed necessary to achieve its mandate of keeping the unemployment rate as low as sustainably possible while returning inflation to its target range of 2-3 per cent. Inflation data for the June quarter will be released today, and could determine whether there is another official interest rate rise in August.
CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA
Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) report with Roy Morgan shows Cybercrime in Australia down in 2025
Original article by
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
Roy Morgan has undertaken the fieldwork for the Australian Cybercrime Survey on behalf of the Australian Institute of Criminology for several years. The AIC analyses the data from the surveys and publishes details of the results on their website, Cybercrime in Australia 2025. Roy Morgan interviewed 10,593 Australian computer users online for the 2025 survey, and the AIC’s analysis found that 45.1% (down 2.7% points) of Australians had experienced at least one form of cybercrime in 2025. Fewer respondents were impersonated online, received unsolicited sexual material, had their financial accounts compromised, or were subject to online abuse and harassment than a year earlier. However, the share of respondents reporting being the victim of online fraud and scams increased in 2025. Meanwhile, 63.9% of respondents said they had been the victim of at least one type of cybercrime measured by the survey during their lifetime. Most cybercrime continues to go unreported to police or ReportCyber, the federal government’s cybercrime reporting tool.
CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF CRIMINOLOGY
ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were at 5.9% in late July – down 0.1% points from the month of June
Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations declined slightly in the month of June but have stabilised so far during July as the situation in the Middle East has deteriorated and are at 5.9% for the week of 20-26 July, down 0.1% points from the month of June. The latest weekly reading is 0.3% points below the average for Inflation Expectations of 6.2% over the 22 weeks since the Iran War began. A look at monthly Inflation Expectations for June shows the measure at 6% for the month – down 0.3% points from May. Inflation Expectations spiked to a record monthly high of 7% for April following the US and Israel attack on Iran, but then dropped significantly; however, the recent renewal of fighting has sent Inflation Expectations back up for three straight weeks since early July. 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
ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence drops 4.4 points to 71.2 – lowest rating since mid-June
Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 4.4 points to 71.2 in the week to 26 July; Consumer Confidence is now 15.5pts lower than a year ago (86.7), and 0.6pts below the 2026 weekly average of 71.8. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has fallen in the five mainland States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Now 16% of Australians (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 52% (up 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 20% (down 2ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 43% (up 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 6% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 41% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 17% (down 3ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 44% (up 4ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.
CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ
Significant distrust for Jacinta Allan based on corruption allegations related to the CFMEU, ‘Big Build’, and financial mismanagement foreshadowed her resignation
Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
Prior to former Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s resignation yesterday, she faced months of leadership speculation and was beset by allegations of corruption related to the CFMEU, the State’s contentious ‘Big Build’ project, and widespread perceptions of financial mismanagement which came to a head this week. Almost one-in-ten Victorians, 8.8%, nominated former Premier Jacinta Allan as someone they distrusted and only 1.5% of Victorians said they trusted former Premier Jacinta Allan before she resigned as leader – a disastrous Net Distrust result of -7.3 for Allan. In contrast, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has a Net Trust result of +6.1, a far more positive result than any other Victorian political figure. Wilson was trusted by 7.6% of Victorians, and only 1.5% of respondents said they distrusted Wilson. The leading reason mentioned by those who distrusted former Premier Jacinta Allan is ‘Corruption and CFMEU/ Big Build Issues’ (45% of distrusters), just ahead of ‘Financial mismanagement’ (42%). ‘Lies and dishonesty’ were mentioned by a third (33%) of distrusters, almost a quarter said that Allan was ‘Bad for Victoria’, and 15% claimed that Allan was pursuing ‘Self-interest over public good’, according to a special Roy Morgan SMS Poll with 1,854 Victorians aged 18+ conducted from 20-22 July 2026.
CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET
More than 3.4 million Australians attend live theatre, ballet or opera, led by people in Sydney and Melbourne
Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
New data from Roy Morgan shows that more than 3.4 million Australians (14.7% of Australians aged 14+) attend live theatre, ballet or opera performances in an average three months. The latest data for the year to March 2026 is unchanged from a year earlier, but above pre-COVID levels from 2019-20. Almost 3.1 million Australians (13.2%) attend live theatre in an average three months, unchanged from a year ago. Meanwhile, ballet and opera attendance reached 694,000 Australians, up 63,000 (+10%) from a year ago. The longer-term trend shows that the live performance market has largely recovered from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in terms of overall attendance. Over the past two years, numbers have remained relatively stable, with the latest figure showing 200,000 more Australians 14+ attending live theatre, ballet or opera compared to pre-COVID level in March 2020. The rebound in numbers is partly due to the population increase seen since COVID-19. In fact, the percentage share of Australians attending live theatre, ballet or opera in the 12 months to March 2026 (14.7%) is down 0.7% points from the 12 months to March 2020 (15.4%).
CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED
How Ben Carroll became premier – and the monumental task ahead
Original article by Kieran Rooney, Patrick Hatch, Angus Delaney
The Age – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26
Sources have indicated that Victoria’s former premier Jacinta Allan does not intend to contest the state election in November, after resigning ahead of a partyroom meeting yesterday. Allan says she is confident that she would have fended off a leadership challenge but decided to step down to avoid a drawn-out ballot just four months before the election. Ben Carroll was sworn in as Victoria’s 50th Premier later in the day, after Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny withdrew from the leadership race. Carroll used his first press conference to announce that establishing a royal commission into the construction industry will be his first priority. He will also consider potential changes to the controversial Suburban Rail Loop project. Gabrielle Williams will succeed Carroll as the state’s Deputy Premier.
CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET
Half of all new cars on Australian roads to be Chinese by 2035 as cost outweighs climate
Original article by Joseph Carbone
The Australian – Page: 15 : 29-Jul-26
The Centre for International Economics has forecast has that Chinese brands will account for 43 per cent of new car sales in Australia by 2035. The Australian Automotive Dealer Association has in turn forecast that Chinese brands’ share of the new car market will rise to about 58 per cent by 2035. The AADA’s CEO James Voortman notes that Chinese vehicles have gone from being a novelty to being mainstream in Australia over the last five years. However, he says there are issues such as whether buyers of Chinese vehicles will continue to receive support if these brands withdraw from the Australian market. Voortman adds that design standards should be reviewed to ensure that the software in Chinese vehicles are not a threat to national security.
CORPORATES
CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIAN AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION PTY LTD
ABIX 