Increasing majority of Australians (72%) say January 26 should be known as ‘Australia Day’, and say the date of Australia Day should stay on January 26 (60.5%)

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

A special Roy Morgan SMS Poll shows that 72% of Australians now say January 26 should stay as ‘Australia Day’, up 3.5% from two years ago. Only 28% (down 3.5%) say January 26 should be called ‘Invasion Day’. Meanwhile, 60.5% (up 2% from 2024) of respondents say the date of Australia Day should not be moved, while 39.5% (down 2%) say it should be moved. An increasingly large majority of men favour January 26 staying as ‘Australia Day’ rather than ‘Invasion Day’ by a margin of almost 5:1 (83% cf. 17%) a significant change from two years ago (76.5% cf. 23.5%). In contrast, women are more evenly split; a majority of 61% (down 0.5% points from two years ago) are in favour of January 26 being known as ‘Australia Day’, while 39% (up 0.5% points) say it should be known as ‘Invasion Day’. This special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australia-wide cross-section of 1,311 Australians aged 18+ from January 14-16.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations were at 5.6% in mid-January – up 0.1% points from the month of December

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan Inflation Expectations have remained high so far in 2026 and were at 5.6% for the week of 12-18 January, up 0.1% points from the full month of December 2025. A look at monthly Inflation Expectations for December 2025 shows the measure at 5.5% for the month – up 0.4% points from the prior month of November, the highest monthly figure since July 2023. Looking back over the last six months, since mid-July, weekly Inflation Expectations have moved in a band of 4.7% to 5.6%, and averaged 5.1%. A look at Monthly Inflation Expectations on a State-based level for December shows increases in all five mainland States, but a decline in the island State of Tasmania (down 0.9% to 5.1%, and now clearly the lowest Inflation Expectations of any State). 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.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence slumps 5.2pts to 79.3; lowest Consumer Confidence for 18 months since July 2024

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 5.2pts to 79.3 in the week to 18 January; it is now 6.5pts lower than a year ago (85.8), and 7pts below the 2025 weekly average of 86.3. Consumer Confidence is now at its lowest level since the week of 8-14 July 2024 (78.5). Analysis by State shows large falls in New South Wales and Queensland, and small falls in Victoria and South Australia, while Consumer Confidence is virtually unchanged in Western Australia. Now 17% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year (the lowest figure for this indicator since June 2023), while 45% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 25% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 34% (up 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 6% (down 4ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months (the lowest figure for this indicator since November 2023), while 34% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 20% (down 6ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 38% (up 6ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the highest figure for this indicator since April 2025).

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

Overall Australian unemployment and under-employment at 3.46 million in December – 13 months straight above 3 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

In December 2025, Australian ‘real’ unemployment increased by 41,000 to 1,669,000 (up 0.2%, to 10.4% of the workforce). More people were looking for full-time work in December (up 68,000 to 667,000), although there were fewer people looking for part-time work (down 27,000 to 1,002,000). In addition to the unemployed, a further 1.79 million Australians (11.1% of the workforce, up 0.4%) were under-employed, i.e. working part-time but looking for more work (up 78,000 from November). In total 3.46 million Australians (21.5% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in December. Meanwhile, employment increased by 89,000 to 14,428,000; Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at 16,097,000 in December (up 130,000 on a month ago), and representing 69.2% of Australians aged 14+.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Nation’s largest coal-fired power plant closure delayed by two more years

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

Origin Energy has agreed to extend the operating life of its Eraring coal-fired power station for another two years. The ageing plant was initially slated to close in 2025, but Origin struck a deal with the NSW government to keep Eraring operating until 2027. CEO Frank Calabria says the decision to further extend Eraring’s operational life until 2029 will allow for more time to develop renewable energy infrastructure. However, the decision has been criticised by environmental groups such as the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

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ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, NATURE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF NSW INCORPORATED

Super funds manage 9 per cent lift over 2025

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Original article by James Kirby
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 21-Jan-26

Data from Chant West suggests that the average superannuation fund posted a return of about 9.3 per cent in calendar 2025; SuperRatings in turn estimates that the average return was about 8.8 per cent. This follows double-digit returns in 2024, although super funds have achieved an average return of less than seven per cent over the long-term. Mano Mohankumar from Chant West emphasises the need for super fund members to focus on long-term returns rather than the calendar year performance.

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CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD, SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD

Big four banks cash in on zero interest

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Original article by Max Aitchison
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 21-Jan-26

Analysis by Jarden shows that customers of Australia’s four major banks hold a combined $320bn in transaction and business accounts that do not pay any interest. This equates to about 10 per cent of each of the four major banks’ total deposits, and nearly 20 per cent of the estimated $1.7trn in deposits held by all of the nation’s lenders. Jarden’s analysis also shows that the four big banks’ implied earnings from zero-interest accounts have risen sharply in recent years. Matt Wilson from Jarden says the major banks have benefited from customer loyalty and inertia in recent years; he adds that this may change in 2026, and customers may begin seeking better deals for their bank deposits.

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JARDEN GROUP LIMITED

Standoff with China buyer is hurting iron ore prices: BHP

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 21-Jan-26

BHP has advised that its iron ore division achieved an average realised price of $US84.71 per tonne in the December quarter. This is four per cent higher than the same period in 2024, although it represents a large discount to the benchmark price. BHP is continuing to hold talks with state-run iron ore trader China Mineral Resources Group on annual contract terms, and BHP has acknowledged that the long-running dispute has affected the price it receives for the iron ore it ships from the Pilbara. BHP has also advised that the first stage of its Jansen potash project in Canada is now expected to cost $US8.4bn ($12.5bn); this compares with a previous forecast of between $US7bn and $US7.4bn.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHINA MINERAL RESOURCES GROUP COMPANY LIMITED

Labor’s hate speech laws pass Senate in late-night vote as Nationals split from Liberals to oppose bill

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, Dan Jervis-Bardy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 21-Jan-26

The federal government’s hate speech bill has been passed by both houses of parliament, after Labor secured a deal with Opposition leader Sussan Ley regarding further changes to the legislation. Amongst other things, the legislation creates a new aggravated offence for religious or spiritual leaders who advocate violence, while people who join designated hate groups or provide them with funding could be jailed. The Senate voted 38-22 to pass the bill late on Tuesday night, despite the Nationals voting against it after all of their proposed amendments where rejected; the bill had been passed by the lower house earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the government’s legislation to establish a national gun buyback scheme has been passed with the support of the Greens.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Rio must buy Glencore whole: shareholders

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 21-Jan-26

Some of Glencore’s biggest shareholders have stated that Rio Tinto must agree to buy the entire company rather than merely its most desirable assets, such as its copper and zinc mines. Rio Tinto is unlikely to want to retain Glencore’s coal assets if the proposed merger goes ahead, given that it exited the sector about eight years ago. However, some Glencore shareholders have warned that they are unlikely to support Rio Tinto’s bid if it seeks to ‘cherry-pick’ the company’s assets. The investors also contend that Rio Tinto will need to offer a takeover premium if its management team led by CEO Simon Trott is to run the merged group.

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RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GLENCORE PLC