New report reveals Roy Morgan is one of Australia’s leading data companies – with in-depth information on millions of Australians based on their Helix Personas

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Feb-24

Roy Morgan leads the way as one of Australia’s leading data companies. A special in-depth report into Australia’s leading data companies interviewed Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine and Executive Chairman Gary Morgan about the role the company plays in compiling data and building profiles of different Australians. One of Roy Morgan’s key products is ‘Helix Personas’ which profiles people under headings such as "young and platinum", "smart money", "cautious conservatives", "fair go", "working hard" and nearly 50 other personas. For example, the "young and platinum" group love their mobile devices and are "always on the hunt for the shiny, new and cool" and "making the rent". Their income is around the $64,000 a year mark and they can often be found "living a conventional life centred around family". Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine confirmed that the Helix Personas market segments are based on statistical information, not data from individual people. "It’s totally ethical. Unlike Facebook or any of these things, it’s not any particular individual", Roy Morgan’s chief executive Michele Levine, said.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Spend more on Defence now, PM told

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Cameron Stewart
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 20-Feb-24

The review of the Australian navy’s surface fleet is expected to recommend acquiring a fleet of warships that are smaller and more heavily armed than the Hunter-class frigates. However, naval expert Jennifer Parker says this will require allocating additional spending on defence in the federal government’s budget in May. She adds that scaling back the Hunter-class program will not in itself generate sufficient cost savings to finance a new fleet of warships. The findings of the review that was undertaken by retired US admiral William Hilarides will be released today.

CORPORATES
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

Star facing second Bell probe into Sydney licence

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Glen Norris
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 20-Feb-24

The NSW Independent Casino Commission has appointed Adam Bell SC to conduct a second inquiry into the Star Entertainment Group’s suitability to operate its Sydney casino. Nicholas Weeks has been running the casino as an independent manager since October 2022, after Bell’s first inquiry into Star found it had set up an "inherently deceptive and unethical process". Weeks’s appointment was extended for a second time in December 2023, and NICC chief commissioner Philip Crawford says that was because it was not satisfied Star was "progressing its remediation in a timely fashion". Bell’s second inquiry is due to run for 15 weeks, with his final report to be handed to the NICC by 31 May.

CORPORATES
THE STAR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LIMITED – ASX SGR, NEW SOUTH WALES. INDEPENDENT CASINO COMMISSION

Telstra installs robot helpers across stores, call centres in push towards AI-fuelled future

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Matthew Elmas
The New Daily – Page: Online : 20-Feb-24

Telstra has started to deploy an artificial intelligence tool called Ask Telstra to assist staff in handling customers’ complaints. Ask Telstra is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, and is intended to be an internal search engine that will allow employees in the telco’s stores and call centres to access customers’ data quickly when they make a complaint or seek assistance. Professor Gary Mortimer from the Queensland University of Technology believes that unscripted, synthetic and natural AI voice interactions will eventually become the norm for retailers.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

US inflation and China woes reduce super growth to 1pc

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 20-Feb-24

Data from Chant West shows that the median growth superannuation fund posted a return of just one per cent in January. This compares with 2.7 per cent growth in December and a three per cent gain in January 2023. Mano Mohankumar of Chant West notes that a strong performance by Australian and international shares in January was offset by mixed results in emerging and bond markets. He adds that a rise in the US inflation rate and concerns about China’s economic outlook weighed on returns late in the month. The median growth fund gained 7.7 per cent in the year to 31 January, and 7.2 per cent over the last decade.

CORPORATES
CHANT WEST FINANCIAL SERVICES PTY LTD

Bendigo cool on ANZ plan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 20-Feb-24

The Australian Competition Tribunal’s decision on the ANZ Bank’s bid to acquire Suncorp Group’s banking arm will be announced today. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission blocked the deal in 2023. Bendigo & Adelaide Bank MD Marnie Baker says the ANZ-Suncorp deal is "not a good transaction for competition or consumers", although she has declined to state whether Bendigo will make an offer for Suncorp Bank if the ANZ deal is rejected. Meanwhile, Bendigo has posted a 2023-24 interim cash profit of $268.2m, which is five per cent lower than previously.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, SUNCORP BANK, SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, AUSTRALIA. COMPETITION TRIBUNAL, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN

House prices could jump 5pc: McGrath

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Campbell Kwan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 & 34 : 20-Feb-24

Real estate group McGrath Limited has posted a 2023-24 interim statutory profit of $7.5m and underlying EBITDA of $4.8m. Meanwhile, CEO John McGrath says the prospect of interest rate cuts later in 2024 may boost prices at the lower end of Australia’s housing market by up to five per cent. He adds that interest rate rises have seen house prices in this segment of the market fall by around five per cent over the last 12 months. However, McGrath says prospective buyers of homes priced below $1m are likely to remain cautious about returning to the property market until interest rate cuts actually occur.

CORPORATES
McGRATH LIMITED – ASX MEA

ALP maintains an election winning lead in mid-February as parties set to contest Dunkley by-election: ALP 52.5% cf. L-NP 47.5%

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 20-Feb-24

Support for the Labor government (52.5%) is in an election-winning position ahead of the L-NP (47.5%) on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Roy Morgan survey on Federal voting intention. The result is a slight improvement on the 2022 Federal Election (ALP 52.1% cf. 47.9%) and augurs well for the ALP, which faces the Dunkley by-election in Victoria on the first weekend in March. If a Federal Election were held now the Albanese government would be returned with a narrow majority. There was little movement on primary votes this week, with the Coalition’s primary support unchanged at 37% while ALP support was down marginally by 0.5% to 34%. The Greens were up 1% to 13%, One Nation dropped 0.5% to 4% and support for Independents & Other Parties was unchanged at 12%. The latest Roy Morgan survey is based on interviewing a representative cross-section of 1,706 Australian electors from February 12-18. Further details will be released in Roy Morgan’s weekly video update presented by CEO Michele Levine.

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

Unemployment jumps to two-year high

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Patrick Commins
The Australian – Page: 5 : 16-Feb-24

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the nation’s official unemployment rate rose to 4.1 per cent in January, up from 3.9 per cent in December. The economy added just 500 jobs in January, and Bjorn Jarvis from the ABS says seasonal factors may have contributed to the larger-than-expected increase in the jobless rate. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says that although the labour market has been weakening, it remains very strong. Capital Economics economist Abhijit Surya in turn says the Reserve Bank is now likely to bring forward the first interest rate cut to around August rather than November.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, CAPITAL ECONOMICS LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Secret polls led Palaszczuk to quit

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lydia Lynch, Michael McKenna
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 16-Feb-24

The Queensland government has belatedly released the first five ‘waves’ of an ongoing polling project that has been undertaken by Ipsos Public Affairs via a $390,000 public contract. Former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had consistently refused to release the findings of the polling, which has canvassed Queenslanders’ views on issues such as the 2032 Brisbane Olympics Games, youth crime, economic management and the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ipsos sentiment testing has influenced the government’s policy decisions since Premier Steven Miles succeeded Palaszczuk in December; the polling had also contributed to Palaszczuk’s decision to resign.

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, IPSOS PUBLIC AFFAIRS