Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll: In July National-led Government leads Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition (49% vs. 41%)

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Aug-26

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for July 2026 shows that support for the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) is down 2% to 49%, but still with a clear lead over the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition (down 1% to 41%). Amongst the Government support for National increased 1% to 32%, although support for New Zealand First was down 2% to 8.5% (the lowest level of support for New Zealand First so far this year), and support for ACT was down 1% to 8.5%. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour was unchanged at 25.5%, support for the Greens was unchanged at 13.5%, and support for the Maori Party fell by 1% to 2%. A further 10% (up 3%) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament (the highest level of support for parties not represented in Parliament since the last election). The survey results for July would lead to the National-led Government winning 59 seats (down nine seats from the election), while the Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition would win 51 seats (down four seats). This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 881 electors from 29 June to 26 July. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating fell 3 points to 85 in July.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY

Allan’s water bombshell: Secret Labor privatisation plan

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Original article by Anthony Galloway
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 5-Aug-26

Confidential cabinet documents show that Victoria’s Department of Treasury & Finance has been considering the privatisation of Melbourne Water since 2021. The documents also reveal that former premier Jacinta Allan and senior government ministers approved a business case in 2024 to investigate a partial sale of Melbourne Water. Reducing the state’s debt was cited as a key driver of the push to bring private investment into the water utility; however, some submissions on the proposal expressed concern about a voter backlash due to the perception that water infrastructure is a public asset. The proposal was put on hold but subsequently revived earlier this year, with the government appointing EY to examine options for privatising Melbourne Water.

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE WATER CORPORATION, VICTORIA. DEPT OF TREASURY AND FINANCE, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, ERNST AND YOUNG

Arson attack an act of terrorism

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Aug-26

A multi-agency law enforcement team has confirmed that an arson attack on defence manufacturer Lovitt Technologies in July 2025 is being treated as an act of terrorism. Victoria’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team says it is investigating whether the perpetrators are "far-left extremists" with "anarchist and revolutionary ideologies"; the majority of terrorist attacks in Australia have been carried out by religiously motivated or right-wing extremists. Lovitt makes components for the F-35 stealth jet fighter, and an online video posted in the wake of the attack warned the company to "stop arming Israel or else". The JCTT includes investigators from the Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police.

CORPORATES
LOVITT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE, VICTORIA POLICE

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence increased 3.5 points to 74.7 in first week of August

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Aug-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 3.5 points to 74.7 in the week to 2 August; Consumer Confidence is still 15.9pts lower than a year ago (90.6), but it is now 2.8pts above the 2026 weekly average of 71.9. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has risen in the three largest States of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, while falling in Western Australia and South Australia. Now 16% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 51% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 23% (up 3ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 39% (down 4ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 7% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 41% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 18% (up 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 40% (down 4ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Roy Morgan Business Confidence hits a new record low of 76

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Aug-26

In July 2026 Roy Morgan Business Confidence fell 1.5 points to a new record low of 76, marginally below the previous record low in May of 76.1. Business Confidence is also down 27 points from a year ago, while Business Confidence has fallen below 80 in all six States for the first time. Now 18.7% (down 7.4ppts) of respondents say their business is ‘better off’ financially than a year ago (the lowest figure for this indicator since May 2020), while 48.3% (down 3.1ppts) say the business is ‘worse off’. Only 29.1% (down 4.3ppts) of respondents expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 32.8% (up 1.3ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’. Meanwhile, a new record low of only 25.5% (down 3.9ppts) of respondents say the next 12 months will be a ‘good time to invest’ in growing the business, while 48% (up 0.2ppts) say the next 12 months will be a ‘bad time to invest’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Visa revamp aims to curb migration

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Original article by Luke Kinsella
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-Aug-26

The Department of Home Affairs has made changes to the order in which it will process applications for permanent and temporary skilled visas. It will now give priority to applications for visas from migrants who are already living and working in Australia, rather than skilled workers who are applying from overseas. Migration Institute of Australia CEO Peter Van Vliet says the directive from Home Affairs Minister shows that the federal government is trying to reduce net migration numbers by "shifting priorities", given that migrant workers who are in Australia are already included in the nation’s population data.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, THE MIGRATION INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Tech tax changes could spur job losses at Nine, News Corp

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 5-Aug-26

The federal government’s changes to its News Bargaining Incentive will allow technology companies to offset a tax levy by securing commercial deals with at least six local media groups. However, the tax offset with each news pubisher will be capped at 16.7 per cent of the digital platform’s tax liability; this means there will be no incentive for them to provide more funding to one media company than another. Nine Entertainment’s CEO Matt Stanton says there could be more job losses in the media sector if the bill is passed by parliament in its current form, because it penalises media groups that have invested more in quality journalism than their peers. News Corp Australia has expressed similar concerns.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

$260m in exports at risk as talks fail to avert strike at BHP

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 5-Aug-26

A BHP spokesman has indicated that "significant progress" was made in yesterday’s negotiations with a coalition of unions regarding a pay deal for workers at its Port Hedland iron ore export hub. However, the talks failed to resolve the impasse, and members of the Electrical Trades Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and the Australian Workers’ Union are still set to undertake industrial action this weekend. They will impose a ban on loading iron ore vessels on Saturday, while a 24-hour strike is planned for the following day. Further talks between BHP and the unions will be held in two weeks’ time.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION

Chalmers moves to defuse row over widow tax

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 5-Aug-26

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has released draft legislation to abolish the so-called ‘widow tax’; It was an unintended consequence of the federal government’s changes to the negative gearing and capital gains tax regimes, and would have removed exemptions to the reforms for jointly-owned properties that are transferred due to divorce or death. The Coalition, the Greens, One Nation and independent senator David Pocock will push for the legislation to be given priority in the Senate when parliament resumes next week.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY

Extreme mortgage stress increases nationally, driven by people on lower incomes and in lower socio-economic quintiles

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Aug-26

Roy Morgan’s Single Source research shows that an estimated 1.06 million mortgage holders (19.8%) were ‘Extremely at Risk’ of mortgage stress in the six months to June 2026, up from 16.7% in December 2025, and 19.3% higher than in June 2024 (just before the reworked Stage 3 tax cuts took effect). The proportion of mortgage holders who are ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress (a less strict measure) has in turn risen from 25.2% in December 2025 to 28.5% in June 2026; this equates to 1.53 million mortgage holders. Mortgage stress eased from June 2024 to December 2025, driven by factors such as real wage growth as inflation declined, income tax cuts, home loan interest rate cuts and a rising sharemarket. However, renewed increases in interest rates and inflation in 2026 are putting renewed pressure on mortgage stress. A key cohort driving high levels of extreme mortgage stress are lower income earners with household incomes of less than $100,000, and people in the lower socio-economic quintiles.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED