Coalition’s $1bn drive to get regions moving

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 1-Apr-19

The federal government’s April 2019 Budget will include an additional $1bn for the Roads of Strategic Importance program. The extra funding will be used to upgrade regional and interstate road infrastructure. The Budget will also include one-off payments to assist people such as pensioners, veterans and the disabled with the rising cost of energy. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the Budget will focus on responsible and targeted spending, while shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says it will be a "highly political" document that will in reality be an election campaign launch for the Coalition.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, SHOOTERS, FISHERS AND FARMERS PARTY

Room for other streamers but not at scale-player level, says Stan

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 24 & 26 : 1-Apr-19

Brian Han of Morningstar estimates that market penetration of subscription video-on-demand services in Australia is probably still below 50 per cent, although he says this will grow. Apple and Disney are expected to launch SVOD services in Australia, but Stan CEO Mike Sneesby says any new entrants to the market will need to make a big investment in content if they are to compete against established players. Sneesby adds that Stan boasts 1.5 million active subscribers.

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STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, APPLE INCORPORATED, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED, STARZ ENTERTAINMENT GROUP LLC, SHOWTIME, 21ST CENTURY FOX INCORPORATED, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, CBS CORPORATION, 10 ALL ACCESS, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, TELSYTE PTY LTD, LIONS GATE ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION

Myki transport app gives Android phones advantage over Apple

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Apr-19

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey shows that more than 2.9 million Melburnians use public transport in an average three months (equivalent to over 71% of residents of Victoria’s capital). Some 39% of Melbourne’s public transport users have the Android operating system on their main mobile phone, while 48% use an Apple iPhone. Analysis shows that Millennials will derive the greatest benefit from the new Myki app, which allows Victorians to pay their public transport fare via a mobile phone (although it is currently only available on Android phones). Some 47% of Melbourne transport users in the Millennial generation use phones with an Android operating system, compared with just 21% of Melbourne transport users in the Pre-Boomer generation.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED

Greens’ plan to save world would destroy Australia

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 4 : 29-Mar-19

The Greens would seek to reduce military spending in order to lift expenditure on foreign aid to 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2030. The Greens also want the alliance with the US to be re-negotiated, and for foreign military bases in Australia to be closed. Greens leader Richard Di Natale claims that both major political parties have turned Australia into a major arms dealer. The Assistant Minister for Treasury and Finance Zed Seselja claims that the Greens are an "extremist" party whose policies would destroy the economy and make Australia less secure.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ONE NATION PARTY

Renewables power ahead

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 29-Mar-19

According to Green Energy Markets, renewable energy generated 128 per cent more electricity than gas turbines over the 2018-19 summer and 23 per cent more than brown-coal generators. It was the fourth summer during which renewables have provided more electricity than gas and the second summer that renewables generated more electricity than brown coal. The output from solar between 9am and 5pm exceeded output from brown coal and gas for the first time.

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GREEN ENERGY MARKETS PTY LTD

UBS hikes iron ore forecasts a second time

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 29-Mar-19

Investment bank UBS now expects the price of iron ore to average $US83 per tonne in 2019, which is 12 per cent higher than its previous forecast. UBS had already increased its price forecast from $US65 per tonne to $U74 in response to the tailings dam disaster in Brazil in late January. UBS also forecasts that Australia’s three major iron ore producers will slightly reduce their full-year production guidance after their Pilbara operations were affected by a recent cyclone.

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UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, VALE SA, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION

Facebook in global ban on white nationalism, separatism

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 29-Mar-19

Facebook has advised that it intends to ban "praise, support and representation" for white nationalism and separatism. It will initially focus on removing such content; those who continue to voice such views could find themselves being banned from all Facebook services, including WhatsApp and Instagram. The ban follows continued criticism of social media companies in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings over their failure to deal with the issue of hate speech on their platforms.

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FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED, INSTAGRAM LLC, ONE NATION PARTY

Fortescue expects China’s ore demand to stay strong

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Original article by Michael Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 20 : 29-Mar-19

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines says there are no indications that Chinese steel production is contracting. She adds that the general consensus of Fortescue’s iron ore customers in China is that growth in steel output will to slow to 3-4 per cent in 2019. This follows 12 per cent growth in 2018. Gaines has also indicated that China’s move to restrict Australian coal imports has had no impact on Fortescue’s iron ore shipments. The pure-play miner has resumed shipments from Port Hedland in the wake of Cyclone Veronica.

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FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA, SHANGHAI BAOSTEEL GROUP CORPORATION, FORMOSA GROUP, VALE SA

Household wealth plunges by $10,000, the most since 2011

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 29-Mar-19

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the nation’s overall household net worth fell by $257bn in the December 2018 quarter. This equates to an average of $10,198 per household, and followed a decline of $2,263 in the September quarter. The ABS notes that household net wealth had not declined for two consecutive quarters since the final three months of 2011. Factors such as weaker housing prices and a sharemarket slump weighed on household wealth in the December quarter.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Property tax crackdown from Jan 1

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 29-Mar-19

Labor is set to announce that its proposed changes to the negative gearing and capital gains tax regimes will take effect from the start of January 2020 if it wins the federal election. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen will state on 29 March that this will give investors sufficient time to prepare for the reforms, which Labor had initially flagged more than three years ago. Labor’s reforms would most likely require the support of at least two independents in the upper house, in addition to the Greens.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ONE NATION PARTY, CENTRE ALLIANCE, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL