ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence up 4.8 points to 91.3 in June

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Jul-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan New Zealand Consumer Confidence rose 4.8pts in June to 91.3, back to where it was in March; however, the index is still 16 points below its January peak. The future conditions index, made up of forward-looking questions, rose from 92.7 to 96.7; the current conditions index in turn rose 6 points to 83.2. Perceptions of current personal financial situations (better or worse off than last year) lifted from -25% to -23%; 46% of respondents (down 2% points) say they are ‘worse off’ financially than a year ago, while just 23% (unchanged) say they are ‘better off’. Looking forward, a net 10% of New Zealanders expect to be better off this time next year (down 2 points from a month ago, but well off its April low of 3%), while a net 11% think now is a bad time to buy a major household item. Two-year-ahead CPI inflation expectations eased from 5.3% to 4.6%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Workers back strike option at BHP’s Port Hedland hub

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 7-Jul-26

The Australian Workers Union’s ballot on protected industrial action has been supported by about 97 per cent of its members at BHP’s iron ore export hub in the Pilbara. The AWU voted to join with several other unions in threatening to take industrial action at Port Hedland; they will be required to provide five days’ notice if they opt to proceed with work bans. BHP shipped 290 million tonnes of iron ore via Port Hedland in 2025-26, and says it could lose about $100m worth of revenue per day if the port is shut down due to industrial action.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION

Experts criticise Qld’s straight to jail law

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Marcus de Blonk Smith
The Australian – Page: 3 : 7-Jul-26

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli used his keynote address to the Liberal National Party’s state convention on Sunday to announce a new ‘breach bail, go to jail’ mandatory sentencing policy. Crisafulli said on Monday that the new policy was about tipping the balance ‘in favour of victims’, while he declined to say what the minimum mandatory sentence would be. Critics of the proposal claim it will place enormous pressure on the state’s detention centres, while the Queensland Law Society has previously warned that mandatory sentencing can lead to "serious miscarriages of justice"

CORPORATES
QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, QUEENSLAND LAW SOCIETY INCORPORATED

Allan referred to IBAC on Big Build deal

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ryan Bourke
Herald Sun – Page: 11 : 7-Jul-26

The Victorian Opposition has formally asked the state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission to investigate Premier Jacinta Allan, amid a growing scandal over the Big Build program. The IBAC referral is in regard to Allan’s former role as infrastructure minister; it has been alleged that her office had personally intervened in 2022 to ensure that the CFMEU secured control of the Gap Road Level Crossing removal project in Sunbury. Shadow attorney-general James Newbury says Allan’s alleged intervention could have increased the cost of the Gap Road project by more than $2m. Meanwhile, Allan has again rejected calls for a royal commission into corruption in the Big Build.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY AND MARITIME EMPLOYEES UNION

Japan’s Iron Lady caught up in PM’s Kylie gaffe podcast

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Elizabeth Pike
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-Jul-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has attracted criticism over comments he made about his Japanese counterpart during a recent podcast. Albanese’s remarks about singer Kylie Minogue have overshadowed the comments about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the same podcast, which was hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne. Takaichi visited Australia earlier this year, and presented Albanese with a gift of two prestigious Shizuoka melons. He told Osborne that Takaichi had brought a "couple of melons", and accompanied this comment with suggestive hand gestures. Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister, and the fruit was given to Albanese to signify Australia’s decision to lift restrictions on Japanese melon imports.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

ALP consolidates election-winning lead as One Nation support is down for a second straight week

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 7-Jul-26

The latest Roy Morgan survey shows that primary support for the ALP is unchanged at 28% and One Nation is down 3.5% to 22.5%; primary support for the L-NP Coalition is unchanged at 21.5% (Liberals 19% and Nationals 2.5%, both unchanged), while the Greens are up 1% to 14% and Independents/ Other Parties are up 2.5% at 14%. Support for One Nation has now declined by 9% points over the last two weeks, after hitting a high of 31.5% when Pauline Hanson addressed the National Press Club for the first time. If a Federal Election were held now the ALP would win a clear majority against either One Nation or the Coalition. When preferences are allocated for Coalition, Greens, Independent, and Other Party supporters between the ALP and One Nation, Roy Morgan estimates that the ALP 56% (up 3%) is in front of One Nation 44% (down 3%). If the contest is between the ALP and L-NP, on a two-party preferred basis (based on how electors said they would ‘vote’ their preferences), the ALP is also ahead – ALP 55% (up 1.5%) cf. L-NP 45% (down 1.5%), according to the Roy Morgan survey conducted from 29 June to 5 July, with a representative Australia-wide cross-section of 1,584 electors.

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

Destabilising Chinese ballistic missile test in Pacific prompts government concerns

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Stephen Dziedzic, Tom Lowrey
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 7-Jul-26

China has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead in the Pacific, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong labelling the test as "destabilising to the region". Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed that the federal government had been briefed by China about the test taking place, while he said the government was "very concerned about any actions that undermine the stability, peace and security of the Pacific". News of the missile test broke just hours after Australia and Fiji announced a new military pact, but Marles said he did not think the test was in response to the new pact.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ALP lifts pressure off Palestinian Authority, Hamas

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Elizabeth Pike, Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 7-Jul-26

An initial draft of the ALP’s policy platform for its upcoming national conference called for Hamas to disarm and for the Palestinian Authority to reform and guarantee Israel’s security. However, no mention of these demands are mentioned in the latest draft, despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese making them key conditions of his recognition of Palestine, while the latest draft appears to strengthen criticisms of Israel over its actions in Gaza. Commenting on the latest draft of Labor’s policy platform, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the federal government stands by its view that Hamas should play no role in a future Palestinian state

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Price tumbles spread to all capital cities

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Thomas Henry, Noah Yim
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 7-Jul-26

HSBC Australia’s chief economist Paul Bloxham says the bank’s central forecast is for house prices to fall by up to eight per cent nationally by the end of 2027, including 2-6 per cent next year. He adds that the pace of decline in June suggests that there is downside risk to HSBC’s central forecast, with Cotality’s home value index falling by 0.4 per cent nationally in June. Bloxham warns that official interest rate cuts are likely to be needed to deliver a housing market turnaround, but this is unlikely to occur in the next year. Meanwhile, Westpac’s senior economist Pat Bustamante says the major bank expects a further two interest rate rises in the current monetary policy cycle.

CORPORATES
HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD, COTALITY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC

Housing slide to lift ASX, but banks face risk

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Grace Lagan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 7-Jul-26

House prices fell 0.4 per cent nationwide in June, while the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained about 0.5 per cent. Historical analysis by Morningstar suggests that the Australian bourse is likely to benefit from the latest housing market weakness. The firm notes that excluding the global financial crisis, there have been five housing market downturns since 1980 that have resulted in dwelling prices falling by at least five per cent; the ASX 200 has in turn gained 7.5 per cent on average during each of these downturns. Looking ahead, Challenger’s chief economist Jonathan Kearns says the nation’s banks are likely to record lower growth in new home loans as an expected rise in the unemployment rate results in increased mortgage arrears.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, CHALLENGER LIMITED – ASX CGF