ECONOMIC INDICATORS – AUSTRALIA

Mortgage burden surges to highest in three decades

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Madeleine Bower
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 14-Oct-26

New data shows that the proportion of household income nationwide that is spent on mortgage repayments is at or close to its highest level in more than three decades. The figures show that mortgage repayments accounted for nearly 31 per cent of household income in NSW during June, and more than 28 per cent for Queensland residents and about 22 per cent for homeowners in Victoria. The data compiled by the NSW Treasury, and is based on figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Cotality and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.

CORPORATES
NEW SOUTH WALES. THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, COTALITY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 0.9pts to 68, small recovery after three weeks of falls

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Oct-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 0.9pts to 68 in the week to 11 October, recovering slightly after falling by 6.8pts over the previous three weeks. However, Consumer Confidence is now 15pts lower than a year ago (83), and 4.1pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.1. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has increased in New South Wales and Victoria, fallen in Queensland and Western Australia, and is virtually unchanged in South Australia. Now 15% of Australians (unchanged) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 55% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 19% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 42% (down 3ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 5% (unchanged) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 45% (down 1ppt) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 14% (unchanged) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 47% (also unchanged) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Australian real unemployment drops 1.1% to 10.6%, driven by an increase in employment and a decline in the workforce

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Oct-26

In September 2026, Australian ‘real unemployment’ fell 1.1% to 10.6% (down 181,000 to 1,667,000); this is the lowest since April. In addition to the unemployed, a further 1.37 million Australians (8.8% of the workforce, down 0.3%) were under-employed, down 71,000. In total, 3.04 million Australians (19.4% of the workforce, down 1.4%) were either unemployed or under-employed in September. Meanwhile, overall employment increased by 49,000 to 14,005,000 in September; the increase was driven by a rise in part-time employment (up 102,000 to 5,046,000, and equivalent to 36% of employed Australians). In contrast, full-time employment was down 53,000 to 8,959,000 (equivalent to 64% of employed Australians). Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at 15,672,000 in September, down 132,000 on a month ago, and representing 66.6% (down 0.7%) of Australians aged 14+. The September Roy Morgan Unemployment estimates were obtained by surveying an Australia-wide cross section of people aged 14+.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 3.4pts to 67.1 – lowest since May after RBA raises interest rates to 15-year high

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 3.4pts to 67.1 in the week to 4 October, which is its lowest rating since late May. Consumer Confidence is now 18pts lower than a year ago (85.1), and 5.1pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.2. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has decreased in the four largest States of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, but is up slightly in South Australia. Now 15% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 56% (up 6ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 20% (unchanged) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 45% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 5% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 46% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, just 14% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 47% (up 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

In August 2026 risk of mortgage stress virtually unchanged at 32.3%, but up a large 8.4% points since January

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Sep-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 32.3% of mortgage holders were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in the three months to August 2026. This is equivalent to 1,718,000 people (down 68,000 on a month earlier, but up 534,000 so far this year). The proportion of people at risk of mortgage stress is down 0.2% points from July, although it is up 8.4% points since January after three interest rate increases from the Reserve Bank early this year. Yesterday’s interest rate increase of 25 basis points to a 15-year high of 4.6% will impact future mortgage stress. Meanwhile, the number of Australians who are considered to be ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress, is now numbered at 1,207,000 (22.7% of mortgage holders); this is significantly above the long-term average over the last two decades of 16.4%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.5pts to 70.5 as confidence about personal finances declines

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 30-Sep-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.5pts to 70.5 in the week to 27 September, which is its lowest rating since late May. Consumer Confidence is now 15.8pts lower than a year ago (85.3), and 1.8pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.3. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has decreased in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, but there have been small increases in both Victoria and Queensland. Now 17% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 50% (unchanged) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 20% (down 4ppts) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 43% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 6% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 44% (unchanged) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 16% (down 1ppt) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 44% (down 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 1.9pts to 72 as confidence about the Australian economy’s performance declines

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 23-Sep-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 1.9pts to 72 in the week to 20 September; Consumer Confidence is now 12.6pts lower than a year ago (84.6), but just 0.4pts below the 2026 weekly average of 72.4. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has fallen in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, while there have been small increases in both Western Australia and South Australia. Now 19% of Australians (up 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 50% (down 1ppt) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 24% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 41% (up 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 5% (down 3ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 44% (up 3ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 17% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 46% (up 3ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

New-home sales national freefall

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Mackenzie Scott
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 16-Sep-26

Data from the Housing Industry Association shows that sales of new home in Australia fell by 10 per cent month-on-month in August, and by 19.3 per cent in the last three months. The data is based on the HIA’s survey of major home builders across the nation’s five largest capital cities. The HIA’s chief economist Tim Reardon says the federal government’s budget changes tax have weakened market confidence at the same time that three interest rate increases have reduced household borrowing capacity and increased mortgage repayments. The HIA data also shows that sales of new homes have fallen by 7.7 per cent year-on-year.

CORPORATES
HOUSING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence up 2pts to 73.9 as confidence about personal finances increases

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Sep-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rose 2pts to 73.9 in the week to 13 September; Consumer Confidence is still 12pts lower than a year ago (85.3), but 1.5pts above the 2026 weekly average of 72.4. Analysis by State shows that Consumer Confidence has increased in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, while it is down in Queensland for a second straight week and unchanged in Western Australia. Now 17% of Australians (up 3ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 51% (down 3ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’. Looking forward, 23% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 40% (down 1ppt) expect to be ‘worse off’. Only 8% (up 3ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months, while 41% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’. Meanwhile, 19% (up 3ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 43% (up 2ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

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

Australian real unemployment up 0.1% to 11.7%, with workforce and employment both marginally contracting

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Sep-26

In August 2026, Australian ‘real unemployment’ rose by 15,000 to 1,848,000 (11.7% of the workforce, up 0.1%), and under-employment increased by 50,000 to 1,445,000 (up 0.3% to 9.1%). In total, 3.29 million Australians (20.8% of the workforce, up 0.4%) were either unemployed or under-employed in August. Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at 15,804,000 in August, down 9,000 on a month ago, and representing 67.3% (down 0.1%) of Australians aged 14+. Overall employment was down 24,000 to 13,956,000 in August. The decrease was driven by a fall in full-time employment (down 81,000 to 9,012,000), and equivalent to 64.6% of employed Australians. In contrast, part-time employment was up 57,000 to 4,944,000 (equivalent to 35.4% of employed Australians). The August Roy Morgan Unemployment estimates were obtained by surveying an Australia-wide cross section of people aged 14+.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED