BUSINESS

An online survey revealed that majority of Australians who acquired their first homes in the last two years are contented.

The District Court of New South Wales on Tuesday sentenced 32-year-old former corporate executive Oliver Banovec, of Bellevue Hill, Sydney, NSW, after he was found guilty of five counts of fraud and one count of perjury. The court also said that Banovec would not be eligible for parole for a period of four years and nine months during his imprisonment.

Corporate regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) scored a major victory in its civil penalty case against former Select Vaccines Limited chief executive officer Dr. Martin Soust of Malvern East, Victoria after it was granted a pecuniary penalty and disqualification orders.

The Federal Court on Tuesday gave a green light to Seven Network's $3 billion merger with Kerry Stoke's industrial firm WesTac

A National Bank of Australia (NAB) business survey has showed Tuesday that business conditions and confidence dipped a bit but stayed in a generally positive realm in the first quarter of 2010, as an upbeat mood towards Australia’s promising economic outlook eclipsed the sharp decline seen in trading conditions.

A new property industry study has revealed on Tuesday that Melbourne is fast gaining traction as the country’s economic powerhouse and could eventually dislodge Sydney as Australia’s largest city come 2037.

A union strike at its Geelong refinery could mean a threat to its operations if there is no intervention made by Shell on the cleaners' job security.

Opposition senators have called on the federal government to release the $25 million study on the $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN), which has been touted by the government as Australia’s largest infrastructure undertaking to date.

The Bank of Queensland is set to acquire the Australian and New Zealand businesses of New York-based Commercial Investment Trust (CIT) Group, well known for its lending services to small and medium-sized businesses.

Credits cards are beginning to lose its touch as Australians now opt cash and debit cards instead.

The federal government has announced today that its water purchase program in the Murray-Darling Basin received a big boost from a new study which showed that the $1.5 billion water buybacks models implemented so far had actually released many irrigators from financial pressures.

The State Government may be pushing for a ban on the controversial data service that allow petrol companies view each other's prices.

The recently anointed chief marketing officer of Telstra has yet to solve the problems that is facing the company right now.

Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd (ConsMedia) has announced Friday that it is asking its shareholders to use $225 million in its plan to buy back 11.88 percent of the company’s 620.71 million shares on issue, which analysts said are indications that the media company is on road to become private anew.

Several passengers of Qantas may be forced to delay their flights once again as the airlines will continue to delay its flight schedules for the coming weeks.

The federal government has released key proposals aiming to further strengthen regulation of Australia’s remittance business as it hinted the introduction of tougher measures on money forwarders who could be utilised by launderers and human smugglers.

A decision on Seven Network's $13 billion partnership with Kerry Stoke's privately owned industrial equipment business WesTrac Holdings will be revealed on Tuesday next week, according to the Federal Court.

Several corporate sponsors want out on their partnership with Melbourne Storm after it was involved in a salary cap scandal.

Woodside Petroleum today posted a seven per cent loss in production during the first quarter of 2010, despite a record in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production from the North West Shelf.

A National Bank of Australia (NAB) survey has revealed Thursday that capital values will be raised across all commercial sectors, as expansion in commercial properties is expected over the next 12 months with the office sector coming out as the lead player and edging out the retail and industrial sectors.

Woolworths collaborate with universities for the third time by offering a two-week free scholarship course for young West Australian agriculturalists by September 2010.

Iluka Resources Ltd has reported that demands for high value mineral sands, such as zircon and rutile, increased on key markets in the first quarter of the year following restrained output during the global financial crisis.

Rio Tinto Alcan will be investigated by the Northern Territory Government over an industrial spill on one of its alumina mine and refinery on east Arnhem Land coast.

Telstra has announced plans to impose an additional 20 cents charge on competitors accessing the company’s copper network, and raising the possibility that consumers will soon foot much higher internet and phone bills.

Australia was recently declared a world economic leader, according to a latest assessment by the International Monetary Fund.

Caltex Australia Ltd has released on Thursday its unaudited first quarter profit which showed sales spikes of up to 33 percent or $130 million on a replacement cost of sales operating profit (RCOP) basis, as the oil company cautioned that its short term outlook is largely tentative at this stage.

The National Australia Bank scrapped the idea of selling its Aviva wealth management business which was acquired ten months ago, as it still has unfinished business on the AXA Asia Pacific takeover bid.

The State Mining Engineer has announced that the government is poised to collect millions via a safety regulation tax as the Department of Mines and Petroleum is set to impose fresh steps that will secure the safety performance of the resource industry.

Drug manufacturer and distributor Sigma Pharmaceuticals Ltd stands to face an estimated $200 million in damage claims from shareholders over its yearly loss and allegations of violation of continuous disclosure obligations.