POLITICS & POLICY

The National Australia Bank has slashed down its economic growth forecasts for the country based on its latest survey that shows very slight increases in domestic sectors in Australia for the last six months.

Australia’s solar energy industry has welcomed the release of the Gillard Government plan to put a price on carbon. Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) acknowledged “Big Solar is a big winner” in the Clean Energy Future announcement.

Beleaguered and undaunted, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard had begun her final push for the carbon tax deemed necessary for the environment but would be costly for the domestic economy. There is no turning back for Ms Gillard determined to put a carbon emissions scheme in place no matter what the odds.

The Royal couple let their hair down to spend some time with the kids of Los Angeles as they visit the Inner-City arts club and distributed care packages to military children.

The release of the Australian Government plans to put a price on carbon will potentially hit vegetable and potato growers around the country as the sector battles with further hikes in electricity costs, according to AUSVEG, the National Peak Industry body for Australia’s 9,000 vegetable and potato growers.

With the release of the Gillard Government plan to put a price on carbon pollution, the Australian prime minister has promised that more than half of the revenue raised on the new levy will go to households to help meet price impacts. This assistance will be through increases in pensions, allowances and family payments, and personal income tax cuts.

Nearly 300,000 people have signed an online petition for the creation of a federal law that would make it a felony for a parent to fail to notify police of a child's disappearance or death.

Both donning cowboy hats, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Calgary stampede and took part in various festival activities.

The Gillard Government is determined to stop gay Aussies from tying the knot, with the prime minister blocking same-sex marriages among Australians in the Big Apple.

Australia's crop growing industry can take advantage of the weather and other climate conditions with the new online tool from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).

In spite all the denials that China's leader Jiang Zemin is still alive, rumours that he had died of a lingering illness persist.State-run Xinhua News issued a statement denying his demise and censorship on the Internet prevails in China relating to searches on his true state.

Thailand's next Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has dismissed mounting rumours that her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, will be given an official role under her tenure.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took a detour from their official Canadian tour itinerary to visit Slave Lake in Alberta, a town ruined by a forest fire.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) says it has been flooded with emails and calls from members of the community outraged by the Australian government’s decision to resume live cattle exports to Indonesia.

China has expressed concern on the planned carbon tax by the Australia government, which the Chinese government said might be a step back for the country's mining boom.

The case against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will continue despite the legal wrangling between the prosecution team and Strauss-Kahn's main accuser.

The Transportation Security Administration warned airlines and foreign security agencies on Wednesday that terrorists groups might try to surgically implant bombs under the skins of passengers.

National jobs figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today revealed a significant rebound in the employment market, confirming the underlying strength of the Australian economy.

The Australian government has mellowed down its carbon tax policy that would not be too much of a burden to small and medium enterprises. Industries affected by the carbon price had been reduced to 500 from the previous 1000, the government said.

The national construction industry contracted further in June with solid falls in new orders and activity across the sector. The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI®) in conjunction with the Housing Industry Association, fell 3.8 points to 35.8 (a reading below 50 indicates a contraction in activity).

Australia has announced it would lift a ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia and resume trade with additional safeguards in place to address animal cruelty concerns.

The campaign for carbon pricing have gathered new supporters as the push for the government policy has turned to popularity and gathering of numbers.

As budget airline Tiger Airways heeded calls made by the Australian consumer watchdog on Wednesday to halt it ticket sales on Wednesday in light of the company’s uncertain flight status, the country’s aviation authority indicated today that a new decision will be issued on Friday.

NBN Co is opening up employment opportunities to registered training providers equipped to skill the workers who will build the National Broadband Network. Training is planned to start in the second half of 2012 to ensure sufficient workers are in place for the full scale rollout of the network, scheduled to begin in 2014.

After battling with GFC and a record-high dollar, Australia’s exporters are now facing a new threat in the face of carbon tax.

As the national broadband network overhauls Australia’s telecommunication industry, so is the largest telco in the country, Telstra Corporation, which announced on Wednesday consolidation on its services and reorganization on the firm’s leadership functions.

The local economy is not as robust as its seems and projected growth could falter down the line in the current year as indicated by the latest Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decision to hold off any rate movements for the month of July on Tuesday.

The Reserve Bank saved Australians from higher mortgage rates and borrowing costs for another month, keeping official interest rates on hold.

Putting pressure on the government, Australia’s solar peak bodies today said at least 73 solar jobs a day are now being lost in NSW due to the policy void around a fair and equal price on solar power.