POLITICS & POLICY

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has announced that the public should expect wetter and cooler days ahead as the mercury is forecasted to drop in the coming months.

An Australian Industry Group report released today, Energy shock: confronting higher prices, delivers a sobering message about the relentlessly increasing energy prices which are impacting on businesses and the community, Ai Group Chief Executive Heather Ridout said.

The national construction industry remained in the red in February, although the rate of contraction eased, with the Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI) in conjunction with the Housing Industry Association, up 4.4 points to 44.6 (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

"Fair Work Australia needs to take a cautious approach this year in adjusting minimum wages. The Australian economy is emerging from the global financial crisis in better shape than most other advanced economies but slowed in the second half of 2010 and has been adversely affected by the severe weather events in the early part of this year," Ai Group Chief Executive, Heather Ridout, said.

This year's Earth Hour generated a record number of participants with 130 countries and territories which registered to take part in the global lights-out event in an effort to raise awareness on climate change.

Australian finance minister Wayne Swan on Monday belied speculations his office would reject the proposed A$8.4 billion (S$10.6 billion) merger between the Australian and Singaporean bourses.

Two men and one woman appeared in the Sydney Central Local Court this morning charged with importing and attempting to possess 170kg of opium. All three were remanded in custody to appear again in June 2011.

The nuclear emergency in Japan is not likely to have an impact on Australian uranium exports, the Australian Uranium Association (AUA) says.

Britain's Prince William on Monday concluded his visit to flood hit parts of Victoria in what many seen by many as a public relations success for the second-in-line to the British throne. His tour was capped by an announcement by the state's government of additional financial assistance to those worst affected by the flooding in mid-January when the Loddon River broke its banks and dumped more water into communities.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has charged a 38-year-old East Sydney man and a 21-year-old Bombaderry man for allegedly trafficking approximately 50 kilograms of methamphetamines (ICE). The two men are scheduled to in Sydney Central Local Court today

Australian parents can heave a sigh of relief as School Education Minister Peter Garrett on Monday launched the revised National Safe Schools Framework in Brisbane to better equip Australian schools to deal with student bullying.

Griffith University's Australian Rivers Institute is spearheading a research partnership to develop science to underpin improved management and assessment of the health of Australia's river and wetland ecosystems.

The Australian Government welcomes the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which importantly calls for the imposition of a no fly zone over Libya and demands the immediate establishment of a ceasefire and a complete end to violence.

Visiting fellow Dr Peter McCawley at The Australian National University on Monday called on Japan to announce an overall strategy if it is to successfully respond to the nation's unfolding natural disaster.

A survey by the University of Sydney has found that majority of residents from New South Wales are not confident transport in their local area will improve in the 12 months following this week's state election.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has validated Australia has a secure, sustainable and adequate pension system. The organisation’s report, Pensions at a Glance 2011, examined the pension systems of 42 countries.

The Australian government has lodged its submission to Fair Work Australia’s 2010-11 Annual Wage Review, recommending that any increase to minimum wages be in line with cost of living and other economic changes.

Outgoing Google chief executive Eric Schmidt lauded the Australian government’s national broadband initiative of putting up a country-wide network that he said would boost business and consumer growth.

The Group of Seven (G-7) Finance ministers had agreed to intervene in the markets to stabilise the Japanese yen that would help hasten the economic recovery efforts of the country as it struggles to rebuild after the devastating earthquake.

Almost half a million households across regional Victoria will make the historic transition to digital-only free-to-air television in 50 days' time.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission does not intend to oppose Cargill Incorporated's proposed acquisition from Agrium of the commodity management businesses of AWB Limited.

The Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Lyn Maddock, has announced her retirement to take effect from mid-June, 2011.

The water cannon strategy may have prevailed in cooling the damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan. However, the situation remains serious until the reactors had all been stabilised, the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The United Nations Security Council has voted today for the United States military and its allies to use force against Libyan leader Muammar's Qaddafi's air troops to help protect the civilians threatened by the raging conflict.

The President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Sang-Hyun Song of South Korea, concluded an eight-day official trip to Southeast Asia on Sunday 13 March 2011.

Almost four out of five Australians say they are concerned about the Federal Government’s proposed tax on the cleaner, greener alternative fuel LPG - a tax that could send the cost of the green transition fuel sky rocketing, see taxi fares rise and cripple Australia’s fragile LPG industry.

Pursuing a dangerous tact to quell a nuclear disaster, Japan has used helicopters to cool down the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power facility.

The federal government has yet to decide on a definite carbon price level despite the new review issued on Thursday by Climate Change chief adviser Professor Ross Garnaut that calls for a maximum tax imposition of $30 per tonne produced.

Ross Garnaut’s carbon pricing paper requires Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Climate Change Minister Greg Combet to be honest about how high a carbon tax will be set to see renewable energy growth, says Australia's leading free market think tank.