Consumer advocate Choice said on Tuesday that the federal government needs to exercise stricter oversight function on Australia’s banking industry in light of the reported harassment utilised by some major banks in demanding payments from beleaguered borrowers.
The working population will be receiving an early gift this Christmas once the Queensland parliament passes a bill creating extra public holidays on Christmas day and New Year's day.
A non-profit group research shows an alarming rise in the number of short-term lenders prying on low-income earners.
The newly formed government is putting the crucial financial services and superannuation areas in the hands of a 43-year-old 'faceless' man.
As it turned out, the new minority Labor government is now standing on the crucial support provided by two independent MPs, who in turn were enticed by pledges of up to $10 billion regional development initiatives from the federal government.
Former finance minister Lindsay Tanner is set to wear his business suit again but this time as a corporate advisor for Lazard Australia, following his bowing out of politics but not before leaving a major imprint in the previous Labor governments headed by Kevin Rudd and now incumbent Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Campaigns for the November elections are beginning to bring in a shower of promises.
As fuel prices in Hobart showed that it currently carries the most expensive petrol in Australia, Tasmanian opposition leaders scored Premier David Bartlett for his failure in arresting the upward surge of pump prices.
The minority government established by the Labor Party should be the least concern of the financial markets since it is bound to operate in a transparent manner, according to Employment Minister Simon Crean when he spoke with reporters on Thursday.
The state government of Tasmania is now under fire as the opposition raised questions on Thursday whether the decision in 2007 to allow Forest Enterprises Australia exclusive access to a total of 300,000 tonnes of radiata pine was made under extreme duress.
Western Australia’s mining minister has enjoined the state’s resource industry to sustain its campaign against the proposed minerals resource rent tax proposed by the federal government.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced on Thursday that it is still against National Australia Bank’s (NAB) proposed takeover of AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd, effectively throwing out the suitor’s latest revised undertakings.
Access Economics has reported on Wednesday that the Australian retail industry is set to experience growths in the current financial year as it warned though that further expansions may be dwarfed by the establishment of a minority government.
Shortly after its re-assumption as the new Australian government, the Labor Party is now parrying accusations of reneging from a deal forged with independent MPs that enabled the party to finally take the country’s leadership, following almost two weeks of uncertainties and speculations.
Major mining stocks all retreated in the market as the swing votes of two independent MPs gave the Labor Party the necessary numbers in forming the next government, largely seen by economic and political watchers as a blow to the resource industry’s vehement opposition to the controversial minerals resource rent tax.
Synthetic gas producer Cougar Energy Ltd (ASX: CXY) announced on Tuesday that a workable deal has been struck with the Queensland state government over the company’s shuttered underground coal gasification (UCG) facilities in the state’s South Burnett region.
Miners are threatening to restart anti-tax campaign, potentially bringing back the controversy over the government's resource levy.
Australia’s business leaders need to unite and throw their support on the initiative that would set a price on carbon and establish an emission trading scheme in the country as the head of a giant property company asserted that climate change should be a dominant agenda of both business and political leaders.
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has said his government will start the process to compulsory take land in the Kimberley for the development of a $30 billion gas precinct.
Tasmanian opposition leaders have been wondering why the government is taking too long in establishing the independent panel tasked to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of the state’s electricity industry.
Julia Gillard vowed not to allow an alliance with the Greens party to change her plans for a tax on miners' profits.
South Africa is not about to follow the lead of the Labor-led Australian government as the country’s mines minister ruled out the possibility of a new mining tax similar to the proposed minerals resource rent tax, now in limbo as politicians struggle to form a government out of a hung parliament.
Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett said on Wednesday that negotiations with traditional land owners in the Kimberley area has essentially bogged down and the state may have to compulsorily allocate land to be used by the proposed $30 billion LNG gas station.
West Australia Premier Colin Barnett shot down a university report that contends tourism in Kimberley would suffer once a planned LNG processing hub is established there.
The State government of Victoria supported 59 policy changes suggested by the Bushfires Royal Commission. The final report of last year's devastating bushfires was released last month and carried 67 suggested policy changes.
Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese said on Thursday that lingering uncertainties may continue to hound further growth of the resource industry but he assured that despite the hurdles, the sector’s long-term prospect remains strong.
The Independent bloc urged Treasury to assess the the election promises made by the Tony Abbott's Coalition and Julia Gillard's Labor.
As the government, the opposition and the independent MPs are set to gather in Canberra on Wednesday to discuss the creation of a working parliament, business leaders in Queensland have voiced out their concerns that a hung parliament could prove indifferent to the business community.
Independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor, and Bob Katter hold a very crowded list of interest groups that are wanting to discuss with them. The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has just joined in.
Independent MP Tony Windsor of New South Wales says the financial markets will continue activities while a new government is being formed.
