POLITICS & POLICY

The opposition leader also criticized Rudd's plan, stating that the budget, which should be released on Tuesday, is based on a $9 billion-a-year new tax on mining companies.

A member of the federal opposition criticized Treasury Wayne Swan's statements regarding the budget which is due on Tuesday night. Mr. Swan promised a “no frills” budget, where it will be steady and predicts a long-term reform.

Members of the Australian Council of Trade Unions call on the federal government to provide a cautious budget with reasonable tax cuts and extra funds for education, health, and skills.

The chief executive of BHP Billiton told reporters over the weekend its concerns regarding the Federal Government's 40 per cent on all profits of the mining companies.

Controversies still loom over Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as a Federal opposition slams him as a “racist” for wanting to stem the flow of mining profits leading to foreign investors.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh commits to release a preliminary report on Monday about the health's payroll system of Queensland to the public.

Treasurer Wayne Swan told mining industry to calm down and explained that the Labor's proposed resources tax will provide new benefits.

An opposition lawmaker has proposed a ban on burka or full-face Islamic veil after a man carried out an armed robbery using the burka to hide his identity.

A survey made by NERA Economic Consulting firm has shows that the number of securities class action filings in Australia reached record high in 2009 and broke the previous record set in 2008. At least six securities class actions were filed in 2009, which brings the total for 2007-2009 to 14 - exactly half of total number of filings since the first securities class action case was filed in Australia in the early 1990s.

The State Information Centre, a powerful government think-tank, has called on the Chinese government to consider a more flexible exchange rate in order to eliminate worldwide pressure for a stable currency and discourage the entry of speculative funds on China’s economy, which could encounter a slow down by the year’s second quarter.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh on Friday suggested to make some changes on the federal government's proposed mining tax to protect the growing Liquefied Natural gas industry.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Friday that there will be no last-minute changes on the national budget after witnessing a disturbance on Wall Street and in European market last night.

Australians will be given an opportunity to support or defer the compulsory superannuation contributions in the next election.

An editorial columnist of a Chinese government-owned newspaper has hinted for the State to imitate Australia's proposed resource rent tax.

A further study on the implementation of the national broadband network (NBN) will be revealed on Thursday by Communications, Broadband and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Conroy after promising to publish it before the federal budget.

The Adelaide Airport failed to convince the Federal Government on its draft master plan for a Parafield Airport expansion in the northern suburbs.

Several miners will put their operations on hold or reassess plans to continue operations in Australia after Sunday's announcement of an addition mining tax on super profits.

The controversial new 40 percent tax on so-called "super profits" of the country's mining sector again drew flak from Australia's main conservative Liberal-National opposition party which vowed to block passage of the proposed measure.

An Australian biotechnology company is claiming to have isolated a natural extract from seaweed which has been shown to inhibit the H1N1 virus. The breakthrough offers new home for the containment of influenza outbreaks.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will sit on a meeting with several of Australia's biggest mining companies on Wednesday to discuss his new resource super tax profits.

BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers criticized the Federal Government for accusing Australia's mining industry on not paying its full share of tax.

Queensland's Premier Anna Blight will questions the new mining tax plan proposed by the federal government, stating that it poses a threat to the nation's mining industry.

The Federal Government is urging mining companies to cooperate with the new reforms on super profits tax.

Unions are disappointed with several businesses for opposing the federal government's superannuation increase, branding them as "selfish" and cannot see the brighter side of the reform

The government's plan to impose a 40 percent tax on above-normal mining profits got an ally from union members who criticized what they described as "disgraceful scare campaign" that the new levy would translate to job losses in the industry.

Australian Trade Minister Simon Cream arrived in India on Sunday for a weeklong visit aimed at strengthening the Aussie-India trade and economic partnership. Crean said he hopes to raise the level of relationship between Canberra and New Delhi to a new level.

Journalists from across the globe are celebrating World Press Freedom Day Monday. To commemorate the event, the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) had called on governments worldwide to remove the barriers to the free flow of information.

The People’s Bank of China has advised local banks on Sunday to increase their money reserves in a bid to rein in waves of fresh lending that could burst the property bubble and eventually lead to economic overheating.

Canberra's energy policies were criticized by AGL Energy for delaying its green power proposal, stating that it may threaten Australia's reputation as a suitable place for investments.