AAP

A new commissioner will be appointed to help oversee cyber security breaches as part of an overhaul of the sector in Australia, the government has announced.

The ASX has gained 0.3 per cent but still suffered its third straight week of losses as interest rates anxiety ratcheted up.

A new $20 million round of funding is now open for farmers to help develop ways to measure carbon in their soil, in a plan to help reduce emissions.

The Australia Institute has linked rising prices to growing business profits, and claimed workers should not accept sluggish wage growth.

The ASX has ended lower for a third day in a row, dropping 0.4 per cent amid a slew of company earnings reports.

Kimberley businesses affected by Western Australia's once-in-a-century-flooding in January will be eligible for more than $40 million in freight subsidies.

Easing supply bottlenecks and a robust pipeline of work fed into a strong final quarter for investment activity in 2022, the Bureau of Statistics says.

Qantas has reported a first-half underlying pre-tax profit of $1.43 billion - turning around last year's loss - as strong demand helped offset high fuel costs.

The ASX has finished down 0.3 per cent as strong US and weak Australian economic data sent mixed messages to investors.

Rising oil and gas prices fuelled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have propelled gas producer Santos to record profits.

Jim Chalmers says he won't "pretend away" pressures on the federal budget which includes superannuation tax concessions.

The ASX has recovered most of its morning losses to finish down 0.2 per cent as traders digested a hawkish message from the Reserve Bank.

Australian consumers are feeling a little more upbeat but the nation's weekly measure of consumer confidence is still deeply in negative territory.

A return to the cashless debit card scheme will not address intergenerational issues in remote communities, the prime minister says.

The local share market has finished slightly higher as the market digested a spate of earnings reports from NIB, BlueScope Steel, Ampol, A2 Milk and others.

BlueScope has posted a drop in first-half net profit and warned of a "material impact" from proposed emissions rules for firms with big industrial facilities.

Industry, government and financiers need to invest more than $20 billion per year for the Australian economy to expand without dangerous levels of pollution.

Jim Chalmers will push to legislate a common objective for superannuation funds to stop early withdrawals and limit the use of super to accumulate wealth.

The ASX fell another 0.9 per cent on its way to a 1.2 per cent loss for the week, as more speculation over US interest rates drove the market.

The Queensland and federal governments have signed a landmark $7 billion deal to build and upgrade venues for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.

The Reserve Bank has not been spooked by the unexpected uptick in the headline jobless rate and will stick with its hawkish stance on interest rates.

A blockbuster US retail sales report for January and a surprise increase in Australian jobless claims have pushed Australian stocks 0.8 per cent higher.

Recovery crews have been working through the night to access the location where two miners are believed trapped after a collapse at a north Queensland mine.

Gold miner Newcrest has rejected a takeover bid from US giant Newmont, instead rewarding shareholders with a massive dividend.

The average value of invoices between businesses in January fell to its lowest level since 2015, while trade payment defaults have been trending upward.

The ASX has fallen 1.1 per cent, its biggest drop in six weeks, driven by the big banks and higher-than-expected US inflation figures.

The federal government will need to agree to stop new coal and gas projects opening if it wants the Greens' help on a signature emissions reduction measure.

Australia's biggest lender has lifted its half-year cash profit by 9 per cent and lifted interim dividend by 20 per cent to $2.10 a share.

The Reserve Bank's former governor has delivered a scathing assessment of its recent performance as current chief Philip Lowe faces a parliamentary grilling.

The Australian share market has finished up 0.2 per cent ahead of the release of another inflation readout in the US.

Media conglomerate Seven West will not pay out a dividend after a decrease in half-yearly earnings, despite strong digital growth.

With the coalition set to oppose a major Labor election promise on housing, the Greens want a number of improvements to the proposed $10 billion fund.