AAP

Retail spending continues to improve, driven by department store sales, reflecting the bounce in consumer confidence since the September federal election.

Labor must expand or die, according to Western Australian leader Mark McGowan, who has revealed plans for local party branches to hold meetings online.

The Abbott government is being urged to close a legal loophole after the Federal Court ruled against four Filipinos being paid less than $3 an hour to work on oil rigs off the West Australian coast.

The controversial results of Western Australia's senate recount have been formally declared ahead of a likely High Court challenge.

The Australian stock market has opened higher following gains on Wall Street driven by good US manufacturing data and car sales figures.

Westpac has announced a record $7.1 billion full year profit, and the bank expects improving consumer confidence to help it build on the result next year.

Gold futures have fallen, as pressure from a stronger US dollar dampens investor interest in the dollar-denominated metal.

US stocks paused this week following a stream of corporate earnings that were solid enough to maintain the year's gains, but not quite good enough to push the rally forward.

The Australian dollar is lower against the greenback, driven by good US data and talk that the US Federal Reserve could begin tapering its economic stimulus program sooner rather than later.

Shares in Macquarie Group climbed to their highest level in four years after the investment bank's half year profit rose by 39 per cent to $501 million.

Consumers could be faced with higher prices in coming months due to an acceleration in business energy costs.

A court has allowed four Filipino men to be paid less than $3 an hour to work on oil rigs off the Western Australian coast.

David Jones is upbeat ahead of the busy Christmas season as the upmarket department store chain enjoys a healthy post-election boost in sales.

Australian shares have been dragged lower by the big miners due to weaker commodities prices.

Shares in NSW cheese maker Bega have surged to a record high after the world's biggest diary exporter Fonterra bought a six per cent stake in it.

The Australia market has opened lower following weak leads from Wall Street.

US stocks have fallen following a flood of mixed earnings reports, but registered strong gains for the entire tumultuous month of October.

Oil prices have fallen again, with New York prices down a third straight day, amid rising stockpiles in the United States and a tepid picture for economic growth.

The Australian dollar is lower after a bout of disappointing data from the euro zone caused a sell-off in most currencies.

Nine mine workers trapped in an underground mine in central Western Australia have been bought to the surface safely, the operator BHP Billiton says.

Clive Palmer says a discrepancy in the numbers across three vote recounts in the seat of Fairfax proves officials have been counting votes incorrectly, while the Liberal National Party is yet to rule out challenging his narrow win.

There is growing confidence the central bank will leave the official cash rate unchanged at its November board meeting for the second year in a row.

National Australia Bank has made a record profit of almost $6 billion and hopes an improvement in business confidence will boost its bottom line next year.

The Australian share market has closed slightly lower as falls by most major banks and gains among industrial stocks resulted in a flat day of trade.

The fate of Western Australia's Senate election looks set to be decided in court - or with a new election for six WA senate seats - after the Australian Electoral Commission admitted it had lost more than 1,300 votes.

The surprise discovery of coal in the Pilbara signals there may be many more valuable resources still undiscovered in Western Australia, according to Premier Colin Barnett.

Federal authorities have been drafted in to help investigate the discovery of a large haul of chemical explosive in a Western Australian estuary, which has been confirmed to be the highly-volatile TATP.

Woolworths has enjoyed a three per cent sales increase despite subdued retail conditions, with its supermarkets, petrol stations and hardware stores posting gains.

Bega Cheese's takeover play for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory has been given a boost, with the competition regulator greenlighting the bid.

Uranium miner Paladin Energy says an employee has died, almost a month after receiving significant burns in an electrical incident at its Langer Heinrich Mine in Namibia.

The Australian market has opened lower following falls in US stocks after the Federal Reserve hinted at when it may start to unwind its stimulus program.

LinkedIn says it has surpassed five million Australian members as more people apparently try online networking for a career boost.