AAP

The Reserve Bank of Australia has warned banks and households to remain prudent with their lending and borrowing practices in the current record-low interest rate environment.

The chief of Labor's building and construction watchdog has quit, as the Abbott government prepares to put in place a tougher regime for the industry.

Agricultural chemicals and seeds supplier Nufarm says its annual profit has been affected by challenging seasonal conditions and a difficult market in Australia.

The Australian share market has opened a third of a per cent higher.

BHP Billiton says increased supply is causing commodity prices to fall and it expects that trend to continue in the short term.

Retailer David Jones has seen its full year profit slide six per cent amid weaker sales and pressure to cut prices.

Employment services company Skilled Group has won a $A200 million contract to provide labour for a pipeline linking Darwin with offshore Western Australian gas deposits.

The future of aviation in Perth could include another major airport, along with a third runway for the much maligned existing airport.

The price of oil slipped below $103 a barrel for the first time since early August, as the U.S.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower amid more signs that the US economic recovery may not be all that strong.

US stocks have ended an up-and-down day mostly lower, as investors watched a Washington budget debate as the deadline for funding the government looms.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 66.79 (0

Two new surveys have painted a pessimistic picture of the local jobs market, with employer hiring intentions and employee mobility both slumping.

Australian shares have fallen for a third consecutive day, due to uncertainty caused by a debt ceiling stand-off in the US Congress.

Plans to slug 457 visa holders for sending their children to West Australian public schools are still being thrashed out, with criteria for financial hardship provisions yet to be decided.

The Nine Network has expanded to Western Australia, buying Bruce Gordon's WIN television in Perth.

Just as New Zealand banks are being forced to tighten their lending criteria, Australian institutions appear to be loosening their belts.

The man tasked with solving the West Coast Eagles' drug culture problem following the sacking of Brownlow medallist Ben Cousins has now been given the role of reforming Western Australia's prisons.

The Abbott government has set new targets for NBN Co and asked it to continue to roll out fibre-to-the-premises until a review is completed.

Australia has the seventh largest shale gas reserves in the world but a lack of roads and pipelines could hinder the industry's development.

Pastoralists are being offered $100 for each wild dog scalp they claim under a bounty scheme being trialled in West Australia to reduce attacks on sheep and cattle.

Peter Anderson is stepping down as chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in January.

A NSW environmentalist charged with issuing a hoax press release about mining giant Whitehaven Coal will stand trial in the Supreme Court.

The defamation battle between West Australian treasurer Troy Buswell and his former lover Adele Carles has turned nasty, with the ex-Greens MP accusing her former parliamentary partner of trying to "sweep her under the carpet".

Shares in Kathmandu Holdings have jumped nine per cent after the retailer announced a 27 per cent increase in full year profit.

Australians are forking out more than $3800 a year to keep their cars on the road.

Wild storms have knocked out power to about 11,000 properties in Western Australia, mainly in the southwest corner.

Fortescue Metals Group has taken control of ore processing off a contractor at its Christmas Creek mine where a worker died last month.

Former treasurer Peter Costello has ruled himself out of being a part of the Abbott government's commission of audit, but has offered up his thoughts on what the auditors should do.

Gold futures have fallen for a second session as investors weighed the likelihood of a rollback of Federal Reserve stimulus.

US stocks have closed firmly in the red, extending Friday's losses, amid uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's stimulus taper plans.

The Australian dollar has continued its rally amid news that Chinese manufacturing activity is surging ahead.

Dozens of homeowners are assessing the damage, and another 16,000 people are waiting for the power to come back on, after Perth and the South West was battered by a violent storm.