AAP

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ramped up her bid to encourage Western Australia to sign up to the federal government's schools funding plan, pitching a more generous offer to Premier Colin Barnet

Former West Coast Eagle David Wirrpanda has finally committed to a tilt at federal politics, becoming a Senate nominee for the WA Nationals.

There was a sharp bounce in consumer confidence in June, but it may be short-lived.The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment in June rose 4.7 per cent to 102.2 points.

A new venue has been secured for a Labor Party fundraiser where comedian Ben Elton will quiz Prime Minister Julia Gillard, after a booking at a public school in Fremantle was withdrawn.

Gold miner Newcrest has defended the timing of its major restructure announcement and says it has not breached any share market rules.

Target has announced 260 jobs will go in a restructure of its business operations.

The Australian share market has opened more than half a per cent lower.

The Australian dollar is higher, after bouncing back a from heavy losses that saw it hit an almost three-year low overnight.

US stocks have ended the day solidly lower after the Bank of Japan's status-quo policy decision revived concerns about the winding down of central bank stimulus measures.

The Australian share market closed higher as cautious investors searched for higher yielding and defensive stocks.

Toyota insists it will stay in Australia after posting a $149 million profit, making it the only local car maker to be in the black.

Daily metropolitan newspaper The West Australian will cut 40 jobs as it undertakes a major restructure.

Lending for housing is pumping an extra $2.4 billion a month into the economy than it was a year ago.

Union members have protested outside Parliament House in Perth saying floating LNG projects will rob locals of jobs.

Mining services provider NRW Holdings has forecast a drop in revenue and profit because of contract delays and project deferrals.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dismissed as a "waste of breath" rumour-mongering about her leadership, insisting she is still the best person to take Labor to the September 14 election.

The Australian share market is marginally higher to begin the week, reflecting mixed offshore leads during the long weekend for the Queen's Birthday holiday.

Share market operator ASX is raising $553 million to fund growth by issuing new shares to existing shareholders.

The Australian dollar is just over half a US cent higher after the release of mixed economic data from its major trading partners.

US stocks were flat in early trade as Standard & Poor's raised its outlook for the country's debt rating from "negative" to "stable".

Security screeners at Perth Airport's Qantas terminal are poised to strike again after their employer locked staff out of the job for wearing "Paid Less in the West" T-shirts.

Teachers are threatening strike action unless the Barnett government commits funding to help the transition of Year 7 students to high schools in 2015.

China has reported a sharp slowdown in exports in May compared to the previous month while imports unexpectedly dropped, as the world's second largest economy grapples with slowing growth and slugg

US stocks ended the week higher but it was hardly smooth sailing for investors as the markets remained choppy for a second week in a row.

Australian shares closed lower as cautious investors sold resources stocks ahead of the release of key economic data in the US and China.

The United States is unlikely to export much gas from its shale boom to Japan, poising Western Australia as a major supplier to the Asian country over the next decade, Premier Colin Barnett says.

Gold miner Newcrest is cutting jobs and scaling back its operations in response to the biggest drop in the price of gold in 30 years.

Consumer confidence in Western Australia has fallen to a record low, in terms of both short and long-term outlooks.

Australian shares are weaker as investors worry about sluggish US economic news ahead of the Queen's Birthday long weekend.

New BHP Billiton boss Andrew Mackenzie is confident China's new leadership is rebalancing the economy in such a way that demand for commodities will be sustained in the long term.

The Australian dollar has jumped sharply higher in a morning of volatile trading.

US stocks have swung erratically as the US dollar sank and bond prices rose, but finished higher a day ahead of the government's release of US employment data for May.