AAP

The federal opposition says earnings on retirement savings are lower than they should be because of Labor government red tape.

Share market operator ASX's first half profit has fallen by 2.5 per cent due to lower investor activity in the first three months of the 2012/13 financial year.

Construction materials maker Adelaide Brighton has built a full year profit increase despite weak home building activity, but the carbon tax is causing concern.

Telstra is axing 648 jobs from its troubled Sensis division, which runs Yellow Pages, White Pages and Trading Post.

Alumina's full year net losses have blown out and the troubled aluminium producer is bracing itself for more uncertainty ahead.

Embattled media group Fairfax says gloomy conditions in the advertising market are still dragging on its revenues.

Qantas has nearly tripled its first half profit as it begins to realise the benefits of recent tough decisions, its chief executive says.

US stocks have piled up losses after Federal Reserve minutes showed divisions over asset purchases, with some officials suggesting to wind them down before the jobs market picks up.

The Australian dollar is stronger against the greenback after statements from New Zealand's central bank led currency traders to move their money across the Tasman.

Mining on the moon may move from science fiction to reality faster than most people think and Australia can play its part, a lawyer says.

The $440 million Elizabeth Quay development has become a hot election issue as the riverside development causes major traffic congestion in the city.

The Australian market has closed at a fresh four-year high as gains by financial stocks offset falls by the big miners.

Foreign ownership of Western Australia's agriculture assets will be closely watched if the opposition wins the March 9 election.

Leighton Holdings is set to sell part of its $885 million phone and internet infrastructure assets to a Canadian pension fund.

Company collapses hit a record high in 2012, with the construction industry bearing the brunt.

Premier Colin Barnett says he may have "played some role" in controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders being forced to cancel his speaking engagements in Perth.

A lull in the jobs market over the past couple of years is showing up in slower wages growth, clearing the way for a further round of interest rate cuts.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals has rejected suggestions that it is vulnerable because Chinese steel use is waning, saying that country's urbanisation had more than another 20 years to run.

Adam Bandt says it's the Australian Greens, not Labor, that deserve credit for introducing a carbon price and taking steps to combat climate change.

Transport and logistics group Toll Holdings has lifted its first half profit by more than 20 per cent and expects stronger earnings for the rest of the year.

The Australian market has opened firmer as Wall Street rallied to fresh five-year highs.

Debt won't fall to levels seen under the previous state government while big developments continue in the state, Premier Colin Barnett says.

Seven West Media has posted a loss of $109.3 million for the first half of the financial year because of restructure costs and the lower value of its magazines.

US stocks pushed higher on Tuesday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 to their best levels in more than five years.

Perth waste management company Tox Free has been fined $50,000 after an explosion left an employee with burns and needing surgery on his wrist.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart after the greenback sold off against most major currencies during the local session.

Mount Gibson Iron says the sharp drop in iron ore prices last year that forced it to strip out costs means it is well positioned now that the market has recovered.

The Australian share market has closed at its highest level in more than four years, with reporting season delivering mostly positive results.

Australian businesses need to loosen the purse strings and start spending again, a prominent bank economist says.

The Australian Greens have accused Labor of putting the interests of big miners ahead of the national interest and the environment.

The Liberal Party has pledged $30 million over four years for health and medical research in their latest state election announcement.