AAP

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says Australia has a resilient economy but its future is not assured without further reform.

Virgin Australia has won approval from Singapore's corporate regulator to take over regional airline Skywest as it makes a push into budget air travel.

The receiver of the ailing food manufacturer behind the iconic Rosella brand says he's confident the business will be able to continue trading as the hunt for a buyer continues.

High domestic petrol prices are being influenced by international trends rather than price gouging by local fuel retailers, the competition watchdog says.

Profits for the major banks will stagnate in 2013 and the weakening economy will cause a rise in bad debt charges, ratings agency Moody's says.

An unexpected fall in Australia's unemployment rate will lift confidence in the national economy.

The Australian market opened slightly higher after budget talks in Washington indicated that US politicians were willing to compromise to avoid falling off the "fiscal cliff".

Troubled broadcaster Ten Network will cut an extra $35 million in costs and tap shareholders for $230 million in response to its recent poor performance.

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has begun raising debt to help fund its Roy Hill iron ore project in the Pilbara.

Shares in Sundance Resources fell sharply after the Africa-focused iron ore hopeful came out of a trading halt, amid investor concerns about its on-again, off-gain takeover by China's Hanlong Resou

US stocks closed mostly higher on Wednesday after some upbeat data on the huge services sector, but market chatter about Apple's prospects sent it tumbling 6.4 per cent, weighing on the tech-rich N

The Australian dollar was almost three-quarters of a US cent higher after economic growth figures came in broadly as expected.

Woodside and Shell have acknowledged the significant strain placed on the families of fly-in, fly-out workers.

The number of Chinese visitors heading Down Under has outstripped the UK, making the Middle Kingdom Australia's second biggest market behind New Zealand.

Bremer Bay residents in the Great Southern region are being urged to stay away from the town as the threat of high winds pushing a nearby bushfire through containment lines remains, Shire of J

Australian shares finished firmer as investors sought high-yielding bank stocks following this week's official interest rate cut.

Forecasters are warning that severe thunderstorms could sweep across many parts of Western Australia, while a severe weather warning for Perth has been cancelled this afternoon.

Despite overseeing Perth's grand final appearance last season, Glory chief executive Paul Kelly has resigned from the A-League club after three years in the role.

 Mining has been banned around a prime tourist attraction in the west Kimberley, the Horizontal Falls, but it's unclear which miners will be affected.

The nation's largest cattle producer, Australian Agricultural Company is on track to post a 2.5 per cent increase in sales for the year.

Shop owners have received some good news ahead of Christmas, with data showing the retail services sector expanding for the first time in 12 months.

Rare earths miner Lynas is facing further court action against the operation of its new plant in Malaysia.

Mining giant AngloGold Ashanti and Independence Group have increased their resource estimate for their Tropicana gold joint venture by almost 1.5 million ounces.

The nation's second largest oil and gas producer Santos has cut 100 jobs from its South Australian operations.Redundancies will begin in the first quarter of 2013.

 Treasurer Wayne Swan says the latest growth figures show the ongoing resilience of the Australian economy in the face of a difficult and volatile global environment.

Australian stocks have opened firmer, with banking stocks among the better performers in early trade.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has rejected warnings by a former Reserve Bank governor that fiscal policy is going in the wrong direction.

US stocks closed slightly lower on Tuesday as Washington continued to wrangle over a budget plan that would avoid the year-end "fiscal cliff."

Australia's winter crops have resisted several months of dry weather to shape up for a better than average harvest.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia looks set to remain on the local scene for a while yet after shareholders approved chief executive Bill Morrow's 2013 business plan for boosting the telco's network per

The Australian dollar is higher after rallying on the back of the central bank's interest rate cut.

The Australian share market closed more than half a per cent lower after the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate to three per cent amid a weak global growth outlook.