AAP

Jail terms have been increased for two former West Australian public servants convicted of defrauding taxpayers of more than $1.7 million.

The Australian dollar is half a cent lower, failing to hold on to the weekend gains that came after the announcement of a surge in Chinese exports, which rose 9.9 per cent in 12 months to September

The Australian share market has closed flat, with gains in traditionally defensive sectors offset by weakness among resources-linked stocks amid quiet trading conditions.

Australians are planning to tighten their purse strings this Christmas as they continue to worry about their financial security, research shows.

The strong Australian dollar and competitive finance deals have contributed to a surge in sales of new motor vehicles, with Western Australia the standout performer among states.

A push to end Rupert Murdoch's dual role as chairman and chief executive of News Corp is gaining momentum ahead of the media mogul's annual showdown with investors.

Australia could be the world's largest producers of liquefied natural gas within five years if the current boom continues, the federal government says.

The head of the federal climate change department says it is "not implausible" the European carbon price could rise to $29 a tonne by mid-2015, when Australia's emissions trading scheme begins.

Construction has begun to connect almost 166,000 home and business premises to the high-speed national broadband network, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced.

Signs of life were detectable in housing finance figures released this morning, although they were still faint.

Australian shares have opened flat after better than expected Chinese trade figures balanced weak leads from Wall Street and Europe.

US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has rejected arguments that the Fed's bold moves to bolster American job growth could have unwanted consequences in emerging markets.

Powered by extra-cheap money and rising company profits for months, US investors have turned cool this week as the third quarter earnings season opened amid glum analyst predictions.

The Australian dollar has moved slightly higher, but is trading in a tight range, supported by stronger domestic and US jobs data.

British Airways says it is committed to the London-Sydney route following speculation it would pull out due to the new alliance between Qantas and Emirates.

More foreign workers are expected to service Australian resources projects within the next few years as major companies look to save on labour costs.

Australian shares finished slightly higher as investors moved back into iron ore focused stocks amid softness in other sectors.

A new panel should be set up under Fair Work Australia (FWA) to deal with the listing of default superannuation products, the Productivity Commission recommends.

Two Chinese entities proposing a takeover of minerals explorer Discovery Metals say they are disappointed by Discovery's rejection.

Fortescue Metals Group has again looked to debt to improve its cash holdings, upsizing its new credit facility by $US500 million ($A489.6 million) to $US5 billion ($A4.9 billion).

A bitter feud over plans to import potatoes from New Zealand is escalating, with growers accusing Australia's biosecurity body of fudging the science and lacking the knowledge to prevent a major pe

Australian stocks have opened flat after mixed leads from Wall Street and European markets.

Billabong shares have plunged almost 17 per cent to their lowest ever price, after private equity firm TPG withdrew its $694.5 million takeover offer.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says Australia can't avoid the slowdown in the global economy but the national economic outlook remains strong.

US stocks have closed little changed after a solid rally sparked by surprisingly good data on weekly jobless claims fizzled out, in part due to questions over the figures.

Live animal exports will decline in coming years and in the meantime Australia should start sending carcasses overseas to avoid mistreatment of sheep and cattle, Premier Colin Barnett says.

The chairman of Exxon Mobil Australia has warned that the soaring costs of doing business threaten the nation's much-anticipated liquefied natural gas boom.

Iluka Resources' share price slid more than six per cent after the mineral sands miner posted a big fall in third quarter sales revenue due to lower production and demand.

The Australian share market has closed marginally lower as investors consider the chances of more interest rate cuts in the wake of the latest unemployment figures.

Toro Energy has brushed off threats by anti-nuclear groups to challenge ministerial environmental approval of its Wiluna uranium project in Western Australia.

Australia Post will be delivering on the weekends for two months in the lead-up to Christmas as it announces plans to ramp up its parcel network and create digital mail boxes.

The competition regulator has allowed pathology and radiology provider Sonic Healthcare to buy the Healthscope pathology business in Western Australia but won't allow Sonic to acquir