AAP

Competition from Australia's supermarket duopoly is responsible for Darrell Lea's financial woes, entrepreneur Dick Smith says.

The Australian share market has closed relatively flat as investors await key economic data and commentary from the United States and more figures on China's economic growth.

The banking system was not transparent enough and had to be more tightly regulated in the wake of recent global scandals, says Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) deputy governor Philip Lowe.

The state Labor Party has ruled out forming a coalition with the Australian Greens even if there is a hung parliament.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended her record on improving productivity, after a respected business leader slammed the "sloganeering" of modern political and economic debate.

Striking Coles warehouse workers have been threatened with legal action by the company that manages the Melbourne site.

Traditional shopping centres will feel the squeeze over the next decade as shoppers demand more attractive experiences and increasingly move online, a property report shows.

Recent interest rate cuts have not caused a rise in the number of Australians taking out home loans.

A big backlog of flights waiting to take off at Perth Airport is expected to take three hours to clear as heavy fog lifts.

Federal Finance Minister Penny Wong is at odds with a senior Treasury official over government support for ailing businesses.

Fly-in, fly-out mine workers aren't in it just for the big bucks, a study shows.

The Australian share market has opened slightly lower following falls on US markets overnight, and led by declines in local mining stocks.

The Labor Party has kicked a "superbly poorly timed own goal" with attacks by some of its members on the Greens, the minority party's Senator Scott Ludlam says.

US stocks closed sharply lower Tuesday as investors digested a positive start to earnings season, a eurozone deal to help support Spain and its banks, and disappointing Chinese trade data.

Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop has stepped up the attack on the Australian Greens, saying the minority party lives "in a parallel universe".

The Australian dollar was down slightly after Chinese trade data showed a weakening of imports.

The Australian share market has closed lower after worse-than-expected figures for Chinese imports exacerbated concerns that the Chinese economy is weakening.

Australian company Alumina's joint venture partner Alcoa has kicked off the US earnings reporting season by announcing a sharp drop in profits on the back of weaker aluminium prices.

Economists are expecting Australia's unemployment rate to have risen slightly in June, while total employment growth remained flat, as the strong jobs growth of previous months grinds to a halt.

Treasurer Troy Buswell says he has a tough task in convincing the GST review panel to hand the state a greater share.

Chocoholics made a run on Darrell Lea stores as news filtered through that the famous brand might have to be sold off.

Australia should encourage more Chinese investment in domestic industries and reap the benefits of its immense capital reserves, a top foreign affairs bureaucrat says.

The takeover battle for energy infrastructure investor Hastings Diversified Utilities Fund is intensifying, with Pipeline Partners Australia making a binding $1.23 billion takeover offer.

Strike action at a key Coles warehouse will have a significant impact on supplies getting through to all Coles Victorian supermarkets, a union says.

Treasurer Wayne Swan will travel to Hong Kong for currency talks with Chinese authorities.

The Australian share market has opened higher, driven by lower than expected falls on US markets overnight.

US stocks have fallen ahead of the opening of earnings season, with the slow economy and worries about European stability and Chinese growth pressing down on sentiment.

The Australian dollar weakened considerably on disappointing US labour force figures, but then moved very little on Monday.

The Australian sharemarket has closed lower, after the release of a disappointing jobs report in the US on Friday and concerns that China's economy is still weakening.

Rose Porteous, the widow of iron ore magnate Lang Hancock, has declined to comment on reports she has filed for divorce from her fourth husband Willie.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says it would be a "good thing" if the coalition met its target to subsidise more solar energy-powered homes.

Job advertisements have fallen for the third straight month, led by declines in Victoria and the mining boom states of Western Australia and Queensland.