AAP

Scaffolding workers on the Perth Arena project have downed tools for the second time in three weeks, this time over non-payment of superannuation contributions.

Qantas won't go under if rival Etihad expands into the local market but tough choices have to be made about the Australian airline's future, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey says.

Woodside Petroleum has let lapse a supply agreement for its Browse project worth up to $45 billion.

Australian stocks have opened weaker amid broad-based declines as local investors took their cues from a horrid night on offshore markets.

Fortescue Metals Group says it can beat the federal government's mining tax in a legal challenge that will thrash out the century-old states versus Commonwealth rights debate.

BHP Billiton has committed $US845 million to opening a new mine at its Illawarra Coal business in NSW.

Engineering firm Downer EDI has won a $73 million contract to build locomotives for iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group.

The Australian dollar has fallen to a one-week low after weak manufacturing data from the US and China sparked renewed concerns about global economic growth.

US stocks have slid sharply, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sinking two per cent, as disappointing economic data from China and Europe followed the Federal Reserve's slashing its growth fore

The Australian dollar is a a third of a US cent lower after data showed China's manufacturing sector continued to contract.

The Australian share market closed sharply weaker on negative economic news.

Myer shares have slumped to a record low, but chief executive Bernie Brookes insists the troubled department store chain has a positive future.

Mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto will not be affected by new laws in the United Kingdom requiring firms to list their greenhouse gas emissions because they say they already do so.

Australia's regional and bush airports could be about to hit severe turbulence because of the high costs of maintaining infrastructure, a new economic report warns.

ustralian households are paying banks an average of $470 a year in fees and charges.That might sound like a lot, but it is less than the year before.

Troubled surfwear company Billabong has launched a $225 million fund raising venture and issued another profit warning amid tough trading conditions in the retail sector.

With properties prices high and the housing market slow, Australians are holding on to their homes for longer.

Australians are moving to the nation's mining states and paying handsomely to live there.

Fairfax management has agreed to halt their restructure plans and proposed job cuts while a consultation process with unions is under way, unions say.

Pacific Energy has announced it has won a deal to build a power station at the Tropicana gold project, its largest project win for several years.

Australian shares opened flat after the US Federal Reserve announced it would extend its bond-swapping program which led to falls on Wall Street.

As Prime Minister Julia Gillard struts the world stage emphasising the virtues of the Australian economy, there are signs back home not all is going well.

US stocks have closed mostly lower after the Federal Reserve extended its bond-swapping program, known as Operation Twist, for six months to help boost the flagging economy.

The Australian dollar is higher as the market awaits whether the US central bank goes ahead with further stimulus measures for the American economy.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned of "further stumbles" in the global economy, but says Group of 20 leaders have made good progress toward restoring growth and stabilising European banks.

The Australian share market finished slightly higher as cautious investors await any action by the US central bank to stimulate the faltering American economy.

Greens MLA Giz Watson has applauded a move by the state's Mining Warden's Court to reject three bauxite exploration licenses in the tourist-haven southwest region.

A report by the state auditor-general has identified problems with police recruitment, including not enough female and indigenous officers.

People hoping for some relief from the carbon tax debate after the pollution price begins in 10 days shouldn't hold their breath, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet says.

Suitor Aurora Oil & Gas has appointed three representatives to takeover target Eureka Energy's board after increasing its stake to 68.4 per cent.

Australia's economic growth is expected to come to a virtual halt in the second half of 2012, a private sector survey shows.

The second man to set foot on the moon, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, is scheduled to touch down in Perth today for the official opening of the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum.