AAP

Bega Cheese will supply Coles-branded cheese to the supermarket giant under a five-year deal.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has released a proposal for how business losses should be treated for tax purposes which he says will help struggling firms cope with the patchwork economy.

Shares in Oklo Resources fell after its results from exploration work in Mali were delayed by the recent military coup.

About 400 angry ex-Bankwest customers say the bank has been colluding with property valuers to force commercial borrowers to default on their loans.

Engineering and property services company UGL Limited has been awarded around $370 million worth of new projects across Australia, including $270 million of resources projects.

Bob Brown has resigned as leader of the Australian Greens parliamentary party.He told his party colleagues of his decision this morning.

The mining industry has attacked the federal government's mining and carbon taxes in a new advertising campaign.

State and territory governments would get a bigger say in environmental approvals to fast-track major projects under a deal to go to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) on Friday.

The High Court of Malaysia has knocked back a request to review the recent decision to grant the rare earths miner Lynas Corporation a a temporary licence for a processing plant.

The Australian dollar has risen almost one US cent following the release of stronger than expected domestic jobs data.

The Australian share market has closed higher after gains on overseas markets and stronger than expected job figures domestically.

 Ten Network Holdings is forecasting a more stable advertising market as it pins its hopes on a suite of new shows to secure more eyeballs and improve earnings.

Premier Colin Barnett has conceded new Labor Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has received a bigger lift in the polls than he anticipated, predicting a tight election next year.

Services company Spotless will voluntarily audit the records of about 1500 of its employees to ensure they are being paid properly.

Negotiations between ports operator Asciano and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) have hit a dead end.

Seven Group's heavy machinery company has bought the local arm of US parts and services business Bucyrus for $US400 million ($A389.39 million).

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer, who has savaged the federal government's mining tax, reportedly did not have to pay tax in his main private company last year.

Alcoa says two of its alumina refineries in Western Australia have achieved record production and remain among its lowest-cost plants globally.

Australian stocks have closed down one per cent as the big miners and other resources-linked companies led the broader market lower.

Shares in Flinders Mines were sold off when its trading halt was lifted, after court action continued to hold up the iron ore explorer's $554 million takeover by a Russian steel maker.

New rules making it easier for Australian firms to tender for contracts offered by resource and construction companies will help share the benefits of the mining boom, the federal government says.

Mining giant BHP Billiton is sinking its teeth into the Gulf of Mexico's Mad Dog oil field, committing $US708 million ($A692.73 million) on work for the second phase of the project.

 New rules to get more Australian companies involved in major private and public sector projects will come into force on July 1.

 The prospect of an interest rate cut in May has firmed after official figures suggested a further slowing in the housing sector.

Opposition Leader Mark McGowan says Labor remains the underdog, despite a significant spike in support shown in the latest Newspoll.

One of the world's healthiest marine environments will be threatened by a major oil and gas drilling program just 10km off Western Australia's pristine Rowley Shoals, conservationists say.

 The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is warning a high Australian dollar and interest rates are pushing the local steel manufacturing industry to the "brink of collapse".

Australian stocks have opened lower as local market players took their cues from a poor night on Wall Street.

Two lobby groups are at odds over legal advice suggesting the Gillard government's carbon tax could be unconstitutional.

Shares in Alumina Ltd eased after the miner's joint venture partner Alcoa said it would slash alumina production capacity to avoid adding to oversupply in the Atlantic region.