AAP

Australian stocks have opened flat as market players wait for key economic data from China.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has promised the fiscal details of the its alternative budget will be revealed before the next election as he hits back on criticism his budget reply was short on deta

US stocks mostly bounced back slightly after a six-day losing streak, amid hopes that Greece's moderate socialists might be able to form a government and avoid a new eurozone debt crisis.

A surprise drop in unemployment has pushed the Australian dollar higher and away from parity with its US counterpart, for the time being.

The chief economist of one of the nation's biggest financial service companies says the federal budget will not help Australia's economic growth and risks damaging the effectiveness of superannuati

The Australian share market has closed higher, boosted by a better-than-expected unemployment rate and expectations that another cut to interest rates will be forthcoming despite the stronger jobs

Woodside Petroleum's has had its credit rating reaffirmed by Moody's Investors Service and the outlook has been changed from to stable from negative.

Regional charter flight operator Alligator Airways has failed in its bid to return to the air after being grounded amid serious safety fears.

Qantas pilots have lost their Federal Court challenge to a ban preventing them from taking industrial action.

Western Australia continues to lead the nation in employment, with the creation of about 6,800 jobs in April pushing the state's jobless rate to a three-and-a-half-year low.

The Western Australian branch of the embattled Health Services Union has decided to look at withdrawing from the national organisation, saying it is strongly dismayed by abuse of mem

Australian shares opened slightly higher despite sharp falls on Wall Street and on European markets.

Leighton Holdings has been awarded $800 million in gas and water infrastructure contracts in Queensland.

Optus has managed to lift its annual net profit by 1.5 per cent to $787 million despite intense competition from its telco rivals.

National Australia Bank's net profit for the six months to March 31 fell 15.5 per cent to $2.05 billion due to its underperforming operations in the United Kingdom.

US stocks have pared early sharp losses to close with moderate falls after European Union (EU) officials confirmed that Greece would get the next installment of bailout funds this week.

Fears gripping global markets have seen the Australian dollar fall almost one US cent and could could sink it below parity with its American counterpart in the next few days.

The Australian share market has closed lower over the uncertain future of austerity measures aimed at stabilising some debt-ridden countries in the euro zone, especially Greece.

Optus added 80,000 customers in the three months to the end of March, taking its total to nearly 9.5 million.

Gina Rinehart's children can now claim their share of the family's multimillion-dollar trust, after Australia's richest person unexpectedly brought forward the vesting date of the disputed fund.

The ultramarathon tragedy that left two women runners with life-threatening burns may have affected the reputation of Tourism Western Australia, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

The success of a $200 million class action case against the property group Centro Retail Australia is a win for all Australian investors, lawyers for the shareholders say.

Australia remains vulnerable to macroeconomic headwinds and too reliant on the central bank to stimulate the economy, says former Liberal leader John Hewson.

A Leighton Holdings subsidiary has been named preferred contractor for the Fortescue Metals Group-owned Solomon iron ore project in WA's Pilbara region.

Australian shares opened lower after falls on Wall Street and the absence of an expected company tax reduction in the federal budget.

Opposition Treasury spokesperson Joe Hockey says the business community is confused by mixed signals in the federal budget.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says small business has been looked after in the federal budget despite the surprise decision to axe the promised cut to the company tax rate.

The latest federal budget could not have been worse for Western Australia, with the state losing more than $1 billion in government funding compared with 2011/12, the state government says.

Turmoil in the eurozone and a clutch of disappointing earnings reports have sent US markets tumbling.

The federal government intends to spread the benefits of the mining boom, but from what continues to be a shrinking pot.

Australian companies have been abandoned by the federal government, the Tax Institute says.