AAP

The Australian share market opened flat after falls on Wall Street and European markets.

Retail spending rose for the eighth straight month in March as consumers overcame a lack of confidence in the economy and spent more of their money on services such as entertainment.

US stock markets were modestly lower Thursday, with US unemployment data and a successful Spanish debt sale giving little direction to trade.

The Australian share market has closed at a fresh eight-month high, buoyed by resource stocks and investors punting on China undertaking new moves to boost its economy.

The Australian dollar is slightly lower in quiet trade as investors sit on the sidelines awaiting the outcome of a Spanish government bond auction.

Land developer Stockland will cut executive bonuses after a review of its remuneration policies.

Commonwealth Bank boss Ian Narev has set out his vision for Australia's largest bank, but refused to put performance targets on his key aims.

Personal fraud is on the rise in Australia, with a whopping 1.2 million people falling victim in 2010-2011.

Climate change sceptic Ian Plimer has stepped in as chairman of Ivanhoe Australia, replacing Canadian billionaire Robert Friedland who quit the gold and copper miner following a power tussle w

The biggest humpback whale calving area in the southern hemisphere will be protected within a new marine park to be created on the Kimberley coast by the state government.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accused Premier Colin Barnett of not doing enough to help people outside the resources boom.

Rifts between Australia's farming community and the Australian Greens over the carbon tax have been "wildly exaggerated", says the party's new leader Christine Milne.

Fortescue Metals Group says axing the federal government's diesel fuel rebate for miners will cost the company up to $US150 million ($A145.30 million) a year.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has acknowledged movements in the official cash rate lie in the hands of the independent central bank.

Telstra Corporation chief executive David Thodey says the telco would look at increasing its stake in Foxtel should James Packer decide to sell out of the pay TV company.

Business conditions in Australia improved slightly over the first three months of 2012, a private survey shows.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has seized on comments Prime Minister Julia Gillard will make linking a budget surplus to lower interest rates, describing them as an admission of failure.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is defending the Labor government's determination to deliver a 2012/13 budget surplus, but she can't guarantee the federal coffers won't swing back to deficit in later

Mining giant BHP has denied it's recruiting contract employees to replace retrenched union workers for a Queensland coal mine it closed.

Oil and gas producer Santos has maintained its full year production target after lifting its first quarter production and sales revenue.

Asciano and the maritime union have ended a long-running dispute over wages and conditions at its waterfront terminals after both parties approved a new enterprise agreement.

Woodside Petroleum's first quarter revenue is up 20 per cent to $US1.2 billion, despite a 10 per cent fall in production due to the impact of cyclones.

The Australian share market opened slightly higher following gains for the mining giants and despite falls on Wall Street.

Australia has emerged as the second most desired location, behind only the United States, for people to live and work, a report says.

Investors unimpressed by a skein of positive earnings surprises have sold down US stocks, with some nervousness over the eurozone clouding sentiment.

Finance Minister Penny Wong has taken Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to task over his claim that the local economy is underperforming, saying he's "simply wrong".

The Australian share market closed higher in response to positive production numbers from BHP Billiton and after global markets rallied in response to a successful Spanish bond auction.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has challenged state Treasurer Christian Porter to step down if he can't balance his state's books with $800 million less GST revenue.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accused mining magnate Andrew Forrest of peddling "rehashed old nonsense" about finalising an agreement with Kevin Rudd on a revised mining tax deal in 2010.

The Bank of Queensland has outlined it much-anticipated turnaround plan after posting a $90.6 million first half loss.

Funding cuts to the state Department of Corrective Services will put the community further at risk because prisons are already overcrowded, the Prison Officers' Union says.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the government remains determined to deliver a surplus and has rejected comments from former Commonwealth Bank head Ralph Norris that such a goal is "mindless".