AAP

A man has been arrested and charged after he allegedly entered a restricted security zone put in place for the Commonwealth leaders' meeting in Perth.

The Australian Greens have made slight gains, following a fortnight of Labor and the coalition playing a blame-game over asylum seekers.

Customs staff at international airports across the country plan to strike this week over a pay deal dispute with the federal government.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has again left the door open to lower interest rates and flagged tomorrow's inflation data as potentially paving the way for a move.

The Australian dollar rose to a six-week high on hopes that European leaders would soon announce plans to contain the region's debt crisis and avert a recession.

Strong demand for construction and mining equipment should boost Caterpillar Inc's revenue through next year, even as the health of global economy remains in doubt.

The Australian dollar hit a six-week high today, buoyed by encouraging Chinese manufacturing data.

Australian shares gained about $35 billion in value as buyers and confidence returned, amid hopes of a comprehensive fiscal stability plan for Europe that also led to a rally on offshore markets.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she expects "intense" discussion at this week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth.

Engineering and commercial construction is expecting a big boost this financial year and next thanks to the booming resources sector, a new survey has found.

The mining industry might be the darling of the business pages but it's painted as demonic by general news media, a conference has been told.

The Australian share market has opened over 1.5 per cent higher as European leaders work towards finalising measures to boost Europe's bailout fund and resolve the Greek debt crisis.

The Australian dollar rose almost one US cent as European leaders closed in on a broad agreement to resolve the euro debt crisis.

Australian farmers could be key to fighting global hunger and poverty, World Vision says.

Europe has inched closer to a resolution of its crippling economic crisis, winning praise from the head of the IMF and fresh reform pledges from debt-wracked Italy.

The number of Western Australians needing help to pay their water bills has blown out by more than 700 per cent in the past year.

A motel owner from a remote Western Australian town has been fined $9000 for illegally lending money to Aboriginal people at interest rates of up to 50 per cent.

Leighton Holdings and WorleyParsons say Libya remains off-limits for the foreseeable future in the wake of Muammar Gaddafi's killing, as uncertainty remains.

The Australian stock market closed marginally lower, as early gains were erased ahead of the European summit.

The possibility of an interest rate cut is off the table as inflation is not expected to ease significantly in the September quarter, economists say.

Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes' remuneration fell sharply in the last financial year after the retailer failed to meet its incentive targets.

A protester has tied himself to a communications tower near a proposed gas hub site in the Kimberley in a bid to stop survey work for the controversial Woodside Petroleum project.

Virgin Australia's proposed alliance with aviation powerhouse Singapore Airlines (SIA) has moved a step closer to fruition after regulators in Singapore gave the tie-up the green light.

Concerns about job security are at the heart of the Qantas industrial dispute and the onus is on the airline to resolve it, the Australian Council of Trade Unions says.

Farmers say new animal welfare arrangements for the Australian live export trade take a balanced approach.

Woodside Petroleum seems to be making progress with its stalled Sunrise project, saying its new chief executive Peter Coleman has held constructive talks with the East Timor government.

The Australian share market opened slightly higher after mixed overnight leads from the US and falls in base metals prices.

Engineering firm Monadelphous Group has signed new contracts with resources firms including Rio Tinto and Xstrata worth around $230 million.

The Australian dollar rose almost one US cent as traders position themselves in preparation for the weekend's crucial eurozone summit.

US stocks ended a choppy session mixed Thursday amid scepticism that European leaders will forge a deal on resolving the eurozone debt crisis in coming days.