AAP

Shares climbed to a record closing high on the Australian market but may tumble on Friday if there is any sign of rising inflation from the US.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration says the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh the risks after a NSW woman died from a blood clot in the brain.

Western Australians aged under 50 are flocking to get vaccinated against coronavirus but their middle-aged counterparts are proving less enthusiastic.

Woolworths' takeover of distributor PFD Food Services will go ahead despite concerns the move will eventually lead to fewer workers in the industry.

Australia and Singapore have agreed to start work on a plan for a travel bubble which would initially allow students to return.

Shares reached record heights for the sixth consecutive trading day on the Australian market before investors saw signs of rampant inflation in China.

Airline Regional Express has forecast a full-year loss of $15 million due to Victoria's coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his strong support for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has "nothing to do with politics".

Doctors have thrown their support behind linking vaccine certificates to greater freedoms in a bid to drive up jab rates.

A record high for the Australian share market did not lead to big gains for investors, who remain wary of inflation data due in China and the US.

Australia's chief nurse has declared mass vaccination will be the key to defeating mutant coronavirus strains, including variants detected in the Melbourne outbreak.

Hotel quarantine guests in Western Australia could soon be required to undergo a fourth COVID-19 test after a scare involving a maritime worker.

Australian farmers are on track to plant the biggest winter crop in the nation's history with strong rainfall and high global prices outweighing a mouse plague.

Coronavirus vaccines are being made available to all National Disability Insurance Scheme participants aged over 16.

Shares extended all-time highs on the Australian market, and overseas inflation data appears the only immediate obstacle to rising portfolio values.

Coronavirus vaccines could soon be mandatory for aged care and disability workers in a bid to lower the risk of nursing home deaths.

New lending for housing in Western Australia has dropped 7.9 per cent after applications under the state's Building Bonus Grant closed, while national lending has risen to a record high.

People with disability will have access to dedicated vaccination hubs in central locations as the Morrison government tries to speed up the rollout across the sector.

China will handle disputes regarding anti-dumping and countervailing duties on barley imported from Australia in line with settlement procedures of the World Trade Organisation, the state news agency Xinhua repors, citing the commerce ministry.

Australia's share market keeps breaking records - and overseas investors are clamouring for the benefits.

Senior public servants have been accused of outsourcing decisions on welfare policy to a private company.

Retail sales fell 1.5 per cent in Western Australia in April but merchandise exports continued to boom, hitting a record $205 billion in the previous 12 months.

Senior health bureaucrats have insisted a glaring lack of data about aged care workers' vaccination status will be fixed in coming weeks.

Patients in Western Australia's badly overcrowded public hospitals are having surgeries postponed as the system grapples with "unprecedented" demand.

Shares hit record heights for the second time this week on the Australian market, after investors could not resist materials and energy stocks.

Western Australia has received its first repatriation flight from India amid concerns about a fresh COVID-19 hotel quarantine breach.

The tax office is cracking down on dodgy company directors with a new identification system that will stick with them for life.

Australia's Chief of Defence Angus Campbell has conceded the country's involvement in the Afghanistan war will be "painted in hues" in the history books.

Investors are debating whether the Reserve Bank might be signalling it's about to reduce quantitative easing efforts after some subtle changes in the bank's language.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has left the cash rate unchanged at its monthly board meeting, reiterating that it is unlikely to rise until 2024 at the earliest.

At least 56,000 people have been left out of work since the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme ended in March.

Mathias Cormann is preparing to take over as next secretary general of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.