AAP

Senior ministers have been forced to defend a modest increase to the dole after welfare groups and economists slammed the miserly boost.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says Facebook's ban on Australian news and information should be a wake-up call for the rest of the world.

Wages grew at a fractionally faster pace than expected in the final three months of 2020, lagging expectations for record property price increases this year.

Nine boss Hugh Marks said the media company has resumed talks with Facebook, and is continuing talks with Google, for the digital giants to pay for its news stories.

Rising commodities prices proved a talking point for a second consecutive day, and helped the Australian share market close higher and the dollar remain above 79 US cents.

Western Australia's opposition leader is confident voters won't abandon him at next month's election despite polls predicting he will lose his seat.

Facebook has struck a preliminary news sharing agreement with Seven West Media, just hours after the federal government agreed to further amend its mandatory media bargaining code.

Australian exports dropped 9 per cent in January, led by a fall in iron ore shipments after a strong result the previous month.

Unemployed workers will receive a permanent $50 a fortnight increase to the JobSeeker payment once the coronavirus supplement is scrapped.

More doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have arrived in Australia as the early stages of the jab rollout continue.

The Victorian government has called a royal commission into Crown Resorts, which disclosed the resignation of director Harold Mitchell, heaping further pressure on John Poynton.

Two nurses have become the first Western Australians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, saying they hope it will save lives and ease the strain on the healthcare system.

Australia's share market closed marginally lower while the Australian dollar reached its highest level in almost three years, spurred by metal prices.

Steelmaker BlueScope has reported a 78 per cent increase in its half year profit, while announcing a chief executive for climate change within the group.

Property developer Lendlease has posted a first-half earnings decline of 37 per cent after COVID-19 stifled interest in building development.

Premier Mark McGowan has likened the coronavirus pandemic to World War II, positioning Labor as the safe choice at next month's election.

Online giants including Facebook and Google have released a new voluntary code for dealing with disinformation and political advertising.

Australia's share market had its biggest fall in more than three weeks, set in train from the US where worries continued over a struggling economy and inflation expectations.

A former Liberal staffer who says she was sexually assaulted by a male colleague inside Parliament House will proceed with a formal complaint to police.

Relatively high confidence among shoppers and the continued drop in the unemployment rate saw modest retail spending growth in the first few weeks of 2021.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised hopes international borders could reopen once coronavirus vaccinations have been widely delivered.

Insurer QBE has elected not to declare a final dividend, recording a statutory net loss after tax of $US1.5 billion ($A1.93 billion) following last year's $US550 million profit.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg remains determined to convince Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to accept the Australian government's media bargaining code.

Biotech giant CSL says it has accelerated the manufacture of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine with the first doses planned for release in late March.

Australia's share market closed little changed, but could have been lower if not for giants CSL and Fortescue giving good earnings reports and steadying the indices.

At least 5,000 Western Australians should be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-March with hotel quarantine workers to be among the first recipients.

Crown Resorts shareholders have had more bad news after the casino operator revealed a first-half loss of $120 million from coronavirus restrictions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sorry a former Liberal staffer feels he has been victim-blaming in response to her allegations of being raped at Parliament House.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has lashed Facebook for its heavy-handed censorship of Australian news and information.

Australia's share market has closed lower, while two retail leaders warned pandemic sales may have peaked ahead of government assistance being wound back and travel restrictions easing.

Reduced public transport use, international travel bans and flexible work arrangements have combined to lift underlying earnings growth at Carsales.com and prompt an increased dividend payout.

New figures show Australia looks set for solid economic growth in coming months, with unemployment falling further as jobs vacancies surged to an 18-month high.