Government

Australia blew the last mining boom and can no longer rely on high commodities prices, federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says, as China's economy continues to slow.

China's latest economic data should be welcomed by Australian businesses, as the Asian giant appears to have reined in growth to a more sustainable pace.

Former Liberal MP Bernie Masters says he will run against Treasurer Troy Buswell in the March state election because past indiscretions make him unfit to sit in parliament.

The federal government insists the GST does not apply to its carbon tax, warning action would be taken against businesses that claimed otherwise.

Payment fraudsters raked in an extra $77.5 million in 2011, despite the financial industry's success in combating cheque and debit card rip-offs.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has dismissed Labor claims a future coalition government would slash the wages and entitlements of workers.

The consumer watchdog has received more than 600 complaints or inquiries about the carbon tax's impact on prices.

The state government has again defended its $440 million waterfront project, this time against its own modelling, which shows it will slow Perth traffic significantly.

Recent interest rate cuts have boosted consumer sentiment but pessimism about the state of the economy remains.

The state Labor Party has ruled out forming a coalition with the Australian Greens even if there is a hung parliament.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended her record on improving productivity, after a respected business leader slammed the "sloganeering" of modern political and economic debate.

Federal Finance Minister Penny Wong is at odds with a senior Treasury official over government support for ailing businesses.

The Labor Party has kicked a "superbly poorly timed own goal" with attacks by some of its members on the Greens, the minority party's Senator Scott Ludlam says.

 Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop has stepped up the attack on the Australian Greens, saying the minority party lives "in a parallel universe".

Economists are expecting Australia's unemployment rate to have risen slightly in June, while total employment growth remained flat, as the strong jobs growth of previous months grinds to a halt.

Treasurer Troy Buswell says he has a tough task in convincing the GST review panel to hand the state a greater share.

Australia should encourage more Chinese investment in domestic industries and reap the benefits of its immense capital reserves, a top foreign affairs bureaucrat says.

 Treasurer Wayne Swan will travel to Hong Kong for currency talks with Chinese authorities.

 Job advertisements have fallen for the third straight month, led by declines in Victoria and the mining boom states of Western Australia and Queensland.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says he is confident the federal government's mining tax will withstand a High Court challenge.

 The state government plans to repeal 40-year-old legislation that deals with the estates of Aboriginal people in a discriminatory way.

Australia trade balance remained in deficit in May but is expected to return to surplus as exports pick up over the coming months.

Bakery chain Brumby's could be fined if found to have incorrectly linked upcoming price rises to the carbon tax, the federal government says.

Pricing carbon may actually stop the transition to cleaner energy, Premier Colin Barnett says.

A single-issue party is poised to enter Western Australia's political scene.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says he would call a double-dissolution election if Labor senators block his attempts to dump the carbon tax.

Treasurer Wayne Swan says the eurozone's latest jobless figures highlight the deep-seated challenges facing the region, despite some progress in resolving its debt crisis.

Younger Australians are more upbeat about the future than baby boomers while Labor voters are Australia's political pollyannas, a new poll has found.

A leading business lobby group has dismissed as a marketing exercise, a statement signed by hundreds of businesses backing the federal government's carbon tax.

Australia's rate of inflation has fallen to its lowest level since the global financial crisis, a survey shows, giving the central bank room to cut interest rates further.

Australia's central bank cut interest rates in May and June, but is not expected to make it three in a row when its board meets tomorrow.

Premier Colin Barnett says it's not too late for the federal government to halve its carbon price "to something around $10 a tonne", even though he does not believe it will reduce greenhouse gases.