Government

 The federal government is confident its carbon tax will survive a High Court challenge from mining magnate Clive Palmer.

Labor and the Australian Greens have seized on the CSIRO's latest State of the Climate report to again argue Australia is right to be putting a price on carbon emissions from the middle of this yea

 Labor has struggled to win voter support in Western Australia because it hasn't been responsive enough to the WA view of the world, a federal minister says.

Consumer sentiment has fallen following the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decisions in February and March to keep the official interest rate on hold, a survey shows.

A recent surge in carbon emissions across the globe was a one-off event as economies rebounded after the global financial crisis, Australian scientists say.

Business confidence slumped in February even as conditions improved, a survey shows.

Finance Minister Penny Wong is standing by the federal government's proposed carbon price, despite a report showing it would strip $30 billion from the economy.

The federal government is refusing to commit itself to a promised tax cut for small business by July 1.

Greens leader Bob Brown says the federal government is taking both his party and the parliament for granted over his support for the mining tax.

It's not only the mining boom that's creating jobs - there's also plenty of work to be had in the pizza sector.So says Australia's biggest pizza company, Domino's Pizza Enterprises.

A series of protests have been held across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth against multi-national British services company Serco, which runs Australia's immigration detention and other public

The federal government has blamed the first monthly trade deficit in almost a year on the impact of Cyclone Heidi, which prevented the loading of ships off Western Australia.

The establishment of a commission of audit to review the commonwealth public service under a Tony Abbott-led coalition government would be a critical initiative, the Business Council of Australia s

 The nations working towards a new Pacific trade pact are hopeful a deal can be stuck before the end of the year, Australia's lead negotiator says.

The first trade balance in deficit in almost a year could cause a weakening in first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data, economists say.

The pattern of weak jobs growth could prompt the central bank to cut official interest rates in May, economists say.

Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says the latest national accounts and jobs figures show that the economy has been operating well below its potential for some time.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has mocked the treasurer's promise of a budget surplus in 2012/13, saying it would take 100 years of surpluses to make up for "Swannie's deficits".

Continuing falls in Western Australian unemployment have failed to stop the nation’s unemployment rate rising to 5.2 per cent in February, according to official figures.

A significant shareholder in mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto has backed the federal government's stand on the minerals resources rent tax for its potential benefit to the wider economy.

Treasurer Wayne Swan believes the economy is still on target to reach trend growth of around 3.25 per cent this year, despite a dour performance in the final months of 2011 amid economic upheaval i

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has questioned whether groups such as Greenpeace should retain their tax-free status if they are actively working to disrupt and delay major coal projects.

Federal opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey says the coalition will deliver a budget surplus in its first year in office and won't follow Labor in rolling out a stimulus package in the event o

The economy posted unexpectedly slow growth in the December quarter, but provided some good news on labour productivity.

Monetary policy has a key role to play in the evolution of the Australian economy, as it responds to structural change, the Reserve Bank of Australia says.

 Prime Minister Julia Gillard will invite business leaders to the first meeting of a new advisory forum set up to find ways to cut red tape, as Treasurer Wayne Swan's criticism of three mining

The Australian economy has been crawling along below trend pace for a number of years, a leading economist says.

Unions will launch a test case to lift apprentice wages to at least the minimum wages in their industry.

Confidence among small and medium businesses took a backward step in the March quarter, a quarterly survey by information management firm Sensis found.

Water Minister Bill Marmion admits a 13.5 per cent interest rate being charged on unpaid water bills is high and says he will ask the Water Corporation to justify it.

In a surprise turn of events, former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr will join the Senate and take the role of Foreign Minister in the wake of Kevin Rudd’s failed leadership challenge.