Latest Headlines

Australian shares gave up earlier gains to end lower as renewed investor concerns about the European debt crisis took the steam out of a retailer-driven rally.

An independent inquiry is the only way to find out if other senior media advisers to Premier Colin Barnett were involved in leaking false information to the media about new Labor Leader Mark McGowa

Prime Minister Julia Gillard should stop interfering in the mining industry and Western Australia, and focus on manufacturing job losses elsewhere, Premier Colin Barnett says.

Two-thirds of Australians are expecting an interest rate cut when the Reserve Bank of Australia board meets on February 7, with some anticipating a large 50 basis points reduction.

Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith fears the electronics chain he founded could be sold to foreign owners by retail giant Woolworths.

Telstra has won a $39 million contract to improve mobile telecommunications infrastructure in rural Western Australia.

Talk of a turnaround in Perth’s property sector after prices rose slightly in November has been all but quashed by new data out today, with home values falling 2.1 per cent over the December quarte

Automotive Holdings Group ramped up its push into Victoria, acquiring all but one of Jeff Wignall Group’s 10 car dealerships for $14 million.

Oil and gas producer AWE is on track to meet its full-year production and revenue targets, while it has lowered its risk exposure to the troubled BassGas project.

Tony Sage-chaired International Petroleum has reported strong interest in its recent share placement, saying it has received firm commitments to raise $US35 million, $US10 million more than initial

Australian fruit and vegetable growers fear they will become the latest victims in the supermarket price wars after Coles slashed its fresh produce prices.

Education provider Navitas expects second-half earnings to be weaker amid uncertainty over student visa rules.

Woolworths says its first half sales rose five per cent to $29.7 billion despite the supermarket giant facing subdued consumer confidence and falling prices.

Mining by Mercedes is not what you think. It doesn’t mean the vehicles in Australia’s mines will be flash Mercedes Benz cars.

The International Monetary Fund believes Australia is probably the best-positioned of the developed countries to handle a further deterioration in the global economy.

Lynas Corporation says construction of its rare earths processing plant in Malaysia is 91 per cent complete.

 Worries about whether Greece and its creditors will agree a debt deal have pushed Australian shares lower at the open.

The Australian dollar is a quarter of a US cent higher after some promising news from the European Union leaders summit.

All European Union countries, except Britain and the Czech Republic, have agreed to sign up to a new treaty designed to stop overspending on the eurozone and put an end to the bloc's crippling debt

A media adviser for Premier Colin Barnett has resigned after admitting he leaked false information to the media about Opposition Leader Mark McGowan and circulated a photograph of his house.

The Australian dollar has dropped from its recent three-month high, in the lead-up to a key European Union summit to tackle sovereign debt.

Perth-based resources juniors Rico Resources and Tangiers Petroleum have announced plans to boost their coffers, launching capital raising initiatives worth nearly $12 million combined.

 Australian shares ended lower as investors took profits ahead of the February profit reporting season.

Former Perth company director Peter Hickey has been convicted of three counts of stealing more than $200,000, after using investors’ money to pay off personal debts, including his wife’s credit car

Engineering and contracting group Monadelphous has won two new contracts worth a combined $180 million with Rio Tinto and Chevron, a week after announcing it would exceed its initial profit gu

A joint venture between Thiess and Belgium’s Besix SA has won a $260 million contract at Chevron’s Wheatstone liquefied natural gas project.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says he has no plan to follow France's lead by introducing a financial transaction tax.

Perth-based advisory and stockbroking firm Argonaut has been appointed by Sino Gas and Energy Holdings as its corporate advisor.

Global economic uncertainty is hampering the ability of companies to grow and deters them from creating new jobs, according to a survey released today.

Oil and gas producer ROC Oil lifted production in the December quarter, but for the year it was down.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has blamed "excessively pessimistic" reporting of Australian economic indicators for keeping local confidence down.

 Australian stocks have opened slightly higher after mixed leads from offshore bourses kept investors wary ahead of the start of the local earnings season.