A second survey in less than one week and barely a month since the Gillard government started to collect the controversial carbon price of $23 per tonne would put a smile on Prime Minister Julia Gillard's face and a frown on Opposition leader Tony Abbott's. The report by Nielsen, released Monday and two days short of the one-month mark of the levy, said opposition to the carbon tax has been easing. Similar findings were reported by the Climate Institute last week.
The Australian government’s indiscriminate policies against human smuggling led to the unlawful incarceration of minor asylum seekers over the past four years, according to a new report issued on Friday by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia (ERA), which posted net losses by more than 50 per cent in the first half to $59.86 million, remained confident consumer interest in uranium will be renewed, what with Japan already starting to re-embrace it and demand from China continues to grow.
Yes, the world prices of commodities may have already peaked, but this does not correlate to a corresponding mining boom deceleration for Australia.
Four witnesses from two neighboring northeastern Texas counties have reported seeing UFOs within 48 hours. Three of the witnesses described the perceived aircraft to be triangular in shape. The four reports are seen at the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) reporting database.
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman insisted on Friday that he was not blocking funds intended for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) but instead pushing for federal funding closely moulded after the Medicare system.
Australian regulator Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has given its full nod to the $5.9 billion takeover bid of Glencore International plc over dual-listed grain handler Viterra Inc.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has specifically identified IT managers, plumbers and defence force non-commissioned officers as the occupation groups that it will closely watch for further tax scrutiny.
Troubled Australian surfwear retailer Billabong International, unexcited over the second takeover bid by U.S.-based private equity firm TPG Inc. of $695 million, has nevertheless decided to still open its books to the latter.
Investors celebrated greater resolve from Europe's central bankers to shore up the euro zone, driving stocks and the euro sharply higher and Treasurys prices lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ran up 211.88 points, or 1.67%, its biggest gain in nearly a month, to end at 12887.93
Less than a month since its implementation, the number of complaints over the carbon tax has been declining to 45 from 63 per day, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) disclosed on Friday.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: ECB comments spur markets along as President AMario Draghi announces the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the Euro.
High-profile Spanish lawyer Baltasar Garzon said on Wednesday that his main focus in defending WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was for the Australian national to get a fair trial on whichever country court that he would be haled to.
Australia-listed Exalt Resources Ltd. has secured rights to acquire ownership interest in six Indonesian projects of Singapore-based Odni Holdings Pte. Ltd.
Union leaders launched on Wednesday a concerted campaign that would counter what they claimed as emerging hostile environment in the workplace area, which they fear could be worsened by a likely Coalition win on 2013.
Shares of Newcrest Mining Ltd., one of Australia's largest gold producer and a global top 10 gold mining company, have jumped during early Tuesday trading despite reporting poor gold output in the last full financial year.
China vowed to continue implementing its regulation policies on the mining and exporting of its rare earths as it remained unperturbed by the panel that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said it will create to look into the complaints lodged by the U.S., European Union and Japan.
Upbeat earnings from Boeing and Caterpillar helped the Dow industrials rise for the first day in four. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 58.73 points, or 0.5%, to 12676.05. The blue-chip benchmark had fallen at least 100 points in each of the previous three sessions.
Qantas Airways is currently in discussions with Dubai-based Emirates, according to reports, which could soon allow Australia’s flag carrier to set up a hub in the key Middle East city to be used as springboard for its European flights.
The amount of rare earths legally mined and shipped from China had dropped by 42.7 per cent in the first six months of the year versus a year ago, spurred by the persistent and rampant smuggling in the country, aggravating concerns that Beijing's overall exports of the precious metal elements could further dive this year.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is a US cent higher, compared to the same time yesterday, currently trading just above USD1.0300 as risk assets, including the AUD were back in favor, at least early on in the trading session.
Australian troops could soon be deployed in the Philippines for ‘quick stops’ with the approval on Tuesday of the defence pact between Canberra and Manila, which outlines the rules that will govern the Diggers’ visit in the island republic.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has insisted that opinion polls were not the central focus of her government, reasserting too her earlier declaration that the Australian Labor Party will be led to the general election in 2013 by the incumbent Labor leader.
Bell FX Currency Outlook: The Australian Dollar is slightly weaker this morning following a further deterioration in sentiment due in the main to an increase
in risk aversion with Spanish sovereign bond markets remaining very unstable.
The Dow slid to its third straight triple-digit point decline as poor corporate-earnings underscored growth worries and concerns mounted about Greece's ability to pay its debts.
The Australian Labor Party may have kicked out embattled MP Craig Thomson from its caucus and the Coalition is not touching the former Health Services Union (HSU) official with a ten-foot pole. However, Zoe Arnold believes Mr Thomson is innocent of the charges against the legislator, including using HSU credit cards for the services of prostitutes.
The fight is over between the Australian government and former Guantanamo Bay prisoner David Hicks because the office of the public prosecution director dropped off the case against the self-confessed al Qaeda trainee.
Hacking activist group Anonymous admitted on Tuesday that it was responsible for the attacks that took down at least 10 websites being maintained by the Queensland state government over the weekend.
Australian iron ore miner Northern Iron has just received a revised and improved takeover bid from Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, which has prompted investors of the miner to rejoice over the latest development.
The cash handouts delivered by Labor starting this July failed to hit the mark as the party continues to lag behind the Coalition in the latest Newspoll survey, its primary vote sinking deeper at 28 per cent.
