Sharon Olalia

A stable interest rate environment is working to turn consumer confidence around and sparking a recovery in housing, according to peak building and construction organisation Master Builders Australia.

New research has revealed Australians’ growing obsession with smartphones, with many using mobile internet-connected phones everywhere from business meetings to first dates and even to avoid awkward social encounters.

The release of the Australian Government plans to put a price on carbon will potentially hit vegetable and potato growers around the country as the sector battles with further hikes in electricity costs, according to AUSVEG, the National Peak Industry body for Australia’s 9,000 vegetable and potato growers.

With the release of the Gillard Government plan to put a price on carbon pollution, the Australian prime minister has promised that more than half of the revenue raised on the new levy will go to households to help meet price impacts. This assistance will be through increases in pensions, allowances and family payments, and personal income tax cuts.

The cast and crew of the Harry Potter movies may have said their tearful good byes at the final premier of the largely successful wizard series, but Aussie fans have one more reason to get excited with the coming of the Harry Potter exhibit in Sydney.

UNSW solar cell researchers promise to make solar power more affordable with new technology that is said to deliver substantial efficiency gains at minimal extra cost.

The Gillard Government is determined to stop gay Aussies from tying the knot, with the prime minister blocking same-sex marriages among Australians in the Big Apple.

Consumer watchdog Choice has called for the Financial Claims Scheme (FCS) to be maintained to enhance competition in the banking sector and benefit consumers.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) says it has been flooded with emails and calls from members of the community outraged by the Australian government’s decision to resume live cattle exports to Indonesia.

National jobs figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today revealed a significant rebound in the employment market, confirming the underlying strength of the Australian economy.

Virgin Money, the financial services arm of Virgin Group, is giving one lucky Australian the chance to fulfil their childhood dream and travel into space on the Virgin Galactic.

New Zealand civil defense authorities have cancelled its tsunami warning after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean northeast of the country.

Virgin Australia has extended its offer to disrupted Tiger Airways customers with a limited range of discounted fares on selected Australian domestic city pair destinations.

Internet subscribers in Australia grew by 17 percent in 2010 while the average amount of data downloaded rose by a further 29 per cent over the same period, according to research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Amid the cash rate calm and the now little cost difference between the average fixed term home loan interest rate and the average variable interest rate, deciding which type of loan to choose is even more difficult.

NBN Co is opening up employment opportunities to registered training providers equipped to skill the workers who will build the National Broadband Network. Training is planned to start in the second half of 2012 to ensure sufficient workers are in place for the full scale rollout of the network, scheduled to begin in 2014.

Virgin Australia (ASX: VBA) is collaborating with Renewable Oil Corporation (ROC), Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (DYMTF) and Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (FFI CRC) to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel that also has benefits for the Australian farming community and the environment.

After battling with GFC and a record-high dollar, Australia’s exporters are now facing a new threat in the face of carbon tax.

The Reserve Bank saved Australians from higher mortgage rates and borrowing costs for another month, keeping official interest rates on hold.

Putting pressure on the government, Australia’s solar peak bodies today said at least 73 solar jobs a day are now being lost in NSW due to the policy void around a fair and equal price on solar power.

The prospect of rising interest rates and taxes, escalating global concerns and uncertainties, the appreciation of the Australian dollar and weak consumer sentiment has led to a decline in business conditions and sentiment in Australia.

The Australian Government plans to announce a price on pollution this weekend as the central element of a comprehensive policy to tackle climate change, cut pollution and drive the transformation of the Australian economy to a clean energy future.

Recent probing into the age of volcanoes has verified that Western Victoria and South Australia are overdue for an eruption that could potentially affect thousands of local residents.

Franchising is set to overtake manufacturing in terms of employment numbers within 10 years, according to Brian Keen founder and director of How To Franchise Simply.

Demand for fixed interest rate home loans hit its highest level in five months in June 2011, reaching 12.3 per cent of all approvals for Australia’s independently-owned mortgage broker, Mortgage Choice.

Half of the estimated 22.6 million Australian population are experiencing a high level of stress that could be making them sick, shows a new Lifeline Stress Poll facilitated by Newspoll.

The RMIT research team is collaborating with CA (Pacific) Pty Ltd, the Australian/New Zealand subsidiary of international software company CA Technologies to develop methods of detecting internal threats to website security.

The plausibility of life on Mars has been put forward with NASA scientists seeing new evidence that suggests traces of water on Mars are under a thin layer of rust similar to conditions found on desert rocks in California's Mojave Desert.

A dramatic turnaround in builder sentiment is seen as Australia’s building and construction industry loses the cushioning effect of government stimulus programs, according to Master Builders Australia’s June quarter 2011 national survey.