Latest Australia News
RSS-
Man on trial for abusing WA hostel girls
AN alleged victim of child molestation told her friends "bad things" were happening to her while she was a student living at a state-run hostel, a Perth court has ...
-
Worlds biggest croc turns 110 in Qld
Far north Queensland keepers of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity sang the old croc Happy Birthday before giving him a 20 kilogram meat cake topped with candles."He destroyed it in about 30 seconds," Marineland Melanesia croc wrangler Billy Craig told AAP."It's one of the biggest meals he's hadwe decided to spoil him."The 5.48 metre giant ...
-
Aust stocks close higher
Australian stocks closed stronger, pushing above one per cent during the day but eased to around half a per cent higher by the finish.Investors initially took their cues from a positive finish on Wall Street where US stocks posted fresh record highs.RBS Morgans private client adviser Craig Walker said financial stocks, insurers and property stocks all closed in positive territory."The theme ...
More Australia News
RSS-
Leighton not worried about mining downturn
Construction giant Leighton Holdings says it's not concerned about the recent woes of mining services companies due to its diverse business interests and cyclical nature of the industry.Mining services companies WorleyParsons and UGL both issued significant profit downgrades last week due to the slowdown in investment in the resources sector in Australia due to lower commodity prices.But ...
-
Dollar dive could take Aussie below 90 US cents
Australia There are predictions that the Australian dollar could fall as low as 90 US cents in the coming weeks and months.Not that long ago, the Australian dollar could do no wrong. However, its recent demise - down more than 8 per cent this year and more than 2 US cents since Australia's budget night - is more about the rebounding US economy that anything else.With business conditions ...
-
Australian man Marcus Lee who was held in Dubai is acquitted of fraud
United Arab Emirates An Australian business man held in Dubai for the past four years has been acquitted of fraud charges.Marcus Lee was accused of fraud involving a company owned by the emir of Dubai.In a statement, Mr Lee and his wife Julie Lee said they were overwhelmed at the finding and very grateful the court uncovered the truth.He had been detained in Dubai since 2009 and spent time in ...
-
Australian shares trim early rally edge higher on Wall St weak $AU
Mon May 20, 2013 2:52am EDT (Adds details, comments) SYDNEY May 20 (Reuters) - Australian shares finished the session 0.5 percent higher on Monday, underpinned by a broad rally as upbeat economic data propelled Wall Street to record highs. Stocks with a large exposure to the U.S. gained on the weaker Australian dollar. The Australian dollar steadied after reaching multi-month lows against the ...
-
Small business in a fragile state ACCI
A leading business group believes the federal budget was a missed opportunity to help small firms, as a new survey shows the sector remains in a fragile state.Two opinion polls also found voters expecting to be worse off after Treasurer Wayne Swan's sixth budget last week, which included $43 billion in spending cuts and tax increases over four years, and the promise of a surplus pushed out ...
-
Consumers plan to cut spending post-budget
Two-thirds of consumers are feeling worse off because of the federal budget, with many planning to cut their spending despite the latest interest rate cut. A 0.5 percentage point increase in the Medicare levy to fund disability care is shaping up as the biggest concern, well ahead of the baby bonus being scrapped and tax changes to superannuation. Some 44 per cent of consumers told financial ...
-
Stocks to watch at close on Monday
Stocks to watch on the Australian stock exchange at close on Monday: GPT - GPT PROPERTY GROUP - up four cents at $4.16 LLC - LEND LEASE GROUP - up 13 cents at $10.60 Property owner GPT Group has sold its 50 per cent stake in the Erina Fair shopping centre on the NSW central coast for $397 ...
-
Aust shares close firmer
"Strong US consumer confidence figures have been the main driver." Banking stocks were mixed, with ANZ was down three cents at $30.23, Commonwealth Bank 28 cents higher at $73.49, National Australia Bank 28 cents stronger at $33.37 and Westpac up 44 cents at $31.79. Resources stocks were mixed as the gold price continued to wane, with BHP Billion 38 cents higher at $34.79 and Rio ...
-
SA grief counsellor jailed for sex crimes
A Bali bombings grief counsellor who sexually abused two teenage boys decades ago has been jailed in Adelaide after refusing their requests to confess to his wife. David Bonython-Wright, 58, was found guilty in the South Australian District Court of indecent assault and four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse in the mid 80s when he was a youth worker. He was highly regarded throughout his ...
-
NSW premiers CoS joins Woolworths
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell's chief of staff, Peter McConnell, has resigned to join supermarket giant Woolworths. Mr McConnell has been in the role for more than three years, and Mr O'Farrell said he played a crucial role in the Liberal's landslide election win in 2011. "(He) made an extraordinary contribution," Mr O'Farrell said in a statement. "I ...
-
WAs Gonski stance disappoints Swan
Treasurer Wayne Swan has criticised the West Australian government for not signing up to the commonwealth's school education and disability care reforms. Mr Swan said 40,000 people in the state who had a severe or permanent disability would benefit from DisabilityCare, but were set to miss out. "It is disappointing to the commonwealth government that the West Australian government ...
-
Qld unions and employers oppose IR change
Queensland's local government association says it may no longer be able to represent the state's 73 councils in legal disputes if the government presses on with "unworkable" industrial relations changes. A parliamentary committee hearing on the contentious proposal to force unions and employer groups to ballot members before spending more than $10,000 on political campaigns ...
-
Govt debt to be traded on the ASX
In recent years, Australian bonds have been popular with local and overseas investors looking for a safe-haven to park their money. That has also pushed the yields down to record levels reducing the amount of interest the Australian government pays. ASX chief executive Elmer Funke Kupper defended the timing of the launch of the new trading system. "Some would say that the timing of the ...
-
Digital gambling a risk for young people
Adelaide university researcher Daniel King says parents need to become more vigilant as more gambling games are marketed to lure young people. His research found 40 per cent of young people who played simulated gambling games reported a preoccupation or intention to gamble in the future with many accessing games through social media, smartphone apps and video games. "The real strategy is ...
-
SA to ban live sports betting ads on TV
South Australian television screens will no longer show advertising for live odds betting during sports broadcasts. Premier Jay Weatherill said live odds betting on television and its prominent inclusion during sports coverage was a blight on the sporting landscape. "It's staggering how much match-day broadcast time is being devoted to sports betting and live odds - it's become ...
-
Swan hopes for WA change of mind
TREASURER Wayne Swan has criticised the West Australian government for not signing up to the commonwealth's school education and disability care ...
-
Chinas investment does not match status as Australias top trade partner
China's investment in Australia does not match her status as the nation's largest trade partner, said Duan Jielong, China's Consul-General in Sydney on Tuesday. In a speech to Australia China Business Council (ACBC), Duan said as more and more Chinese companies come to Australia to invest, there seems to be some concerns about Chinese investment being too much and growing too ...
-
Bruins exploit home advantage over Rangers
The Boston Bruins were again too good for the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Sunday, while Ottawa edged Pittsburgh.On the back of three straight goals - including two in the third period - the Bruins beat the Rangers 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask stopped 35 shots while Patrice Bergeron provided two ...
-
Pedroia powers Red Sox past Twins
Dustin Pedroia has smashed a two-run homer in the ninth inning to seal a 5-1 MLB win for the Boston Red Sox over the Minnesota Twins.In a match halted for three hours by rain, Boston claimed their fifth successive victory thanks to a strong pitching performance by John Lackey, while Pedroia's 379-foot homer gave the visitors a healthy lead before Minnesota's final at-bat.Boston's ...
-
Retailers unhappy with import fee increase
RETAILERS have lashed out at the federal government for trying to push through a hike in the cost of importing goods for sale. The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says changes to the import processing charge (IPC) will ultimately impact on jobs and state government GST revenues. Association executive director Russell Zimmerman says "hidden in the depths" of Labor's budget last ...
-
New South Wales becomes Australia steroids capital
(35 mins ago) Australia's east coast haven New South Wales, which is seeking to recruit a `chief funster' to promote tourism to Sydney and elsewhere, took the dubious honor for the biggest hauls of steroids and hallucinogens in 2011-2012 in the country, authorities said today. Most commonly used steroids in Australia include erythropoietin (EPO) and Human chorionic gonadotrophin ...
-
Bulldogs Inu faces another NRL suspension
Canterbury centre Krisnan Inu faces a second stint on the sidelines this season after being hit with a grade-two dangerous contact charge by the NRL match review committee. In his first game back after serving a five-game ban for a dangerous throw on South Sydney's Greg Inglis, Inu has been charged with making dangerous contact - unnecessary leg pressure on Newcastle winger James McManus. ...
Melbourne Featured
-
Melbourne will be IT capital of country
Melbourne has been selected by the federal government as the location where the NBN’s operations centre will be headquartered, setting the stage for the city to become the IT, technology and communications capital of Australia.
Melbourne has a long-running rivalry with Sydney and, to a lesser degree, Perth. The two biggest cities in Australia competed intensely to be designated the capital in the early 20th century and Canberra was built from scratch and designated the national capital in large part because of such rivalry, but now Melbourne is set to have something that Sydney will not, the city has been officially chosen as the centre of operations for the ground-breaking National Broadband Network. Analysts and city leaders see the decision as one which will in time make Melbourne the IT hub of the country. Read more
News from around our Network
