Pfizer’s $125m offer for ResApp nears vote
Shareholders in a tiny ASX-listed Brisbane medical technology company will vote next month on a $125 million takeover offer from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Economy, Business and Finance
ANZ stitches deal for Suncorp banking arm
The big-four lender has agreed to pay $4.9 billion for the banking operation as it seeks to shore up its Queensland business.
Aust economy to slow: Deloitte
The country's economy will chart a "middle ground" between recovering from the pandemic and continued uncertainty and rising interest rates and inflation.
Permit system to curb bee mite’s impact
Victoria's almond pollination season will go ahead as permits open to South Australian and Queensland beekeepers.
ASX moves higher on mining, energy
Australian shares have risen 0.4 per cent, with gains by iron ore miners, and coalminers outweighing losses for the big banks and property trusts.
Unemployment rate hit 48-year low in June
The unemployment rate plummeted to 3.5 per cent in June, from 3.9 per cent in May, and was much better than economists were expecting.
Unemployment rate fell to 3.5pct in June
The national unemployment rate fell to 3.5 per cent, which is the lowest rate since August 1974.
ASX edges higher on mining, energy
Australian shares have risen 0.3 per cent, with gains by energy and mining companies and losses for property trusts.
Public hearings set for Qld casino probe
An inquiry into the Queensland operations of Star Casinos has begun in Brisbane, with public hearings set down for late August.
Rent surges amid cost of living crisis
House and unit rents have set records in the country's capitals, according to Domain, as cost of living pressures prompt calls for more affordable housing.
Record high 240k homes being built in Q1
A record 240,065 dwellings were under construction in March, although work commencements on new homes fell as the housing boom lost momentum.
Qld to install batteries at coal plants
Queensland is being ambiguous about phasing out fossil fuel energy generation, after revealing that batteries and hydrogen will be installed at coal plants.
ASX down 1.1pct ahead of busy week of data
The local bourse has dropped by 1.1 per cent, as traders take a little off the table before the release of US inflation and Chinese GDP figures.
Consumer confidence falls as rates rise
Consumer confidence has dropped 19.7 per cent since December, a plunge comparable to what happened at the start of the pandemic and the global financial crisis.
More Australian workers looking west
Western Australia's tough border policies throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic have not deterred workers from heading west in record numbers.
Monthly family petrol bill soars to $300
Petrol prices are closing in on highs seen earlier this year as new figures show a tightening in the jobs market ahead of official jobless data.
Ex-Queensland journo jailed ahead of death crash sentence
A former Channel 7 journalist who admitted killing his friend in a crash after a daytime drinking session, has been taken into custody to await his sentence.
Trade surplus hits record $16 billion
Payroll jobs rose have risen, while booming coal and natural gas exports drove an increase in the trade surplus in May.
Qld govt downplays Japan coal tax concern
Queensland's resources minister has brushed off the Japanese ambassador's criticism of the state government's recent coal tax hike.
Job ads show first fall in five months
Ahead of the release of payroll figures and the latest data on Australia's trade surplus, job advertisements are showing potential signs of decline.
Confidence in Aust energy system plummets
New data shows a "stunning collapse of confidence and trust" in the energy system, Energy Consumers Australia says.
Reserve Bank hikes cash rate to 1.35 pct
The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced a 50 basis point rise to the cash rate, taking it to 1.35 per cent.
Big four banks pass on full rate rise
All four of Australia's largest lenders have increased variable home loan rates by 0.5 per cent following the RBA's decision to lift interest rates further.
Home lending rises 1.7 per cent in May
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says the value of new housing loan commitments rose 1.7 per cent to $32.4 billion in May.
Qld to expand ban on single use plastics
Queensland will expand its single-use plastics ban, with cotton buds, microbeads and mass balloon releases the next to go, and coffee cups in the cross hairs.
House prices in descent as rates rise
Home values fell across the country in June, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, after the central bank raised interest rates for the second month in a row.
Aus energy grid needs urgent upgrades
The power market operator AEMO has released a roadmap for the sector as it continues to transition to more renewable and gas energy sources.
Nanotech to help fight against flystrike
Tiny nano-particles are providing a promising new method to protect sheep against deadly flystrike, according to University of Queensland researchers.
Post-pandemic tourism rakes in $18 billion for Queensland
Queensland is leading Australia's tourism industry out of the COVID-19 downturn with domestic visitors staying longer and spending more in the Sunshine State.
Queensland plan to decarbonise agriculture
An emissions-reduction plan for Queensland's agriculture sector focuses on advancements in feed for livestock and green ammonia for fertiliser.
SA company fined over power rules breach
A Federal Court judge has ordered the operator of South Australia's Tesla big battery to pay a $900,000 fine over breaches of the national electricity rules.