Cyclone prompts pilots to jettison four-day strike
A strike at a Qantas subsidiary has been suspended at the request of the West Australian government because of a cyclone and the possible need for evacuations.
economy, business and finance
company information
economy, business and finance
energy
energy and resource
environmental issue
natural gas
oil and gas - downstream activities
oil and gas - upstream activities
Gas giant Santos accused of eroding shareholder value
Gas giant Santos has been accused of eroding shareholder value with a record dividend and no update on the future after Woodside merger talks were terminated.
economy, business and finance
electricity production and distribution
energy
energy and resource
environmental issue
heavy construction
manufacturing and engineering
metal and mineral
mining
Rio Tinto energy pact cuts Gladstone’s carbon footprint
Rio Tinto will bankroll hundreds of construction jobs and industrial production in Queensland with a renewable energy supply deal for a smelter and refineries.
Incoming Qantas chairman can change airline: workers
Qantas' naming of former Telstra boss John Mullen as its next chairman has been welcomed by airline staff, who say he has an open-door approach to workers.
Woolies CEO quits as pressure and grocery prices rise
Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci will resign by September after facing increased scrutiny over the pricing and a lack of supermarket competition.
Wages outrunning inflation in win for household budgets
Average wages grew at the fastest annual pace in 14 years in 2023 while just outpacing inflation, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported.
Opposition moves to expand supermarket inquiry
The Queensland opposition will look to expand a supermarket inquiry to include electricity, transport, insurance and water.
coal
company information
economy, business and finance
energy and resource
metal and mineral
mining
politics
BHP issues ‘call to arms’ for competitive mining future
Resources giant BHP says governments need to work harder to make sure Australia is in the race as global competition heats up for iron ore and battery minerals.
Rate hike case scuttled by improving inflation outlook
The Reserve Bank considered lifting interest rates earlier this month but convincing progress on inflation made it an easy argument to dismiss.
Hydrogen hub deal worth $140m finalised for Pilbara
Western Australia could become a world-leading hydrogen producer after the federal and state governments finalised a $140 million deal to build infrastructure.
company information
construction and property
economy, business and finance
energy and resource
environmental issue
housing and urban planning
metal and mineral
Aussie economy ‘OK’ despite weaker housing: BlueScope
BlueScope Steel expects local housing starts to recover and strong demand in the United States for infrastructure, including steel-intensive renewable energy.
Drivers on struggle street fuel Ampol’s ‘mega profit’
Refinery operator and service station chain Ampol has been accused of delaying pump price relief for consumers already stung by a cost of living crisis.
Auction interest shows no signs of slow down
More than 2000 homes will go under the hammer on Saturday, a 13 per cent surge from the same weekend in 2023.
Australia’s jobless rate hits two-year high
Fresh labour data is unlikely to shift the dial for the central bank despite the jobs market slowdown appearing a little ahead of schedule.
company information
economy, business and finance
electricity production and distribution
energy and resource
environmental issue
natural gas
Chaos events make gas more crucial, Origin Energy says
Big batteries and fast-start gas plants will keep the lights on across Australia and help to stabilise highly volatile power costs, Origin Energy says.
Battery failure led to power plant mass outage: report
A battery failure triggered a chain of events leading to an explosion at Callide Power Station, leaving nearly half a million Queenslanders without power.
Fossil fuel carbon levy would fund climate ‘solutions’
A levy on fossil fuel carbon would help greener products to compete and fund initiatives to mitigate the impacts of climate change, a think tank says.
Ship docks to unload livestock after weeks-long voyage
A live-export ship turned back from the Middle East has returned to port to offload thousands of sheep and cattle on board for five-and-a-half weeks.
Ship docks to unload livestock after weeks long voyage
A live export ship turned back from the Middle East has returned to port to offload thousands of sheep and cattle on board for five-and-a-half weeks.
High-rise hopes to fix housing squeeze in the regions
Offering more medium to high density housing in the regions would ease housing shortages and attract essential and other key workers, a summit has heard.
RBA says productivity, conflicts cloud inflation path
The job of bringing inflation under control isn't finished, although consumer price growth does not need to be back within target before rate cuts start.
Farmers in far north Qld face long road to recovery
The Albanese government announced $91.8 million in funding for disaster resilience support in the region but it won't help those affected by recent cyclones.
Transurban half-year earnings up 7.5pct to $1.3b
Toll road operator Transurban says it had growth in all the markets it operates during the six months to December 31.
AGL Energy back in the black, but sights set on green
AGL Energy insists there is a "very, very competitive" market after bouncing back into profit and reserving billions of dollars to replace coal-fired power.
economy, business and finance
electricity production and distribution
energy
energy and resource
heavy construction
it/computer sciences
manufacturing and engineering
metal and mineral
mining
Green energy, mining investment eases sting of slowdown
Mining and utilities are tipped as "bright spots" for construction and engineering jobs to offset broader economic pain as business investment stalls.
Optus outage drives spike in telco customer complaints
The latest watchdog data shows an increase in complaints about telco services, coinciding with an Optus outage that lasted up to 14 hours for some customers.
Price gouging is everywhere, on everything, all at once
Leading economist Allan Fels says a lack of competition and exploitative practices are just a few reasons why Australia needs to look more closely at prices.
Thrifty December cures sales-fuelled debt hangover
Many shoppers racked up credit card bills during the November sales but the damage could have been worse given acute financial pressures.
A decade to save for a country home as regions grow
Regional Australia can look forward to more jobs and innovation, but health, housing and climate change present ongoing challenges, a landmark report says.
agriculture
demonstration
economy, business and finance
electricity production and distribution
energy
environmental issue
politics
Shock at call for moratorium on ‘reckless renewables’
Anti-renewables activists want to protect agricultural land but the energy industry says solar and wind is future-proofing farmers and giving regions new jobs.
‘Nothing’s in, nothing’s out’: RBA keeps options open
The Reserve Bank kept interest rates on hold this month but needs to be convinced it's done enough on inflation before considering cuts to the key cash rate.