Government

Australia is in for a tough economic year after the World Bank slashed its global growth forecasts and warned there could be a worldwide recession worse than three years ago.

Eric Ripper's future in the Western Australian Labor Party remains on shaky ground as more members speak out against his leadership.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has thrown his support behind a Western Australian push for a bigger share of GST.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says the opposition is being "deeply irresponsible" by talking down the Australian economy while markets are skittish over the European debt crisis.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned Europe faces an "unprecedented crisis" but urged calm in the face of Standard & Poor's multiple eurozone rating downgrades.

The first political opinion poll of the year shows the federal coalition continuing to hold an election-winning lead over Labor.

Europe's debt crisis is worrying Australian employers and keeping them from hiring staff, economists say.

Australia is set for a higher rate of unemployment in 2012, new figures show.

The mass debt downgrade of eurozone nations has reignited a debate over boosting the bloc's bailout fund, but governments are divided over raising their contributions, a senior EU official says.

Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten says states should not expect payments from the Commonwealth if they walk away from deals on national reforms.

The federal government says Australia's strong ranking on a global economic index shows the nation is punching above its weight.

While WA continues to record impressive economic growth, the CCI's latest quarterly outlook highlights an economy of mixed fortunes.

A fall in job vacancies in the latter months of 2011 is a warning that the unemployment rate is likely to edge up in the months ahead.

The Queensland government has ordered an immediate suspension of some dredging in Gladstone Harbour, which is being deepened to support planned gas exports.

Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan has rejected claims of a looming jobs crisis.

The outlook for economic growth has fallen back below trend, although the pace of current activity is still strong, a survey shows.

A bid to mine coal in Western Australia's sensitive southwest tourism and wine-producing region has been rejected by the state government after the proponent appealed the original Environ

Tax professionals have questioned the logic behind the federal government's plan to remove the living away from home allowance for temporary residents, a group of employees used heavily by the mini

The federal government has asked a former federal court judge, an academic and a Reserve Bank board member to review the Fair Work Act.

The federal government is going after directors of failed companies who, having avoided liability for workers' entitlements and other debts, restart the business under a similar name.

The possibility of further interest rate cuts hinges entirely on developments in Europe's government debt crisis, economists say.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says it expects global economic growth to stall in the coming year, keeping the door open for more cash rate cuts in 2012.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has invited Australians to submit their priorities for next year's federal budget.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's salary will rise to $481,000 and backbenchers will get a base rate of $185,000 from 2012, under a plan released today.

The Australian economy will inevitably suffer spillover effects from the European government debt crisis, Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Ric Battellino says.

Job advertisements on the internet rose by 5.4 per cent in November compared to a month earlier, national data shows.

Consumer confidence has dropped to its lowest level since August, despite two consecutive cash rate cuts, a survey finds.

Canada's decision to formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol doesn't mean the international community isn't serious about tackling global warming, the federal government says.

Billions of export dollars look set to keep rolling in at a healthy clip this financial year, despite an uncertain global backdrop.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced an extensive ministerial reshuffle that has increased the size of Cabinet to 22 ministers.

The state government will invest $78.2 million in regional water provision and natural resource management (NRM), the water minister and regional development and lands minister announced today.