US stocks rose on Monday amid Wall Street hopes of a political compromise that would prevent the economy from going over the "fiscal cliff" in two weeks.
Health director general Kim Snowball has tendered his resignation, saying that the demands of the job had taken a toll on his personal and family life.
A meeting of federal, state and territory treasurers wound up quickly and without any major agreements on the main agenda items of the GST and inefficient state taxes.
Unseasonable wet weather has caused major frustration for the state's grain growers, with grains handler CBH Group forced to revise down its harvest estimate as a result of the disruptions.
Perth-based Firestone Energy has received an all-scrip takeover proposal from the Brian McMaster-chaired Range River Gold, that values it at $24.9 million.
Fairfax Media may be casting adrift one of its biggest cash generating units when it sells Trade Me, but it needs the money to support its ailing newspapers, analysts say.
The downturn in China's economy since 2011 has sliced $US2.4 billion off Australia's economic growth and led to a slide in export income of $US2.6 billion, according to a United Nations report.
ANZ's economists are predicting the cash rate will be cut to two per cent by the end of 2013 and suggest it may be a good idea for the government to step back from its budget surplus plans.
A six-day strike has begun at Fremantle Port after weekend talks between the union and state-owned operator failed to break an impasse over long-term job security.
Tourism Australia has signed a three-year marketing agreement with Etihad Airways worth $6 million as the peak body moves to fill the gap created by the loss of funding from Qantas.
International investment bank Goldman Sachs has released a bullish outlook for the iron ore market, predicting average spot prices to hover around $US140 per tonne in 2013.
Treasurer Wayne Swan and his state and territory counterparts will discuss "refinements" to the distribution of GST proceeds and a revamp of mining taxes when they gather next week.
Engineering and construction group Clough has proven not all is doom and gloom in the mining services sector in the lead-up to the holidays, saying recent contract wins have it expecting a better p
The Australian dollar is slightly lower on concerns about the US fiscal cliff.At 1700 AEDT, the local unit was trading at 105.44 US cents, down from 105.52 cents at yesterday's close.
Perth's fleet of compressed natural gas buses will be kept on the road while an inquiry is undertaken into why one of them was destroyed by a dramatic fire on Friday morning.
Macmahon Holdings' shares have dropped by more than a fifth after resuming trade following an $80.7 million capital raising announcement and the sale of its construction business.