Huge NT fuel site to power US fighter jets
DARWIN, AAP – Construction work is set to start on a huge US fuel storage depot in the Northern Territory to support military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. The $270 million project capable of holding 300 million litres will be the largest purpose-built fuel storage facility in northern Australia. It will be built at East…
Truckies call for electric freight policy
CANBERRA, AAP – Keeping shelves stocked will be helped by electric trucks, peak bodies say. The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) and the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) have joined forces to call for urgent reforms. Truckies and electric vehicle experts on Tuesday released an electrification road map for governments to improve fuel security and supply chains…
Aust shares little higher, miners rebound
SYDNEY, AAP – Australia’s share market was a little higher on Tuesday and some of the biggest moves were in household-name retail stocks. The market was up 0.31 per cent as traders followed European markets, which closed higher after Chinese rate cuts. Wall Street traders enjoyed a public holiday. Materials shares were the most significant…
ASX drops, tech plunges on rate fears
SYDNEY, AAP – Australia’s share market has started the day lower but has been faring better than the whopping losses handed out on Wall Street overnight. The ASX was down 0.76 per cent on Wednesday after soaring bond yields in the US helped decimate markets there. ASX technology stocks fared worst and were down more…
Rio Tinto to hike iron ore exports in 2022
SYDNEY, AAP – Mining giant Rio Tinto has forecast greater iron ore exports in 2022 but is assuming the worst of the pandemic is over for its workforce. The company on Tuesday tipped exports of the steel-making commodity would increase from 322 million tonnes in 2021 to a range of 320 million tonnes to 335…
Confidence slumps as Omicron takes hold
CANBERRA, AAP – Consumer confidence has slumped due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the immense strain this has put on testing facilities. The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index – a guide to future household spending – tumbled 7.6 per cent in the past week to its lowest level since October 2020…
EU tightens rules for Aussie travellers
BRUSSELS, DPA – The European Union is to tighten COVID-19 travel rules for unvaccinated arrivals from Australia, Argentina and Canada due to rising case numbers. The 27 EU member states reached an agreement on Monday to remove the trio from a list of countries where easier travel restrictions apply regardless of vaccination status, a press…
Hiring comfortably above pre-COVID level
CANBERRA, AAP – The rate of hiring workers in Australia was comfortably above its pre-pandemic level in the latter stages of 2021, but the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has since cast some concerns over the outlook. New data released by business and employment online operator LinkedIn showed hiring on average as…
Aussie robots to build world’s solar farms
CANBERRA, AAP – Already making blocks of panels that roll out like a solar accordion, engineers at 5B say robots can build the world’s solar farms even faster, safely and at lower cost. The company says its flagship product, the prefabricated and portable “Maverick”, can already deploy up to 10 times faster and generate up…
ASX manages gains after China rate cut
SYDNEY, AAP – A late rally has helped the Australian share market to modest gains while losses for materials shares prevented greater improvement. The market improved on Monday after China’s central bank cut loan rates following weak GDP data. Most ASX share categories were higher but a loss of almost one per cent for materials…
