Flexible work for violence victims hailed

Ben Schneiders and Daniel Hurst Campaigners against domestic violence have hailed as a ''fantastic breakthrough'' a Gillard government move to give victims of domestic violence the right to request changes to their hours.

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Push for relaxation of workplace gender requirements

Daniel Hurst The federal government will face fresh calls to water down planned new gender equality rules for medium-sized businesses.

Greens claim $2b will fix Newstart poverty

Exclusive Bianca Hall IS $2 BILLION a year too much to help Australia's most impoverished people?

Greens push for increase to dole

Bianca Hall Party will move to raise weekly Newstart, Abstudy and youth allowance rate for singles by $50 a week.

PS numbers defy the axe

Markus Mannheim The federal bureaucracy continued to grow earlier this year despite the toughest crackdown on spending in more than a decade and at a time when many agencies were retrenching staff.

Rudd suggests Asian language job quota

Ed Logue Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says Australian businesses should set a job quota for Australian students who can speak an Asian language.

Clean energy target drives billions in investment

Tom Arup Australia's 20 per cent renewable energy target helps spark $18.5 billion in new investment.

Call to cut renewables target rejected

Tom Arup Australia's renewable energy target should not be scaled back, the Climate Change Authority says.

Climate body rejects cut to energy target

Tom Arup Australia's Climate Change Authority has rejected calls by some of the country's biggest energy companies to scale back the national 20 per cent renewable energy target, saying it should be left...

Businesses divided on energy target shift

David Wroe The debate over Australia's renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020 has intensified, with the Business Council of Australia joining calls to adjust the target amid fears it will unreasonably...

Reform is essential, say business groups

Phillip Coorey PEAK business groups support increasing the GST or widening its base, but say it must be part of a broader tax reform package rather than a money-making exercise for the states.

Carbon fix leaves budget exposed

David Wroe Australia's carbon price from 2015 will be set by the volatile European market under changes announced yesterday by the Gillard government that could hit the budget bottom line.

Business rails at ceding perks to fund cut in tax rate

Clancy Yeates SLASHING the company tax rate to 25 per cent, as recommended by the former Treasury secretary, Ken Henry, would cost up to $9.

The big picture

Michael Short The process of reform in Australia has become stale and unimaginative, but how can we harness information to reinvigorate our thinking?

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Now to see if the fuss fades away or keeps burning

David Wroe THE debate over carbon pricing now shifts gear. Two questions are likely to dominate the coming weeks.

Supporters seek to balance carbon debate

Lenore Taylor Almost 300 companies and groups have signed a statement backing the carbon price in a bid to balance the often louder voices of opposition from the business community.

Life on the dole a trauma, says Lib

Exclusive Misha Schubert LIBERAL stalwart Hugh Morgan has joined the growing chorus of conservative criticism over the dole, declaring that surviving on $245 a week must be ''a humbling if not traumatic experience''.

Unions and business clash on best economic strategy

Clancy Yeates THE ACTU has challenged business groups to justify calls for further company tax cuts, sparking a row over how to manage the resources boom.

Hard line on surplus demands cuts: Swan

Phillip Coorey, Peter Martin SIGNIFICANT spending cuts are in store because the government is ''absolutely determined'' to return the budget to surplus in 2012-13 as promised, the Treasurer says.

Overseas students get easier entry, working visas

Jen Rosenberg ENTRY requirements for foreign students will be relaxed and short-term visas will be available for those who wish to work after completing their university studies in an overhaul intended to revive...