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Economics

Summer crop up 32%: ABARE

AAP  |  TUESDAY, 17 FEB 2004
Australia's 2003/04 summer crop production would rise by 32% to 3.8 million tonnes on the back of heavy summer rain, Australia's chief rural commodities forecaster ABARE said today.

Property investment down: ABS

AAP  |  MONDAY, 16 FEB 2004
Property investors appear to be retreating following back-to-back interest rate rises last year, with new figures today showing another fall in investment lending in December.

Home lending falls off in December

AAP  |  MONDAY, 16 FEB 2004
New home loans fell for the third month in a row in December as back-to-back interest rate hikes began to bite.

Market Wrap

AAP  |  MONDAY, 16 FEB 2004
The Australian dollar reached a fresh seven year high over the weekend but opened weaker today after the United States currency reversed earlier losses.

FTA $4 billion benefit figure should be revised: expert

The government needed to revise a $4 billion figure it used to quantify economic benefits of the Australia-US free trade agreement (FTA), an international economist said today.

Latham lashes super schemes for high-end pollies

Superannuation schemes for federal MPs, judges and the Governor-General would be closed down under a Labor government, Opposition Leader Mark Latham said today.

American wheat growers slam FTA

American wheat growers have criticised a free trade agreement with Australia for failing to tackle export monopolies.

Backlash continues over free trade agreement

Thousands of manufacturing jobs could be at risk under the trade deal signed between Australia and the United States, the ACTU has warned.

Inflation likely to decline further over coming year: RBA

Inflation is expected to fall in 2004 before rising again the following year, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said today.

Costello promises surplus with hope for tax cut this year

Treasurer Peter Costello today promised to keep the Budget in surplus while holding out the hope of a tax cut this year.