Bay Ledger News Zonebill@blnz.comtag:www.blnz.com,2009:people/paul_howestag:www.blnz.com,2009:2012/05/25/Australia_approves_foreign_miners_lunacy_83bd

Australia said Friday it will allow a new mine to hire about 1,700 foreign workers to alleviate a labour shortage threatening the resources boom, in a move unions attacked as "sheer lunacy".

2012-05-25T09:55:43ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/10/03/Australian_manufacturing_slides_again_5009

Australian manufacturing slumped for a third consecutive month, intensifying pressure for Canberra to support the country's ailing industries.

2011-10-03T03:41:39ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/08/23/Australia_steelmaker_slammed_obscene_bonuses_4c1c

Bosses at Australia's BlueScope steel have been attacked for pocketing "obscene" bonuses worth Aus$3.0 million (US$3.1 million), after they sacked 1,000 workers and abandoned their export business.

2011-08-23T05:49:45ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/08/22/Australian_manufacturing_crisis_BlueScope_axes_b71b

Australia's BlueScope Steel said Monday it will close a blast furnace, abandon its export business and axe 1,000 jobs, as unions warned the manufacturing sector was facing its worst crisis in decades.

2011-08-22T07:28:15ZAFP Global Editionby Martin Parrytag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/08/21/Australian_manufacturing_crisis_BlueScope_axes_b71b

Australia's BlueScope Steel said Monday it will close a blast furnace, abandon its export business and axe 1,000 jobs as unions warned the manufacturing sector was facing its worst crisis in decades.

2011-08-22T02:43:16ZAFP Global Editionby Martin Parrytag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/07/18/Australian_vows_push_support_plunges_7f38

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard vowed to stand firm on her controversial carbon tax plans Monday despite the first poll since the levy was announced showing support for her Labor party plunging.

2011-07-18T04:32:49ZAFP Global EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/06/13/Special_report_Australias_foreign_workers_a1ea

KARRATHA, Australia (Reuters) - Lucille Lievaux, a 25-year-old French geologist, commutes to work on a plane, a 1,300-km journey from Australia's Indian Ocean city of Perth to the mining town of Karratha, a smudge of suburbia on the continent's barren northwest coast.

2011-06-14T03:51:03ZReuters US Online Report World NewsRebekah Kebede and Mark Bendeichtag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/04/19/Australias_Rudd_gets_double_dose_0cfb

Former leader Kevin Rudd basked Tuesday in the second poll in as many days showing more Australians would prefer him to head the ruling Labor party than Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

2011-04-19T03:52:27ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/04/18/Australias_Rudd_gets_double_dose_0cfb

Former leader Kevin Rudd basked Tuesday in the second poll in as many days showing more people preferred him to head the ruling Labor party than Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

2011-04-19T02:29:46ZAFP Asian EditionBy Staff Reportertag:www.blnz.com,2009:2011/03/22/Australia_weighs_nuclear_push_after_d22f

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Japan's nuclear crisis threatens to derail a political push by Australia's government to overturn a ban on selling uranium to India, as well as a drive to use nuclear power domestically to counter climate change.

2011-03-22T07:06:59ZReuters Environmental Online ReportRob Taylortag:www.blnz.com,2009:2010/04/20/Quake_hits_western_Australian_mining_0919

Mines evacuated as 5.0-magnitude quake strikes western Australia, damaging hotels, schools. A powerful earthquake struck Australia's major gold-mining region in the west Tuesday, collapsing roofs of several buildings and prompting the evacuation of mines, schools and hospitals.

2010-04-20T07:57:48ZAP NewsStaff