Alex Munro

Aspiring energy supplier Aviva Corporation's share price today slumped as much as 46 per cent after it emerged from a trading halt, days after failing to win a share of Synergy's latest procurement package.

State Nationals leader Brendon Grylls has hardened his resolve on extended retail trading hours, pledging to oppose any moves towards increasing trading hours.

UNCERTAINTY over the federal government's carbon pollution reduction scheme has cast a shadow over the growth prospects for the carbon offsets plantation industry.

Sport lovers in Western Australia are some of the biggest AFL fans in the country, while the nation's cycling aficionados have been rated as the most passionate of fanatics, a report has concluded.

The state government has announced plans to split the Environmental Protection Authority from the Department of Environment and Conservation, in a move that has won rare bipartisan support from resources and conservation groups.

Tasmania and South Australia are Australia's top performing economies relative to their historic track record, contrasting with the resources-rich states of Western Australia and Queensland which are growing below par, a new CommSec study has concluded.