Ian Macfarlane
Alcoa: Unions fearful of 'nails in the coffin' of Port Henry smelter
Peter Ker Unions fear Alcoa may make a quick exit from smelting in Victoria rather than repeat Holden's lengthy stay of execution amid Australia's deepening manufacturing woes.
Against the wind
Michael Green Planning restrictions and health fears have left Victorians reluctant to embrace wind power. But this may be changing.
Wind farms may be more acceptable in Victoria
Michael Green Is A Melbourne Journalist Gwenda Allgood is a no-nonsense local councillor, five times a mayor, from Ararat. In mid-November she travelled east to Seymour to speak about wind farms at a forum on energy held in the bowls club...
D-Day for Holden workers' job hopes
Mark Kenny, Mark Hawthorne Thousands of Holden workers are expected to find out their fate on Tuesday morning, many weeks after their US head office in Detroit decided to cut them adrift.
Cash beckons Toyota to stay
Mark Hawthorne and Benjamin Preiss Toyota may become one of the most heavily subsidised car manufacturers since the birth of Holden in 1948 as the Victorian and federal governments enter desperate negotiations to keep the Japanese...
Car manufacturer Holden may quit Australia in 2016
Mark Kenny Senior federal ministers believe Holden will cease production in Australia as early as 2016, it has been reported.
Is the glass half empty or half full for Australia's ailing automotive industry
Clay Lucas Marc Newson designs beautiful tableware. He's done a fine dining range for Noritake, drinking glasses for Iittala, a salt-and-pepper set for Alessi.
Tony Abbott wrote 20 years ago floating dollar didn't make sense
Gareth Hutchens In 1994, a young Tony Abbott wrote a review of a book by an economist and a political scientist, Hugh Stretton and Lionel Orchard.
Toyota calls on PM over car industry
Clay Lucas Toyota has called on the Abbott government to decide whether it has a 'fundamental desire" for there to be an automotive industry in Australia.
The end of the road?
Michael Short The Zone: Damien Cantwell has spent 20 years studying public policy and manufacturing
Fears of slump if Holden leaves
Mark Kenny, Peter Martin The possible withdrawal of car maker Holden could trigger a recession in southern states, it is feared.
Cabinet to sign off on audit commission as Coalition goes after waste
Federal cabinet will sign off on Tuesday on a commission of audit of all government spending, setting in train a process that will identify areas of duplication and waste and could lead to serious...
Jobs to go without ongoing support for car industry, peak body warns
Sam Hall Australia's peak automotive parts body has warned thousands of jobs outside of Holden and Toyota will be inextricably wiped unless the Abbott Government commits to ongoing financial support for the...
Coalition blames unions, dollar for Browse gas blow
Ben Cubby, Peter Hannam 'Outrageous' industrial action and the soaring dollar had priced Australia out of the market for onshore LNG projects, says Ian Macfarlane, the Coalition's resources spokesman.
Opposition slams PM power plan as 'stunt'
The coalition has labelled Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plan for slashing energy bills a "stunt" that won't stop the price hikes triggered by the carbon tax.
Coalition's Macfarlane tells states to exit energy market
Peter Hannam Ian Macfarlane has urged premiers: get out of the energy market.
No backing for Oakeshott energy bill
Richard Willingham The major parties will not support a push from Independent MP Rob Oakeshott for new national laws that would hand greater control of electricity price regulation to the federal government.
Power pollution plunges
Lenore Taylor The carbon tax has helped to drive a sharp fall in the emissions intensity of Australia's power generation as coal-fired stations are closed, moth-balled or sell less electricity.
State mine tax bigger than feds'
Lenore Taylor CONSERVATIVE state royalty increases will cost many mining companies more in the short term than Wayne Swan's minerals resource rent tax, according to the industry peak body.
State royalties to cost more than mining tax - report
Lenore Taylor INCREASES in royalties charged by conservative state governments will cost many mining companies more in the short term than the minerals resource rent tax, the industry's peak body says.
