Business

Penalty rates to be reduced for hospitality, retail workers

Sunday and public holiday penalty rates will be reduced for full-time and part-time workers in the hospitality, retail and fast-food industries, the Fair Work Commission rules.

• Penalty rate cuts could backfire on business
• The cases for and against a penalty rate change

Australia Post boss Fahour resigns, despite profit rebound

Australia Post's managing director Ahmed Fahour resigns, despite the business posting a large profit turnaround due to online shopping parcel deliveries.

Dreamworld operator reports earnings drop after tragedy

Ardent Leisure, the operator of the Gold Coast's Dreamworld theme park, reports half year core earnings at $12.8 million compared to $30.5 million in the prior period.

Crown cuts dividend amid VIP gambling plunge

Crown Resorts reports a fall in underlying revenue amid a slump in VIP gamblers at its Australian casinos.

Will the Government crack down on mortgage broker commissions?

The Federal Government is facing pressure to ban lucrative mortgage broker commissions, which consumer groups say encourage bad behaviour and are contributing to record household debt.

Insurance industry headaches could lead to higher premiums

Even as the Commonwealth Bank last week unveiled another record half-year profit of $5 billion, not everything was rosy — its life insurance arm CommInsure continues to be a headache, and with ASIC campaigning insurers to publicly report claim figures, premiums could rise as a consequence.

Qantas profit falls 25pc as competition heats up

Qantas posts a 25 per cent profit slide, amid competitive pressures and ongoing redundancy payments as part of its "transformation program".

Coal company silenced farmers with confidentiality clauses: environmentalist

New Hope, the company behind the New Acland coal mine on Queensland's Darling Downs, is silencing nearby farmers in signed agreements, an environmentalist says.