Latest Australia Headlines
All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
France’s AXA Eyes Asia Growth with Takeover Bid
Nov 9 2009 // AXA Asia Pacific rejected a $10.3 billion bid from parent AXA SA and Australian rival AMP Ltd on Monday, an initial hurdle for the French insurer’s bold ambitions to expand in Asia. AXA SA, Europe’s...
Climate Talks Now ‘in the Balance,’ But Some Hints of Progress
Oct 20 2009 // Prospects for a new U.N. climate pact in December remained in the balance after talks among big emitters on Monday but with signs of action by Brazil, India and Australia. “It’s more do-able today than...
Best Affirms Ratings on QBE and Operating Companies
Oct 1 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of UK-based QBE Insurance (Europe) Limited , Australia’s QBE Insurance...
Over 500 Reported Dead in Sumatra Quake; AIR Analyzes Disaster
Oct 1 2009 // Not long after the Samoan earthquake and tsunami struck in the South Pacific, a major earthquake occurred 9500 kms (5900 miles) away off Sumatra in western Indonesia. Latest news bulletins have raised the initial death...
Report: Australian Court Allows Claims against Lehman Brothers
Sep 28 2009 // An Australian court has ruled that local governments can pursue financial claims against collapsed U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in Australia and elsewhere, a firm that is funding the litigation said on Monday. IMF...
Dust Storm Blankets Sydney as Drought Bites
Sep 23 2009 // A huge outback dust storm swept eastern Australia and blanketed Sydney on Wednesday, disrupting transport, forcing people indoors and stripping thousands of tons of valuable farmland topsoil. The dust blacked out the...
Reinsurers’ Rendezvous Reveals Reflection; Sea Level Rise Imperil Coasts; Pirates Ahoy!
Sep 21 2009 // The world’s reinsurers gathered in Monte Carlo over the first weekend in September for their annual conclave. This year’s meetings were calm by comparison with prior years — no hurricanes ravaging...
Coastal Home Owners Face Huge Losses from Rising Seas
Sep 3 2009 // Australians Lesley and Doug McGrath have for decades battled ocean swells that have eaten away at the backyard of their multi-million dollar Sydney home. They bought an old beach shack on Collaroy Beach in 1976 and...
Doha Round Talks Now an ‘End-Game’ Says Australian Trade Minister
Sep 3 2009 // The World Trade Organization’s Doha round to free up trade is nearly complete and world leaders are voicing the political will to reach a deal next year, Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said on Wednesday. But...
Source Says Macquarie in Talks to Acquire Fox-Pitt Kelton
Aug 21 2009 // Australia’s Macquarie Group Ltd. is in talks to acquire Fox-Pitt Kelton Cochran Caronia Waller, a small investment bank owned by its management and private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co LLC, a person familiar...
Report Finds Australia’s Wildfire Warning System ‘Dangerously Flawed’
Aug 20 2009 // A major inquiry into Australia’s wildfire disaster earlier this year has found that warning systems are dangerously flawed, and residents in vulnerable areas need better, faster information to escape quick-moving...
Asia-Pacific Nations Decry First-world Protectionist Policies
Jul 21 2009 // Some Asia-Pacific nations criticized U.S. and other developed world protectionism on Tuesday at a meeting aimed at spurring a global trade pact and revitalizing the global economy. Thai Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai,...
El Nino Weather Pattern Increasing Says Australian Weather Bureau
Jul 8 2009 // The development of an El Nino weather pattern is increasing and at this stage may be a medium-strength event, but it could take months for it to be officially declared, Australia’s weather bureau said. “We are...
IAG Receives Around 4,000 Storm Claims
Jun 2 2009 // Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) has confirmed that it currently expects to pay between A$25 million and A$35 million (US$20.2 to $28.3 million) to customers affected by the recent storms in south-east Queensland...
Australian Navy Warships Thwart Pirate Attack off Yemen
May 19 2009 // The Australian navy thwarted an attack by pirates on two merchant ships in the dangerous waters off Yemen, Australian defense officials said Monday. Crew members aboard the MV Dubai Princess raised distress signals Sunday...
Australian Broker Association Opposes High Insurance Premium Taxes
May 14 2009 // The National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) has issued a “Discussion Paper,” outlining the reasons for its opposition to the high taxes imposed on insurance transactions in Australia. The NIBA is the...
Global Warming to Blame for 37% of Droughts Says Australian Scientist
Mar 26 2009 // Global warming is more than a third to blame for a major drop in rainfall that includes a decade-long drought in Australia and a lengthy dry spell in the United States, a scientist said on Wednesday. Peter Baines of...
El Nino Study Challenges Global Warming Intensity Link
Mar 24 2009 // Research showing an El Nino event in 1918 was far stronger than previously thought is challenging the notion that climate change is making El Nino episodes more intense, a U.S. scientist said on Tuesday. El Nino causes...
Younger Drivers Distracted by Music Says Australian Insurer NRMA
Mar 23 2009 // According to a study from Australian insurer NRMA, part of the Insurance Australia Group (IAG), younger drivers, who listen to music while at the wheel, are acting dangerously. NRMA said its research “revealed almost...
Half of Oil-slicked Australian Beaches Now Clean
Mar 16 2009 // About half of the white sand beaches along Australia’s northeast coast that were blackened by an oil spill have been cleared, an official said Sunday. Authorities declared a disaster zone along 37 miles (60...
