Panic buying, unsurprisingly, has led to a surge in Coles' sales, while the Crown Casino has picked up some new owners and Australian shares are having another volatile day.

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino accuses the Federal Government of using funding to "force" independent schools to undermine the state's strategy on face-to-face learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Australians have seen a rare rise in inflation, as a series of crises conspired to push up the cost of essential groceries, but economists say consumers should see cheaper prices again now that panic buying has subsided.

ANZ announces a 51 per cent slump in profits and defers paying a dividend as it braces for at least a billion-dollar hit from the COVID-19 recession.

Victoria's total of COVID-19 cases rises to 1,361, as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton reveals authorities are investigating three cases linked to a Melbourne aged care facility.

The initial epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak will lower its emergency response level from tomorrow. These are the key coronavirus developments from Friday.

A company linked to Labor figures that bought a mine for just $1 enjoyed multi-million-dollar refunds from its environmental bond after concessions from the Palaszczuk Government, documents show.

Despite coronavirus restrictions sending auctions online and seeing many home sales abandoned, CoreLogic figures for April show prices continued to rise for the few properties that did sell.

US President Donald Trump seemingly increases his estimate of possible deaths from coronavirus to 100,000, up from 70,000 earlier in the week, as South Africa, Spain and some American states loosen their restrictions. These are the key coronavirus developments from today.

At 14 years of age Zaynn Bird was a sub-par McDonald's employee. At 23 he owns one of his state's most impressive burger joints.

The travel agent chain backs down from charging hundreds of dollars in cancellation fees for trips cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, following pressure from customers and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The community of mainly over-60s on St Huberts Island in NSW manages to stare down the threat of COVID-19 with music, exercise and good wine — and a fresh catch of fish delivered by doting grandsons.

Some are warning Australia's television industry is facing a crisis that could affect how much viewers pay for entertainment in the future, and whether the kinds of shows that have been hits in the past will continue to be made.

While the economic tsunami of coronavirus shutdowns hammers most sectors, WA's resources industry has jobs created on mine sites where providers of support services like catering, cleaning and maintenance are in high demand to keep mine sites safe.

After two months in almost total lockdown, 4.5 million Italians are allowed to return to work today as the country with the second-highest coronavirus death toll begins to wind back some restrictions.

Within the space of a month, the coronavirus pandemic has upended the property market for buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords.

With dine-in service off the table many restaurants struggle to retain staff who are ineligible for JobKeeper payments.

Westpac joins ANZ in deferring its interim dividend as it braces for the financial impact of COVID-19, but mounting issues around money laundering and tax reporting may cost it almost as much.

The coronavirus pandemic is understandably weighing heavily on the business sector, but there are early signs of green shoots as one state begins to open up.

The US President said China tried to cover up the coronavirus outbreak before trying to blame other countries for the ensuing health pandemic.

The fallout from harsh border closures means many WA tourism businesses will struggle to stay afloat for longer than six months given a huge drop in revenue.

While oil and wholesale fuel prices have been at two-decade lows, pump prices have not come down so quickly or consistently across the country. But service station owners say they too are struggling to survive the COVID-19 downturn.

A journalist left out of work after Australian Community Media shut down his regional printing press starts his own online newspaper in an effort to keep the community informed.

One WA couple who fell victim to a tractor ad scam wants others to know about the dangers, as NT Consumer Affairs uncovers more than 20 similar sites.

Are you a business that wants to reopen on May 15? The Government has released the COVID-19 Safety Plan checklist you must complete before doing so.

As the Government begins easing social-distancing restrictions, there are doubts once-bustling workplaces in Sydney's CBD will ever return to the way they were.

New data shows how hard the impact of the coronavirus has been on women's jobs as a leading economist worries about the long-term impact for women in the workforce.

Under siege from much cheaper rivals and with lenders unwilling to support it, pay TV operator Foxtel is increasingly looking like a threatened species.

US meatworks have been epicentres for coronavirus outbreaks and shutting them down has disrupted the supply chain. But Australia is set up differently.

Just weeks after Virgin Australia goes into voluntary administration, UK-based Virgin Atlantic is forced to lay off thousands of workers as the coronavirus pandemic takes a heavy toll.

Fewer than 250 people have been on the International Space Station but Mission Impossible actor Tom Cruise looks set to become one of them, in part to "inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists".

The collective European economy will contract by 7.7 per cent this year and debt will skyrocket, with Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal among the hardest hit by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Premier Daniel Andrews defends the work of contact tracers as 13 more coronavirus cases are linked to a cluster at Cedar Meats in Melbourne's west.

South Australia's Independent Commissioner Against Corruption confirms he is investigating allegations of improper conduct by the vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide.

CBA says today's closure of 114 branches nationwide is temporary and due to a massive increase in online and telephone banking.

The retail giant Cotton On reverses its decision to exclude 200 staff from the JobKeeper program as it faces uproar from casual workers who say they are being unfairly denied the wage subsidy.

Premier Daniel Andrews says his Government will explain changes to the state's coronavirus restrictions on Monday, after the National Cabinet agrees to a three-step process of lifting restrictions to create a "COVID-safe economy".

SunRice says it will guarantee Australian-grown rice returns to supermarkets in April if the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is changed so environmental water can be used to grow rice.

A coronavirus outbreak at a Melbourne abattoir has left consumers wondering about food safety — but experts say meat is still very safe to eat, and any risk is "ridiculously small".

Australian shares rise, including Macquarie Group, despite slashing its dividend. The Australian Banking Association say a further 100,000 loans were deferred over the past week.

Disposable cups are currently the only option for most cafe owners to provide takeaway coffee to customers, but environmentalists are worried about the consequences.

The number of Adelaide rail services has been radically reduced after a mechanical fault, with remaining trains becoming packed with passengers apparently in breach of social distancing.

Many Queenslanders rejoice that some coronavirus restrictions will soon be lifted but what does this mean for the state's restaurateurs and publicans?

Entertainers speak of the shock of COVID-19 restrictions on their working lives and what they've had to do to keep audiences — and money — coming in.

Eleven new coronavirus cases are identified in Victoria, four linked to the cluster at Cedar Meats, as infection rates fall in other states. Meanwhile, the Government is urging people not to abandon the restrictions before an announcement is made on Monday.