Government

Former police minister and Labor member for Balcatta, John Kobelke, has been appointed to head a review of the Swan Valley’s planning framework, Planning Minister Rita Saffioti announced today.

State-owned regional power provider Horizon Power has recorded a $35.4 million net profit for the year to June, while hitting its targeted reduction of government subsidies more than a year ahead of time.

State-owned power generator and retailer Synergy has recorded a loss of $12.6 million for the 2017 financial year on the back of lower sales revenue and a large impairment due to the early closure of its generation capacity.

Unemployment jumped 0.5 percentage points in August to a seasonally adjusted 5.9 per cent in Western Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Opposition leader Mike Nahan has called for a parliamentary budget office to be established as part of his budget reply speech today, while lashing out at Labor for not funding the Ellenbrook rail line.

Premier Mark McGowan says he is disappointed internal documents have been leaked to the opposition following the state budget last week.

About 1,300 jobs will be lost because of the state government’s proposed increases to payroll tax, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA.

The Turnbull government insists it's still considering a clean energy target but one that takes into account the reliability and affordability of power.

Malcolm Turnbull is staring down coalition backbenchers concerned that a proposed clean energy target could push up power prices and undermine coal-fired power.

Soaring power bills and other hits on the household budget mean consumers remain downbeat despite a better jobs outlook, an economist says.

The Nationals WA say they will block measures targeting big business that were unveiled last week as part of the state government's budget repair plan.

The state government has appointed Infrastructure Australia board member Nicole Lockwood to chair a new taskforce to plan a Kwinana outer harbour development, as Transport Minister Rita Saffioti indicated she would stare down internal party dissent about the project.

A Supreme Court ruling handed down this week casts doubt on how the state government has calculated stamp duty on mining company takeovers, potentially overcharging miners tens of millions of dollars over more than a decade.

The state government has announced that lightweight, single-use shopping bags will be banned from July 1 next year, bringing Western Australia into line with most other states.

OPINION: The idea of forming a new political party to run Senate candidates on a Western Australia-first platform appears to have come to a number of people at the same time.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA will be hunting for a new chief executive after Deidre Willmott signalled she would move on from the role early next year to pursue non executive director opportunities.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has signalled he won't be bullied by the gold mining industry, which is opposing royalty rate hikes that were unveiled in the state budget.

Western Australians paid nearly $90 billion more in taxes to the federal government than they received in spending in the four years to June 2016, according to estimates revealed by the Department of Treasury in yesterday’s budget.

The state government has budgeted for a $169 million stamp duty windfall from a single ‘property’ transaction, the latest in a string of large deals that have boosted its coffers.

Western Australia’s net debt is set for further big increases over the next three years before coming down slightly once the government’s budget returns to surplus in 2020-21.

Gold miners have warned of devastating consequences from a higher royalty rate, including potential mine closures, while business groups have also taken aim at proposed payroll tax hikes for larger employers, after both were targeted in a $1 billion revenue grab by the state government in today’s budget.

UPDATED: Lisa Scaffidi has stood down from her duties as Perth's lord mayor, pending an appeal against her 18-month disqualification from holding office for repeatedly failing to disclose gifts and travel, but plans to retain the title and her annual allowance.

More than a third of business women believe they’re underpaid, according to a report published today by Business Women Australia and CoreData Group, yet nearly one in five of those surveyed has never asked for a pay rise.

Schoolchildren across Western Australia may be exposed to lead-contaminated water because the same plumbing materials plaguing Perth Children's Hospital could also be in schools, an expert has warned.

Mines Minister Bill Johnston has been criticised for holding a scientific inquiry to decide the future of fracking in the state, with the industry saying it's unnecessary and creates damaging uncertainty.

Western Australia’s economy shrunk by 0.3 per cent in the June quarter, excluding international trade, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while GDP grew 0.8 per cent nationally.

The state government is considering amendments to the Mining Act in the wake of the High Court’s recent ruling that kept sand mining off Andrew Forrest's family pastoral station in the Pilbara but cast into question the legitimacy of other granted mining leases since 2006.

Western Australia reported a surprise increase in new car sales last month, boosted by strong performances by Toyota and Hyundai.

Australian services sector activity has continued to expand for the sixth straight month, but the rate of expansion has slowed.

Western Australia was the largest contributor to an increase in exploration spending in the three months to June according to new data which was released just days after the federal government announced a $100 million exploration incentive.

A motion to financially secede Western Australia from the federation drew gasps of disbelief around the nation when it was narrowly passed, but even those proposing it admit it's unlikely to happen.

Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi has been disqualified from holding any office for 18 months after failing to disclose gifts and travel, but her lawyer will seek to halt the penalty pending an appeal.