Government

Former Horizon Power chair Brendan Hammond and MercyCare director Rebecca Tomkinson have been appointed to chair the Pilbara and Wheatbelt development commissions, respectively.

An inspection on 13 local building projects that sourced materials from the Chinese supplier of roof panels for the Perth Children’s Hospital, which were later found to contain asbestos, has produced no trace of the deadly material.

Nationals WA leader Mia Davies has accused the state government of draining funds from the Royalties for Regions program into the $3 billion Metronet plan, saying an internal directive banning future use of the rural fund’s logo was the beginning of its winding-up.

The state government has named the 43 successful applicants that will share in about $5 million for exploration drilling programs, with over half of those being gold projects.

A decision on whether to sell betting agency TAB will not be made until after the Western Australian budget is handed down next week.

A Western Australian Liberals-led High Court challenge over the state's GST share will be partly financed by crowdfunding.

The McGowan government has announced the Wandoo minimum security prison will be returned to the public sector, despite an independent review this year finding private contractor Serco had met or exceeded expectations.

Education and tourism will be the focus for Mark McGowan’s first overseas mission, with an October trip to China, followed by a November trip to Japan, announced today.

The state government has ordered a review of the effectiveness of the Southern Ports Authority since its formation in late 2014, after receiving conflicting reports about its success.

Former Liberal MP Rob Johnson has thrown his hat into the ring to run for mayor of the City of Joondalup, pitting himself against former state environment minister Albert Jacob.

The dual citizenship debacle engulfing Australian politics will return to the High Court in Canberra for a hearing on October 10, 11 and 12 as the legitimacy of several parliamentarians remains uncertain.

A further 4 per cent rise in metropolitan water usage charges will be needed for the 2019 financial year to ensure pricing is cost reflective, according to a draft report by the Economic Regulation Authority.

The Western Australian government is considering suing the Australian Rugby Union for more than $100 million over the decision to axe the Western Force, threatening to bankrupt the body.

Tony Abbott will be spending the week far from the dramas of parliament, as a teacher's aide in the Kimberley.

Unemployment in Western Australia is at its lowest level in more than two years, with Treasurer Ben Wyatt saying it was pleasing to see the rise in employment driven by full-time work.

Western Australia recorded its lowest level of wages growth in the year to June since at least 1999, at 1.4 per cent, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Perth is the world’s seventh most liveable city for the second year running, according to The Economist’s Intelligence Unit, while Melbourne continues a winning streak as the world's number one, a position it has held since 2011.

Melinda Cilento has been chosen to succeed Stephen Martin as chief executive of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

THE 2016-17 financial year marked the start of a recovery for Western Australian merchandise exports, which were up 20 per cent to be worth nearly $121 billion in the year to June.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce may become the fifth federal politician to be removed from parliament for holding dual citizenship, after New Zealand's prime minister said Mr Joyce was a citizen of the country.

Corporate administrations in Western Australia fell for the 2016-17 financial year, down by 5.2 per cent on the previous period, although a poor result for the three months to June suggests it is too early to call a recovery.

OPINION: The federal Liberal government’s failure to deal with the issue of same-sex marriage is indicative of a party more concerned with its own internal machinations than effective governance.

The state government plans to prepare reforms to allow third-party access in the North West Interconnected System, the Pilbara’s electricity network, ready for a cabinet decision in March 2018, in a move that would end years of impasse.

The man who famously led the sea rescue of yachtsmen Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois 20 years ago has been employed by the state government to fight to get more defence contract work for the state.

The High Court will sit in judgement over a government senator and two former Greens members regarding their eligibility to sit in parliament due to citizenship issues.

Hundreds of police officers have rallied outside state parliament, where their demands for a higher pay rise were shot down by Premier Mark McGowan.

The state government has made a formal submission to the Commonwealth Grants Commission seeking a fairer share of the GST distribution, following lack of progress in talks on the issue last week in Perth.

Perth property developer Nigel Satterley is confident of an early breakthrough in the campaign he has spearheaded with other business leaders for a better deal for Western Australia over the distribution of GST revenue.

The state government will be seeking to pile pressure on the Commonwealth to secure more defence industry spending in the west, according to Minister for Defence Issues Paul Papalia, as he hit out at his federal counterpart over a perceived lack of naval shipbuilding cash flowing to local players.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has emerged disappointed from a meeting with federal counterpart Scott Morrison after failing to secure measures to prevent a shortfall of almost $2 billion in the state budget.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he has taken on "the cause" of getting Western Australia a fairer deal on GST amid new claims the state will lose another $1.9 billion of the national carve-up.

Malcolm Turnbull is promising to more than double the amount of funding for indigenous students in Western Australia over the next decade as he drums up support in the west.