Government

East coast-based companies AGL Energy and Origin Energy have received approval to enter Western Australia’s domestic gas market, where they will join Wesfarmers subsidiary Kleenheat and Alinta Energy.

The premier has committed $35 million towards the next two stages of the Albany Ring Road heavy haulage route, but will call on the federal government for the balance of the project’s $172 million cost.

Premier Mark McGowan has refused to reiterate his election promise made three months ago of no new taxes or tax increases, instead deflecting the issue by saying the state is in a "catastrophic" financial mess.

The red tape facing some businesses is having consequences beyond merely increasing compliance costs, according to chair of the federal government’s Black Economy Taskforce Michael Andrews, and is a contributing factor in tax evasion far more significant than any similar activity undertaken by multinationals.

The state government will appoint a defence advocate to lobby Canberra to win work slated for South Australia.

Graphite players have posted strong share price gains in the past 12 months and raised $66 million between them, but they are struggling to kick off production of the mineral. 

Malcolm Turnbull has written to the Western Australian government seeking its interest in a ‘city deal’ for Perth.

Long-serving Labor MP Kate Doust has become Western Australia's first female president of the Legislative Council, while Sue Ellery will lead the government in the upper house.

Water Corporation will no longer hand over Dunsborough water and Busselton drainage assets to Busselton Water after the state government deemed the proposal too costly and without benefit.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA chief executive Deidre Willmott will not be a contender for Liberal Party endorsement for the Legislative Assembly seat of Cottesloe when the incumbent, former premier Colin Barnett, quits politics.

Perth’s public transport users are slugged more per year than commuters in any other Australian capital except for Sydney, but Perth is the cheapest city to insure two family cars, according to new data.

CCI chief executive Deidre Willmott joined Business News at Julio’s to discuss her career in law, politics and business.

A new survey has shed some light on the impact that the mining downturn has had on households in Perth and Peel, with nearly half of those surveyed saying they don’t expect their quality of life to improve anytime soon.

More than 13,000 Western Australians found jobs in April in seasonally adjusted terms, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, as unemployment in the state dropped 0.6 percentage points to 5.9 per cent.

Premier Mark McGowan says he would like the resources companies that make large profits out of the state's resources to do more when it comes to paying tax and fulfilling other corporate responsibilities, such as providing local jobs and content.

The state government has introduced priority legislation that would give the auditor general new powers to audit local government councils, in order to raise the standard of accountability in the sector.

Professional services organisation KPMG hopes to better assist companies affected by changes to foreign worker laws after acquiring the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA’s migration services division for an undisclosed sum.

Defence Issues Minister Paul Papalia says Western Australia has been dudded in the federal government’s $89 billion naval shipbuilding plan, of which WA will receive just over $3 billion of work, while the prime minister has lauded it as “unashamedly nationalistic”.

Federal Labor is having a bet each way on the government's new billion-dollar bank levy, backing its introduction but supporting a banker's call for a public inquiry.

Embattled Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi will have to wait until at least June to learn her penalty for seriously breaching local government laws. 

Perth businessman John Langoulant has been appointed to lead the state government’s commission of inquiry into the Barnett government’s spending on 26 projects over the past eight years.

The Australian share market has slipped in early trade, as a soft lead from Wall Street trading on Friday and mixed results for commodities weighed on investor sentiment.

Belgium and Luxembourg have been among the biggest contributors to growing overseas investment in Australia, as the level of foreign-owned assets in Australia doubled in the past 10 years to hit nearly $3.2 trillion at the end of calendar 2016.

The Australian share market has closed around 0.7 per cent lower as the stoush between the Turnbull government and the big banks over a proposed $6.2 billion levy on big financial institutions weighed on investors' minds.

Ratings agency Moody's says Australia's triple-A credit rating remains intact but has expressed doubt about the federal government's timetable for reducing the budget deficit.

Premier Mark McGowan will seek to freeze the wages of all politicians, public service heads, judges, magistrates, the WA governor, and local council chief executives for the next four years, while offering a $1,000 increase to all public sector employees.

 Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan says he has put private prison operator Sodexo on notice over repeated contract breaches, and claims the Melaleuca women's jail is so poorly run that lawyers visiting inmates feel unsafe there.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart after being held in a tight range by risk aversion and falls in commodity prices.

Oil prices have risen for a second day, closing more than 1 per cent higher as support grew for OPEC output cuts a day after the US government reported a big draw in crude inventories, boosting confidence that a global glut might diminish.

Gold has risen as US and European stock markets retreated, but its gains have been curtailed after data showing a tightening jobs market and accelerating inflation briefly lifted the US dollar.

The new bank levy has opened a Pandora's box that leaves Australia's biggest financial institutions exposed to even higher costs in future, according to a leading industry analyst.

The Australian dollar is higher against its US counterpart in spite of a surge in the greenback.