Government

The federal government won't guarantee Tasmania and South Australia will be no worse off under potential changes to the way GST revenue is carved up among the states.

The state government has cut the number of its departments from 41 to 25, with a fifth of jobs in the Senior Executive Service – Western Australia’s highest-paid bureaucrats – to go.

Confidence in the economy over the coming 12 months by local small and medium businesses has jumped to its highest level since December 2010, with Western Australian SMEs more bullish than most others in Australia, a new report says.

Premier Mark McGowan has gently chided the mining and energy sector, saying it needs to lift support for local manufacturing, apprentice training and local employment.

Major gas exporters on the east coast have promised to ensure higher domestic supplies, but the industry has slammed the federal government's new restrictions on gas exports.

Business owner Ra Stewart says she wants to bring responsible financial management and enthusiasm back into the council if she is elected mayor of Fremantle.

OPINION: Colin Barnett has decided to stay on as the member for Cottesloe, but how for long is another matter.

Chevron Australia has lost its appeal of a 2015 Federal Court ruling regarding the company’s financial and taxation relationship with its US parent, although the company has not ruled out a High Court appeal.

Newly appointed chief executives in WA are on substantially lower salary packages compared with recent years, a Business News survey has found. 

The state government has taken control of the trouble-plagued Perth Children’s Hospital to solve what it believes is the cause of the ongoing lead contamination problem.

OPINION: During the state election campaign, Mark McGowan said his government would repay the state’s debt as though it were a home mortgage; now, unfortunately, he is experiencing the equivalent of mortgage stress, which comes with taking on too much debt without enough income to service it.

The dramatic fall in the price of iron ore since the start of March could punch a $1.4 billion hole in the state’s finances in the next financial year.

Parts of corporate Australia have attacked the federal government's axing of 457 immigration work visas, claiming it is a politically driven move and unfairly targets less than 1 per cent of the workforce.

Low wage growth, rising household debt and global geopolitical tensions are all weighing on consumer confidence, ANZ Banking Group says.

Clive Palmer is formally waving goodbye to politics and disbanding his political party.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced the abolishment of the 457 skilled visa program, which will be replaced by a visa with new requirements for temporary foreign workers.

SPECIAL REPORT: Henderson shipbuilders have plans to put on hundreds of apprentices as billions of dollars in naval investment is expected in the next few years.

The jobless rate in Western Australia notched up 0.4 percentage points last month, while national unemployment figures remained steady.

OPINION: Many angry words have been spoken and written about Western Australia’s shrinking GST allocation, but very little has been said or written about the cause of the shrinkage – iron royalties.

Western Australian workers would have the most to lose of any state from a major downturn in China and the least to gain from a major growth in services exports, according to new modelling from Deloitte, but an increased openness to investment opportunities might bring an upside in both scenarios.

A taxi levy to buy back plates could be a major administrative headache for the sector and punish more efficient players, according to Ingogo chief executive Hamish Petrie.

OPINION: The McGowan government will need to get straight down to business, given the backlog of issues it needs to address.

Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi is unrepentant after she and and two of her factional allies were censured over a public rebuke of the council's deputy.

Treasurer Scott Morrison insists Western Australia's low share of the GST carve up is not his doing, saying he understands the state's frustration but won't intervene.

A wage freeze could be on the agenda for public sector staff in the upcoming state budget, according to new Treasurer Ben Wyatt, as Treasury officials warn the state will need to pay increasing rates of interest on government bonds.

New car sales in Western Australia slipped another 3.8 per cent last month, dragging its performance for the year even further away from parity.

The state government's decision to abandon a planned $600 million prison and instead reduce inmate numbers has been criticised by the Liberal opposition, while prison officers have backed the proposal.

A lower company tax rate, the abolition of stamp duty and a review of the federation should be top priorities to drive national prosperity in coming decades, the Australian Institute of Company Directors has said, as it seeks to reignite public debate on major economic reform.

Western Australian merchandise exports were up 36 per cent in February compared to the same month in 2016, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while the national trade surplus reached the second highest level on record.

Australia's big four banks pushed the Australian share market into positive territory after a choppy session as investors await a flurry of local and international economic data.

James McMahon has resigned after three years at the helm of the Department of Corrective Services.

The declining spending power of consumers is hurting retailers and pointing to a revenue squeeze for the federal government, economists say.