Government

SPECIAL REPORT: Small businesses have taken a hit as confidence drops and the economy slows, but there are a few things governments can do to begin to alleviate the pain.

Treasurer Scott Morrison has made a surprise decision to block two consortiums from bidding on a 99-year lease of New South Wales electricity network operator Ausgrid, in a move that would be a bad omen for a sale of Western Power.

The decline in mining investment is set to end by mid-2017 following four years of decline, according to banking giant HSBC.

The auditor general has slammed Liberal ministers Peter Collier, Kim Hames and Liza Harvey for withholding information in parliament.

Outgoing Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens has warned that any major boost to the economy might have to come from government spending rather than interest rates.

Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have labelled the reinstalled WA Nationals leader's plan to slug them with higher taxes "ill-conceived" and "damaging".

Brendon Grylls has snatched back leadership of the WA Nationals and will press the Barnett government to support his plan to slug BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto with a $5 per tonne mining tax.

The state government has unveiled a number of initiatives aimed at boosting tourism in Western Australia, including changes to cruise ship gambling rules and a $7.2 million promotion deal with Qantas.

The WA Liberals can govern without the support of the Nationals, who are still deciding who will lead their party, Premier Colin Barnett says.

A move flagged by National Party leadership challenger Brendon Grylls to effectively double the rate of the royalty paid by the state’s two biggest iron ore miners would make Western Australia one of the most punitive jurisdictions for taxes on production of the commodity.

State National Party MPs met at Parliament House today as former leader Brendon Grylls tried to retake the leadership from Terry Redman, claiming the Liberal/National alliance was not in a winnable position for the upcoming state election due in March.

One Nation senator Rodney Culleton is one step closer to holding on to his new job after successfully applying to the Armidale Local Court, in regional NSW, to have a larceny conviction annulled.

ANALYSIS: Politics and business never mix well, which is something the state government is about to discover with news that former Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls is eyeing a return to his party’s top job.

The state government is hoping a two-year pay deal with 16,000 health sector workers will set a precedent for other public sector workers including prison officers and nurses as it tries to contain spending growth in the lead-up to next year's election.

The Barnett government and the Labor opposition have put forward their competing plans to better protect subcontractors and ensure they are paid for their involvement on government contracts.

A recent move by the federal government to include distillers in a tax rebate scheme for breweries is a step in the right direction, but not a total fix.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut interest rates to an all-time low, but already economists are wondering if more will be needed to get the country's economy moving.

One Nation candidate Rodney Culleton and the Greens' Rachel Siewert have won the final two out of the 12 Western Australian Senate seats, joining five Liberals, four Labor and one other Green, the Australian Electoral Commission says.

Water Corporation CEO Sue Murphy was Business News’s luncheon guest at the newly re-opened Julio’s restaurant, where a range of business and personal topics was on the menu. 

WA’s belated adoption of changes to voter registration requirements has opened up a new challenge for the major parties ahead of the March 2017 poll.

A series of new rail and road tunnels, including a CBD train loop and a line from Stirling to Murdoch could be needed as Perth's population grows to 3.5 million, according to Transport Minister Dean Nalder, as he unveiled the state government's long term transport blueprint this morning.

Iron ore shipments contributed more than $45 billion to the Western Australian economy in the 12 months to June, a figure well down on last year, according to BNiQ, despite a pick-up in volumes by the state’s major producers.

Marine services company MMA Offshore has flagged a $140 million impairment in its upcoming FY16 results, with the majority of the charge attributed to its vessel fleet.

US stocks mostly rose in anticipation of results from tech heavyweights Alphabet and Amazon, while the yen eased after Reuters reported the Bank of Japan was considering expanding monetary stimulus to address signs of weak inflation.

Oil prices have fallen nearly two per cent, hitting April lows and with US crude headed for its biggest monthly loss in a year, on growing worries that the world was pumping more crude than needed.

The Australian dollar has fallen against its US counterpart as the greenback staged a minor rebound.

Gold has turned lower after hitting a two-week peak as the US dollar pared losses and US stocks climbed from their lows ahead of a possible Bank of Japan announcement to expand monetary stimulus on Friday.

Only 14 per cent of Western Australian small businesses are supportive of the state government’s policies, while they're less confident about the economy than in any other state, according to the latest quarterly survey by marketing group Sensis.

Gold has extended its climb above $US1,330 an ounce after the US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged as expected and the US dollar pared gains against a basket of major currencies.

The Australian dollar has gained some ground after the US dollar weakened on signs the Federal Reserve is not ready to lift interest rates in September.

FMG could be lowest cost

Wall Street has ended lower after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged but opened the door to a possible rate increase later this year.