Government

Western Australia’s top 10 largest private sector employers employ more than 103,200 people between them, about 2,000 fewer than last year, according to BNiQ research.

SPECIAL REPORT: It has been a tough year for job seekers in WA, but some new sectors have emerged to keep the state’s employment levels at record highs.

Treasurer Joe Hockey believes he can return the budget to surplus while providing personal income tax cuts.

State and territory treasurers have agreed to apply the GST to offshore sales into the Australian market.

A stronger local asset management industry could be an important part of the state’s economic diversification, according to panellists at a recent Committee for Economic Development of Australia lunch.

Western Australia will gain a new seat in the federal House of Representatives, located in Perth’s south-east, according to a draft redistribution paper released today, but in a strange coincidence will share the same name as a newly proposed state electorate in a different part of Perth.

The Perth Market Authority's Market City is set to be the first major transaction in the state government’s asset recycling program, as expressions of interest in the fruit and vegetable wholesaler closed with a number of potential bidders.

The Reserve Bank of Australia seems more at ease with the state of the economy, signalling that interest rates are unlikely to move for now.

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The by-election in the Western Australian federal seat of Canning will be held on September 19.

The federal government’s $89 billion spend for new naval vessels represents an opportunity for businesses at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, as energy and resources projects dry up.

The Town of Port Hedland has received three bids, each worth more than $150 million, for a long-term lease over its airport, with the council due to make a final decision on the privatisation deal later this month.

Unemployment has peaked early, thanks largely to the glacial pace of wage growth, says Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor for economics Christopher Kent.

A report by the auditor general has found the state government’s Pilbara Underground Power Project will cost nearly double the original estimate and be completed six years behind schedule because of poor planning and management.

Wage growth has remained at a record low for a second quarter, led by continuing fallout from the mining slowdown, but with pain across all industries and states.

Indonesia has doubled its import permits for Australian cattle in the September quarter, after last month cutting such permits by 80 per cent.

The state government has replaced Labor’s Priority Start apprenticeship scheme with a new program it says will make it easier for building and construction companies to meet training targets.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has talked down Labor's chances of picking up the Western Australian seat of Canning at a by-election.

The Minerals Council of Australia has added to the national industrial relations debate today with a report it said showed that levels of union membership were unlinked to the labour force’s share of national income.

The state government has continued its investigation into moving one of its departments to Fremantle, but has not committed to the shift.

Developers and industry lobbyists say there needs to be a clearer direction from government to ensure density is delivered in Perth.

International travel figures released at the same time as the Reserve Bank's quarterly monetary policy report on Friday support its suspicion that the economy's potential growth has been cut by slower population growth.

After failing to implement its council amalgamation plan, the government is targeting funding arrangements.

Transport Minister Dean Nalder said today the government was still working out how it would handle an expected doubling in truck movements around Fremantle, but has ruled out one option – sinking a tunnel under the Swan River.

Premier Colin Barnett has hit out at Perth local councils for imposing big increases in annual rates.

Australia's unemployment rate unexpectedly jumped to a six-month high of 6.3 per cent in July, pushed up by a surge in the number of people looking for work.

The unemployment rate is expected to rise slightly as slowing jobs growth fails to keep up with population growth.

Western Australian automotive sales have gone against the national trend for the month of July, down nearly 13 per cent on those of July 2014, despite a national increase in sales.

The Bishop expenses scandal is a clear example of how out of touch the political class is with everyday Australians.

While it’s a close call, chances are the Reserve Bank of Australia will cut rates again before year end reflecting the poor business investment outlook, greater than expected weakness in commodity prices, and the $A remaining too high.

Western Australian merchandise exports in the year to June were down more than 15 per cent on the previous financial year, according to the latest trade balance update from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A scaling back of penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers on Sundays was among the major recommendations in the Productivity Commission’s draft workplace relations framework released today.