The state government will invest an additional $591 million to deliver the Perth Freight Link, including the Roe 8 extension, by 2019, with a plan to fund the investment through the first heavy vehicle user charge in the Perth metropolitan area.
The state government is proceeding with plans to create a City of Perth Act as part of its reform of local governments, with cabinet approving the drafting of legislation to be released early next year.
The state’s private electricity providers have warned that an unfavourable result in the Energy Market Review could cause problems for independent operators, ultimately stifling competition and putting pressure on power prices.
This week, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said this was the year that the government "commenced the critical task of repairing the budget".
The deficit forecast for the federal budget has blown out to $40.4 billion, with a surplus projected for 2019-20 in the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook.
After two weeks of controversy over Transport Minister Dean Nalder’s “perceived” conflicts of interest, a government report released today made it clear why Premier Colin Barnett stripped Mr Nalder of the finance ministry.
The unemployment rate has hit a 12-year high, despite a strong rise in the number of people with jobs, while Western Australia continues to have the lowest unemployment of any state.
The state opposition claims the MAX Light Rail project is doomed, after a Parliamentary Estimates hearing was today told the government was considering constructing an underground rail line to service the same transport corridor.
Domestic tourists spent $4.6 billion while visiting Western Australia in the year to September, which was 12 per cent more than the previous year and three times the average increase nationally.
Australia’s free trade agreement with China is likely to deliver significant benefits to agricultural exporters but the gains will be mainly indirect and apparent over the longer term, a report by Rabobank has concluded.
China's consumer inflation fell to a five-year low of 1.4 per cent in November, the government says, amid concerns over the risk of deflation in the world's second-largest economy.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced the government will ditch plans for the $7 Medicare co-payment and instead pursue an optional co-payment, to be introduced at the same time the Medicare rebate to GPs is reduced by $5.
Jobs are back on the agenda for employers in 2015, with Hudson Recruitment’s latest report on hiring intentions showing positive signs, while research from hiring website Indeed has found that unfilled jobs cost Australian $6.7 billion annually.
National Australia Bank has become the second of the big four to reverse its interest rate forecasts, predicting the Reserve Bank will need to slash rates twice in 2015.
Further changes will be made to the way official employment statistics are compiled following an independent review of the process, but not this month.
Australian tax officials have been embedded in the offices of 10 multinationals as the federal government tries to capture as much as $3 billion in dodged revenue each year.
