Government

A record-high surge in business conditions in October has failed to light a fire under Australian companies, with confidence taking a fall.

Leaner times in the junior mining and exploration sector have resulted in widespread cuts to chief executive pay, but the restraint has not been shared equally across the sector, with some actually lifting salaries.

The state government has been praised for its commitment to planning reform, but local governments are being urged to get on board.

Our annual Apartment Developers feature discusses the oversupply debate of apartments in Perth's inner city, the government's proposed changes to strata titles, and the next wave of demand for apartment projects.

Housing finance commitments in Western Australia rose by 0.8 per cent in September, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' seasonally adjusted figures, bucking a national falling trend.

As global calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions get louder, WA is quietly progressing its own carbon capture and storage project

Sellers in Perth's prestige property market could be forced to drop their prices next year as commodity prices continue to weaken.

Jobseekers looking for encouraging news in the Reserve Bank of Australia's latest assessment of the economy will be disappointed.

Australia's unemployment rate was at a near 12-year high in October but, on the plus side, economists are rebuilding their faith in the accuracy of the figures.

Western Australia's universities will receive just 7.4 per cent out of next year's $354 million national research grants program, the lowest portion the state has been allocated in the past three years.

BHP Billiton will start exporting oil out of the US, a practice banned since the 1970s oil crisis.

The chief executive of Surf Life Saving Western Australia has been named as the man to take over leadership of Lotterywest.

It may be a while before the official employment data will be fully trusted but other indicators show that things are looking a bit better for job seekers.

Business leaders' confidence in the Abbott government has slumped to the lowest level since the coalition won power, with almost two-thirds seeing no benefit in scrapping the carbon tax.

Most voters would support a rise in GST if the money went to health and hospitals, a new poll has found.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is having another stab at calculating its jobs figures, and the latest estimates will look a bit worse than the previous attempt.

Rising house prices and the release of new smartphones have tempted Australians out of spending hibernation.

The state’s healthcare and social services sectors are in for another decade of rapid change, industry leaders say, after growing employee numbers by more than 60,000 during the past 10 years.

Western Australia is feeling the effects of recent changes to workplace relations law, with 457 visa restrictions causing skills shortages in niche markets and a high level of industrial activity.

Our annual Biggest Employers feature has the latest BNiQ data on employment trends in WA, including the companies that are expanding and those that are shrinking, and in-depth analysis of what's happening in mining, construction, health care, accounting, law and other industries.

The draft report by the Competition Policy Review has signaled a revolution in the provision of human services- but the interest has all been elsewhere.

Western Australia would rank third in the world in economic freedom if it were its own country, but recent resources-driven success should not make governments complacent about reform, according to Canada’s Fraser Institute.

Australia is expected to become the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas within four years, according to an HSBC report.

Declining national income is another headache for Treasurer Joe Hockey as he prepares for his mid-year budget review.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says he's fighting fit and intends to stand for re-election in 2017.

If you thought last week's inflation numbers were tame, the actual cost of living is even more benign for some at the moment.

Treasurer Joe Hockey believes people are getting ahead of the game talking about the need for changes to the GST.

Suncorp's chief executive is calling on Treasurer Joe Hockey to tackle the competitive disadvantage of the smaller banks.

The falling Aussie dollar is starting to have an impact on the Australian economy, giving company revenues a boost.

Motorists face higher petrol costs within weeks after the Abbott government bypassed the Senate to reintroduce fuel excise indexation.

Kerry Stokes is one of Australia’s wealthiest and most private business leaders, but that has changed with the release of two biographies in two years. However conspicuous gaps in what we know about his deals and erstwhile partners remain.

The combined wealth of WA’s richest public company directors fell by around $3 billion in the past year, but some individuals bucked the trend.