Government

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".

Consumers are becoming more pessimistic heading into Christmas, with weak September quarter economic growth figures not helping their mood.

The Reserve Bank believes the Australian dollar is still too high, especially considering recent significant falls in commodity prices.

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.

More cuts, new spending and a deeper deficit will be spelt out in the federal government's budget update next week.

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.

Big businesses already raise a hefty chunk of their funds from the bond market rather than banks - and many will go further down that road in 2015.

Manufacturers are gaining a new lease of life from rising building activity and a sustained depreciation in the Australian dollar.

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.

Movie companies may soon be able to get court orders requiring Australian internet providers to block foreign illegal download websites.

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.

The number of new home loans in October has bounced back after two months of falls.

Australian consumers are the gloomiest they have been in three years.

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.

Treasurer Joe Hockey insists the mood inside federal cabinet is good despite a difficult year for the government.

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.

An academic who's doing a thesis on the politics of shark attacks has compared Western Australia's policy to the Hollywood blockbuster Jaws.

Further rate cuts from the Reserve Bank could create more concern for consumers, ANZ's chief economist says.

Business confidence and conditions have taken a tumble, as the lower Australian dollar fails to stoke an upturn.

Weak commodities prices are threatening the positive growth of indigenous business.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has finally announced a new head of Treasury.

Australian banks are not "unquestionably strong" and need to hold more capital as a safety net against future external shocks, David Murray says.

Tony Abbott won't spell out the details of his revamped paid parental leave scheme despite opposition pressure to reveal the changes.

ANZ chief economist Warren Hogan said that employment growth is gradually improving and the unemployment rate is stabilising.

New vehicle sales in Western Australia continue to perform far below last year, with year-to-date sales down 7.9 per cent for the same period in 2013, according to new figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Drivers in Western Australia may pay more for vehicle registration or drivers' licences to help the state government pay for transport improvements, the premier has confirmed.