Government

The state government has introduced a new rebate scheme for people who purchase a block of land in one of 40 land estates across regional Western Australia.

Home owners enjoyed another good year in 2014, with home prices rising on average almost $11,000 across the eight capital cities, however Perth prices were largely flat.

Premier Colin Barnett says the state government will turn its attention to expanding the boundaries of the City of Perth, after he conceded his plan to halve the number of local governments in the

China is looking to export railways and power plants to improve its external position, with the added benefit of stoking steel demand.

Significant hurdles remain in meeting both government and consumer demand for urban infill developments.

Tony Abbott has survived a Liberal party room leadership spill, but his standing as prime minister has taken a battering.

The number of super funds in WA may be in decline, but those that have stayed have grown substantially.

Western Australian gold producers are enjoying a bright start to 2015 as the domestic price of the precious metal surges higher.

Two Western Australian Liberal members of parliament, Luke Simpkins and Don Randall, have announced they will move a motion to vacate the Liberal Party's leadership, while Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he and deputy Julie Bishop would urge the party room to defeat the motion.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut its forecasts for economic growth as a pick-up in non-mining investment takes longer than earlier expected.

Retail spending is still soft, as weak consumer confidence outweighs any boost from falling petrol prices.

Local governments are the main source of corruption in Western Australia, Premier claims.

Liberal backbenchers aren't rushing to back a disgruntled colleague's call to dump Tony Abbott as leader next week, even after former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett described Mr Abbott's leadership as terminal.

New car sales in Western Australia have had a poor start to the year, with the passenger and heavy commercial markets contracting sharply and indicating that consumers and local businesses alike are tightening their belts.

Western Australia has posted a slight increase in merchandise exports in 2014, with a dip in sales to China offset by growth in exports to other Asian trading partners.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has defended Tony Abbott's leadership by taking a swipe at Joe Hockey.

Big business is likely to still be charged a levy from July 1 even though the Abbott government's more generous paid parental leave scheme has been shelved.

Industry groups are at the vanguard of a renewed push for workplace reform following Productivity Commission issues papers released as part of a broad review of the labour market.

The Department of Finance and the Department of Commerce are among those cutting wage costs hardest as the state government reacts to reduced revenue, according to the latest BNiQ research.

The state government has been urged to consider other measures to boost revenue rather than increasing property stamp duty, which has become a significant contributing factor in the stalling residential market, according to an influential local property player.

The Abbott government is failing to fix the budget because it hasn't been honest with the public about why it needs to be fixed, a leading economist says.

As often happens when politicians try to legislate lobbyists, it's what's not included that's most compelling.

Sharp falls in oil prices have dragged inflation to near three-year lows, but borrowers shouldn't expect a rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia just yet, economists say.

The falling price of iron ore is putting substantial pressure on local miners, particularly small and mid-sized players, but the price of the bulk commodity is still well above levels achieved just more than a decade ago.

Consumers and businesses are submitting fraudulent invoices to avoid tax and duties on purchases from overseas, contributing to calls from local retailers for reform to the tax-free threshold for imports.

The state government is planning to cap taxi payment fees at 5 per cent, which could cost the sector's dominant player, Cabcharge, about $4 million a year.

An Abbott government inquiry into workplace laws has opened a new battlefront with Labor and the unions.

The next reading of inflation is expected to be one of the lowest in three years, after the price of oil more than halved in the past six months.

Australians with private health insurance could be hit with premium increases of up to 7 per cent from April 1.

Colin Barnett has no intention of becoming Western Australia's longest-serving premier, admitting he will not serve a full term if he wins the next state election.

Voter sentiment has turned against the Abbott government because of its inability to make tough decisions.

The Reserve Bank of Australia should slash interest rates to a fresh record low next month, Westpac's top economist says, as new figures show consumers remain pessimistic.