The federal government will try to pressure Labor over the repeal of the mining tax next week as the re-run of the Western Australian Senate election looms.
Prominent Perth company director Tracey Horton is among a group of business leaders appointed to a new federal Treasury advisory council designed to replicate the discipline provided by a private sector governance board.
An independent think-tank says Western Australia should follow the lead of the Newman government in Queensland and implement major spending cuts after recording the largest increase in operating expenditure of all states over the last three years.
The Abbott government has failed in its first bid to scrap the carbon tax, with the Senate refusing to pass a package of bills to repeal the Gillard-era climate change policy.
Tony Abbott's embattled assistant treasurer Arthur Sinodinos has stood aside after being dragged into a corruption inquiry, with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann assuming his responsibilities.
Former Treasurer Troy Buswell is unlikely to return to parliament until at least April 10 but it remains to be seen whether he intends to remain an MP.
Labor senators look set to ignore a plea from business groups to ditch the mining tax after opposition leader Bill Shorten reaffirmed his commitment to vote down the government's repeal legislation.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive Deidre Willmott has urged the Abbott government to go harder on its proposed industrial relations reforms, arguing more needs to be done to tackle union militancy.
Australian households are each more than $13,000 better off thanks to trade with China, the country's ambassador to Australia told a business lunch in Perth today.
Mike Nahan has been tasked with the difficult job of managing the state's finances ahead of May's budget, replacing Troy Buswell as treasurer in a cabinet reshuffle.
Labor insists there's no rift between its Western Australian Senate candidates Joe Bullock and Louise Pratt, despite previous differences of opinion between the unionist and the gay marriage advocate.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been challenged to expel union heavyweight Joe McDonald from the Labor Party after he was fined for physically threatening a worker who refused to strike.
Controversy surrounding former Treasurer Troy Buswell continues to plague Premier Colin Barnett, while police are still yet to question the former minister about a car crash.
Consumer confidence within Western Australia has slumped to near record lows with the closure of high-profile businesses on the east coast and the prospect of higher interest rates rattling households.
The High Court has ruled that native title rights are not extinguished by the granting of mining leases, in what indigenous groups have described as a landmark decision which will provide a clear basis for the resolution of other native title disputes.
Former Treasury head Ken Henry has joined calls for the federal government to face up to the fiscal hurdles posed by the nation's growing welfare and health budgets.
The Western Australian public will differentiate between the state government's problems and the Liberal party's Senate candidates at the April 5 poll, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told a campaign launch in Perth today.
The tide appears to be turning for the travel and tourism sector, with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics highlighting a growth trend in the number of short-term visitors compared to resident departures.
The four major industrial precincts in Kwinana, Cockburn and Rockingham, known as the Western Trade Coast, contributed more than $14.7 billion to the state’s economy in 2013, making it the mos
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show retail spending rose 1.2 per cent in January, three times the 0.4 per cent rise economists had expected.
Western Australia will go back to the polls on April 5, after governor Malcolm McCusker confirmed the date of the re-run of last year's Senate election.
