Premier Colin Barnett has hit back at critics of his education funding cuts, saying they should check out Tasmania and South Australia to realise Western Australia still has a quality school system
Gross domestic product grew by 0.6 per cent in the June quarter, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported this morning.From a year earlier, GDP in the quarter was up by 2.5 per cent.
Federal Education Minister Bill Shorten has addressed workers protesting against the Barnett government's cuts to the sector in Western Australia, warning that the federal Liberals will do likewise
The Reserve Bank is likely to keep the cash rate on hold as it waits on the outcome of the federal election and allows its August rate cut to work its magic.
Neither the conclusion of the federal election nor the most recent interest rate cut is likely to stimulate Australia's slowing economy, says credit information bureau Dun & Bradstreet.
A coalition win on Saturday will bring added responsibilities for a quartet of WA Liberals, but what it means for Colin Barnett down the track is another matter.
Alannah MacTiernan, Labor's leading light in a likely election wipe-out in Western Australia, has thanked the state's beleaguered Liberal Premier Colin Barnett for making her campaign easier.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott has overtaken Kevin Rudd as preferred prime minister for the first time, but faces criticism over his description of the Syrian crisis.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has flagged Labor will set up a headquarters in Brisbane as well as outposts in Western Australia and South Australia to help boost the export opportunities for the mining equipment sector if it wins the next election.
Opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb believes Labor's deceit over the coalition's $31.6 billion of promised savings will be the last straw for many voters.
The Barnett government has scrapped funding for a small business training scheme as it seeks to rein in spending to preserve its modest budget surplus.
Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey has defended the coalition's $31.6 billion of proposed savings, saying Labor's accusations that they don't add up are "dead wrong".
Mining investment should stay strong for the coming year, economists say.But they are still looking for a pick-up in investment in other parts of the economy.
The coalition will argue that abolishing the carbon tax will save the budget $5.6 billion over four years and the party's paid parental leave scheme will add to the bottom line, news reports say.
Wage growth under recent enterprise bargaining agreements has been restrained, posing little threat to the inflation outlook, new federal government figures suggest.
