Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has offered the states and territories incentive payments to sell off public assets and put the money into new job-creating infrastructure.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann insists there is a budget emergency, but that doesn't mean the government has to act in a "panicked, chaotic fashion" to deal with it.
The state government will retrospectively amend its land tax legislation after a court ruling broadened the potential for property developers to obtain an exemption.
Almost 200 police officers are set to quit the Western Australian force under a voluntary severance scheme designed to ease pressure on the state budget and put more police on the streets.
The federal government will go back to the drawing board on schools funding from 2015 after finding what it says is a $1.2 billion shortfall in Labor's scheme.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens says he is prepared to put the final nail in the coffin of the "uncomfortably high" Australian dollar if need be.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors has released its bi-annual Director Sentiment Index survey showing confidence of Australian directors about business and the future of the economy has improved since the election of the Abbott government.
The federal agency managing the government's bond portfolio says a buffer beyond what is expected to be the peak in commonwealth debt is needed to cope with unforeseen events in any one year.
Terry Redman has been elected as the new leader of the WA Nationals, replacing Brendon Grylls who yesterday confirmed he would step down from the Nationals leadership and from state cabinet.
Premier Colin Barnett won't guarantee the WA Nationals will retain the key regional development portfolio after Brendon Grylls confirmed he would step down from the Nationals' leadership and state cabinet in the coming weeks.
Federal opposition leader Bill Shorten is under pressure to authorise the release of confidential cabinet documents on the national broadband network's costings Labor received while in government.
The Australian Electoral Commission wants part of the federal election declared void because it can't be certain who would have won the final two Senate places in Western Australia.
Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner is hopeful of improved market conditions in December but says the broader ad market remains short and unpredictable.
It might be playing with fire to own a pair of asbestos gloves these days, but Colin Barnett should borrow a pair before finalising a red-hot deal to sell the Kwinana Bulk Terminal to building mate
The state government has finalised its preferred model for local council reform, putting forward new boundaries that would cut the number of metropolitan councils by half to 15 - one more than under proposals released in July.
Former federal police commissioner Mick Keelty is already convinced the missing votes in the Western Australian Senate election materially affected the result, but says it's unlikely their disappearance was caused by corruption.
