Government

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called for a new productivity pact between business, unions and the federal government to boost the economy.

A dip in unemployment in Western Australia in June was not enough to keep the nation’s jobless rate from rising, official figures show.

Perth is now Australia's most expensive city and the eleventh priciest to live in worldwide, according a renowned online cost of living index.

Keeping Western Australia's budget in surplus is going to be a close call, Premier Colin Barnett warns.

Premier Colin Barnett wants a 12-month extension to the deadline for signing up to the federal government's school funding scheme.

The onus is on the Barnett government to find a way out of its tight budget predicament.

The worst business trading conditions in four years could see the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate as early as August.

Just more than a week after Kevin Rudd took back the top job and suddenly Labor’s starting to look competitive again.

The state’s peak business representative group says the coalition’s plans to cut $1 billion in red and green tape by rolling back Labor policies, including the carbon tax and the minerals resource

Job advertisements have declined for a fourth consecutive month, with Western Australia the hardest hit as the mining boom slows down.

Who believes Kevin Rudd has anything different to offer this time around?

Former Labor minister Alannah MacTiernan has been selected as the party's candidate for the federal seat of Perth.

Creditors for collapsed Perth building firm Gavin Construction are owed around $20 million, according to the company’s administrator.

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey says Australia's falling dollar and low official interest rate are signs of economic volatility.

A coalition government wouldn't fund urban rail projects in Western Australia and would instead back roads, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has confirmed.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott says the only debate he will enter into with Kevin Rudd is across the floor of parliament or in election mode.

Australia has posted it largest trade surplus in 18 months as mining exports remain strong.It was the the fourth consecutive monthly surplus.

The City of Perth is set to introduce tighter performance measures for infrastructure projects in a bid to ensure they are delivered on time and on budget.

The frosty relationship between Canberra and the state government appears to be thawing, with the state's premier suggesting a DisabilityCare deal is edging closer.

The new-look Labor Party has improved its competitiveness for federal seats in Western Australia, Defence Minister Stephen Smith says.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is starting the work of rebuilding Labor's ties with the business community.

Former Western Australian government minister Alannah MacTiernan says she'll decide in the next 48 hours whether to nominate as Labor's candidate for Stephen Smith's federal seat of Perth.

Australia's export commodity prices fell in June, the third monthly fall in a row, following a run of three rises.

Well-known as a ‘boom denier’, Colin Barnett has added another string to his bow – recession rejecter.

The new financial year brings a swag of price hikes as the state government turns to consumers to prop up its sagging revenue base.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the core task of his new frontbench will be to keep the Australian economy strong.

    Scandals in state Labor parties have compounded the failings of the Rudd-Gillard government(s).

Annual growth in China could be as low as 6 per cent as Australia’s largest export market focuses on internal issues such as environmental standards and air pollution, Premier Colin Barnett said to

Premier Colin Barnett says he will be happy to sit down with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to thrash out a school funding deal.

A controversial crackdown on employer abuse of a skilled foreign worker visa program has passed parliament on the final sitting day before the election.

Clive Palmer got more than he bargained for when he decided to enter the political arena.

Labor's treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt has ruled out seeking pre-selection for the seat of Perth following the resignation of Stephen Smith.