Government

The state's upper house has passed a bill to keep a tax on the transfer of businesses after a marathon near 24-hour sitting session.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is preparing to announce a key election policy ahead of the naming of his new ministry, after half a dozen key ministers, including Treasurer Wayne Swan, resigned on Wedne

MPs, judges, magistrates and senior public servants have been granted a 2.6 per cent pay rise, roughly in line with inflation, as more than 1,000 government staff face redundancies.

Nearly four in five Australian employers have no plans to put on new workers in the next three months.

The state government will establish a $5 million ex gratia hardship fund for subcontractors who were not paid for work on government building projects as a result of the insolvency of head contract

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has laid out a coalition government's plan for the resources sector while mocking the government's controversial mining tax as an act of "economic self-harm".

Federal resources minister Gary Gray is confident Australia will remain a major supplier of metal and minerals commodities, especially to South-East Asia.

The two federal independent MPs who have helped keep the Gillard minority government in power for nearly three years are walking away from politics.

While the federal treasurer believes Australia should become the world's largest liquefied natural gas exporter by the end of the decade, an industry insider says high production costs are putting

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says a falling Australian dollar should help the transition from mining investment to broader-based growth in the economy.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has taken a swipe at irresponsible commentators talking down the Australian economy.

The federal coalition wants to make the Top End of Australia the next development frontier for jobs, services and infrastructure.

As the mining story slows down, other sectors need to pick up to support Australia’s growth.

If Prime Minister Julia Gillard hoped to bring certainty when she unexpectedly called the September 14 election date back in January, a leading business group says it hasn't worked.

A bid by former MP Adele Carles to sue millionaire property developer Nigel Satterley over comments he made about her affair with state Treasurer Troy Buswell has been withdrawn.

Former premier Brian Burke has pleaded not guilty to four charges related to insider trading in Perth company Amcom Telecommunications.

More than $23 million in public sector fraud was investigated by Western Australian police in just two years, a new report has revealed, and corruption within government agencies is increasing.

The Australian Greens want Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula to be protected and are pushing for the area to be given world heritage status.

The impact of the easing mining sector has been reflected in Western Australia posting the biggest drop in the number of jobs ads posted online.

Western Australia's police commissioner is set to plead with the country's top politicians for a ban on alcohol promotions during AFL and NRL matches.

The defamation battle between Treasurer Troy Buswell and his former parliamentary lover Adele Carles has taken a twist, with the deposed MP revealing she is attempting to sue millionaire property d

Things can get messy when state and federal political agendas collide.

Retiring veteran Liberal MP Barry Haase says the time has come for him to step away from federal politics as the country looks set to vote his party into power.

Poor policy implementation and Kevin Rudd’s destabilising presence have cruelled Labor’s electoral chances.

Labour productivity growth slowed in the year to March, with the mining sector suffering a fall of almost six per cent.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is still facing resistance from some states after South Australia became the third jurisdiction to sign up to the federal government's schools funding plan.

An unexpected fall in the unemployment rate could see the Reserve Bank hold off cutting interest rates in July.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith says Labor is facing a tough election but predicts the party will retain all three of its seats at the upcoming federal election.

Former West Coast Eagle David Wirrpanda has finally committed to a tilt at federal politics, becoming a Senate nominee for the WA Nationals.

There was a sharp bounce in consumer confidence in June, but it may be short-lived.The Westpac/Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment in June rose 4.7 per cent to 102.2 points.

A new venue has been secured for a Labor Party fundraiser where comedian Ben Elton will quiz Prime Minister Julia Gillard, after a booking at a public school in Fremantle was withdrawn.