Government

It looks like growth in housing construction is getting stronger but other parts of the economy are still struggling.

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.

Hundreds of school staff will strike across Perth tomorrow, as anger over state government cuts intensifies.

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.

A NEW in-depth analysis of wages data across Australia shows some major differences by geography, gender and occupation.

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.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the opposition's national broadband plan is "positively Palaeolithic".

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is to unveil his plan to make living in the outer suburbs more affordable.

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 state's legal fraternity says the loss of a Supreme Court judge will lead to further trial delays and a backlog of cases.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says an independent analysis has found a $10 billion black hole in the coalition's savings.

The coalition's proposed parental leave scheme has come under attack from equal opportunity advocates, who argue investing in childcare would be a better way to boost participation.

The coalition has found $31.6 billion of savings over the next four years to pay for its election promises.

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.

With Tony Abbott cruising towards The Lodge, it is imperative that he lays out the path forward.

Work on the long-awaited, new Western Australian Museum is about to kick off.

Wage growth under recent enterprise bargaining agreements has been restrained, posing little threat to the inflation outlook, new federal government figures suggest.

Tony Abbott's paid parental leave scheme is "expensive" and will be the most generous in the world but it's money well spent, Malcolm Turnbull says.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says it makes long-term strategic and economic sense to move the navy's main east coast base from Sydney to Brisbane.

Colin Barnett is in danger of losing the PR battle over the reasons he's asking Western Australians to tighten their belts.

Cedar Woods Properties has made its third significant Western Australian land acquisition for the year, adding a 35 hecta

Pressure is mounting on the state government to abandon plans to run light rail down Perth's busiest shopping mall.

Finance Minister Penny Wong doubts a coalition government can deliver a budget surplus without cutting services.

Tony Abbott says the coalition will have more to say about budget savings this week, but maintains the opposition's full costings won't be released until the final week of the campaign.

Kevin Rudd should have stayed gone when his party pushed him from the PM's office, so now it's up to the voters to deliver the message.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke has taken aim at the poor standard of political leadership in Australia, which he said was the fundamental barrier to implementing vital economic reforms.

A new medical school will go ahead in Western Australia regardless of whether federal government support is provided, Premier Colin Barnett says.

Human rights group UNICEF is appealing to the state government to reconsider its plan to charge 457 visa holders $4,000 a year to educate their children at public schools.

Seven outstanding Western Australian business and community leaders will go on to represent the state in the 2013 EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards after being announced ascategory winners for the

Treasurer Chris Bowen is putting renewed pressure on the coalition to release its costings after an independent analysis found a $30 billion hole in their figures.