Government

US President Barack Obama has opened a summit of 21 Pacific Rim economies, including Australia, urging the region to work for quicker, more sturdy and more sustainable economic growth.

Wesfarmers has hit back at critics worried that its Coles supermarkets are abusing market power by squeezing suppliers.

Australian interest rates could be cut again as early as next month amid new warnings that Europe faces tipping into recession.

The City of Perth has given its approval to Brookfield’s plan to build a 17-storey office tower adjacent to its $500 million City Square skyscraper.

A spike in recent insolvencies in Australia shows that fallout from the global financial crisis (GFC) is continuing, liquidation firm Dissolve says.

New car sales in Western Australia were down nearly 3 per cent in October compared to the same month last year, taking the year-on-year fall in sales to 7.6 per cent.

The Supreme Court of Western Australia has been promised shiny new digs, in the yet-to-be constructed office tower of the St George’s Cathedral precinct redevelopment.

Striking phosphate miners on Western Australia's remote Christmas Island are threatening to turn the tables on their employer by closing the mine and buying it back.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has urged his Asia-Pacific counterparts to waste no time implementing economic reforms necessary to prevent the sort of turbulence that has gripped Europe.

China's Guangdong Nuclear Power Co has reduced its take-over offer for London-listed Kalarahi Minerals, the major shareholder of Extract Resources.

The pilots' union is appealing in the Federal Court against Fair Work Australia's decision to stop Qantas industrial action, claiming it wrongfully ruled against members who had only taken minor ac

The prime minister's decision to work with unions on equal pay for community and social welfare workers has been backed by the state government.

Australia's farmers face a positive outlook in the medium term despite a volatile global economy, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says.

Australia's peak union body has attacked the state government for refusing to sign up to new national occupational health and safety laws.

Australia's unemployment rate fell to 5.2 per cent in October, official figures show.The September figure was an upwardly revised 5.3 per cent.

Leprechauns are "lovable little fellows" and no-one should be offended if they are called one, the Western Australian premier says.

Wesfarmers shareholders have delivered a mild rebuke to their board of directors, delivering a protest vote against a new share options scheme but supporting the company’s remuneration report.

Nine Entertainment chief executive David Gyngell says he is focused on running the company and not on the pile of its debt that will soon require refinancing.

One of Australia's largest accounting firms is standing by its analysis of Labor's mining tax after Treasurer Wayne Swan rebuked it for distorting the public debate.

Myer is closing stores and reducing floor space as it strives to generate as much as 10 per cent of its sales revenue online.

Brews from the north and a Subiaco steak sandwich were among the winners at the state’s Australian Hotels Association Hotel and Hospitality awards this week.

People acting as "lobbyists for hire" will be targeted by proposed legislation in Western Australia.

The coalition has switched tactics on the carbon tax, accusing the Australian Greens of seeking a second wave of climate action, including an end to coal-fired power.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has warned the world is at risk of plunging into "uncertainty and financial instability" and has urged Asian economies to be on their guard.

The federal government's leading employment index rose for a third consecutive month in November after revisions to the series.

In what is being touted as a major tourism boost, the first flight direct from China landed in Perth at 6am this morning (WST).

Seven Group says the current uncertainty in global markets may prompt the media and earthmoving equipment company to consider further impairment charges on its investments.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has defended the $23-a-tonne starting price for carbon emissions, after the price in Europe's carbon market fell to between $10 and $13 in recent months.

Silvio Berlusconi says he will stand down as Italian prime minister once key reforms aimed at calming market turmoil are adopted this month, after his coalition lost its majority in parliament.

The state government has released more than 15,000 hectares of agricultural land near Kununurra, in the first stage of the Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project.