Government

Premier Colin Barnett has welcomed former Woodside Energy corporate affairs general manager and Freehills lawyer, Brian Pontifex as his new Chief of Staff.

The Ningaloo Coast's nomination for World Heritage listing by the federal and state government's was recognition of the area's outstanding natural beauty, biological richness and international geological significance.

The state government has confirmed it is in negotiations with the administrators of Griffin Coal to provide a pre-payment of up to $4 million against the delivery of coal under Verve Energy's current coal supply contract.

WestNet Rail Holdings will challenge a $71 million stamp duty assessment from Western Australia's Office of State Revenue, in a move that will add to industry concern over the state's controversial 'land rich' tax policy.

Australia's highest-selling car manufacturer has predicted improving market conditions in 2010 after the latest vehicle industry figures indicated new motor vehicle sales were 15.9 per cent higher in December 2009 than a year earlier.

The body responsible for securing business events for Perth and Western Australia since 1972 has delivered $55 million to the state economy in the first six months of the financial year.

The state government has awarded Southern Roads Services a $2.8 million contract to improve a 2.5 kilometre section of South Western Highway between Burekup and Picton.

Shares in Australasian Resources have moved up this morning following the announcement of environmental approval from the state government for its $2.7 billion Balmoral South iron ore project.

The state government has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling's overturning legal action by Apache Northwest to block the release of a restricted report into the Varanus gas pipeline explosion more than 18 months ago.

Western Australia has joined the rest of the nation, excluding Tasmania, in posting a significant jump in new motor vehicle sales in November compared to the previous month, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data has showed.

Developing and commercialising innovative technologies of 35 start-ups across the nation is the aim of the federal government's $64 million in funding, to be distributed by 11 fund managers.

There is good news ahead with 2010 shaping to be a much better year for Western Australian businesses, with a majority of employers expecting the local economy to pick up pace in the next 12 months, according WA's peak industry body.

Lobby groups and unions have given a mixed response to sweeping reforms proposed by the Economic Audit Committee, with some saying the recommendations do not go far enough.

A higher Australian dollar combined with lower commodity prices is expected to more than offset higher production volumes for the nation's resources sector, with export earnings tipped to fall 20 per cent in 2009/10.

The state government has instructed Main Roads to change its contracting policy so that smaller companies have more opportunity to bid for roadworks contracts.

The Senate has rejected the government's emissions trading scheme a second time, giving Labor a trigger for a double dissolutio

The fallout from Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull's support for an emissions trading scheme has prompted five of the Liberal Party's frontbenchers, including Tony Abbott, to resign today.

Premier Colin Barnett's chief-of-staff Deidre Willmott is moving to a new role with the state government due to a potential conflict of interest while the government's director of communications has been asked to 'sit' on his resignation.

An Australian business lobby group has called for a study into financing for small businesses, suggesting SMEs are taking an unfair hit on restricted access to finance, and the growing relative cost of small business finance.

The state government's push for extended retail trading hours has started with the expansion of the Perth tourism precinct to include parts of Subiaco, Victoria Park and Mt Lawley, and the extension of closing times.

A Bibra Lake-based transport company has been fined $30,000 in relation to a workplace incident where a mechanic had his legs crushed under the wheels of a truck trailer driven by one of the directors of the company.

A substantial fall in the state's unemployment rate to 5 per cent has sparked concern that WA is not ready for the next wave of growth, with a business lobby group projecting a shortfall of 150,000 workers within seven years.

The state government will immediately provide the St John Ambulance Service WA (SJA) with more than $1 million in funding following the recommendations of the independent inquiry into the safety and quality of SJA's clinical practices released today.

The Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia has joined other finanical experts in suggesting the Asian region had been largely insulated from the economic downturn and would aggressively outperform other global economies in the medium term.

Western Australia's largest private sector employer, Wesfarmers, has launched its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) targeting employment and community engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

An increased flow of credit into the housing sector, apparently due to a last minute rush by first home buyers to secure the full benefit of a more generous housing grant, looks likely to generate a boost to the economy.

The federal government has announced it will deliver a free superannuation clearing house service for small businesses with less than 20 employees through Medicare Australia.

The state's leading business lobby organisation said problems such as severe labour shortages, a lack of affordable housing, and infrastructure bottlenecks will hamper the state from realising its full economic potential.

New vehicle sales in Western Australia slumped 11 per cent in October as national sales rose for the first time in 16 months in a further sign that the economy is on a recovery path, new figures show.

The state opposition have highlighted Treasurer Troy Buswell's "incompetency" and "loose financial management" in reaction to the latest financial reports from the state government indicating WA currently has an operating deficit of almost $700 million.

The state's peak business lobby group is calling on the state government to "urgently" streamline the public sector on the back of a new Economic Audit Committee report expected to be presented to the goverment in the coming days.

The number of new home sales in Western Australia fell by 11.1 per cent in September, the country's second biggest drop and nearly three times national decline, following a strong surge in August, according to a Housing Industry Association (HIA) survey.