Government

Heat on Rudd as billions are frozen; Treasurer approves Westpac merger; ANZ's profit slumps 23 per cent on bad loans; Clough faces 'please explain' on $23m coal loss; GMAC pull-out hits car dealers

Austal Ltd managing director Bob Browning said there are no plans for further staff cuts after the company laid off over 100 workers at its Henderson shipbuilding facility.

Treasurer Troy Buswell is considering an overhaul of the Department of Housing and Works after the agency revealed it will have a shortfall of $235 million this financial year.

Falling lead prices and costs associated with maintenance works at its suspended Wiluna operation in Western Australia have prompted miner Magellan Metals to lay off 18 people.

Premier Colin Barnett has today insisted that there is no disagreement with Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls over the royalties for regions policy, as the opposition steps up calls for more clarity on the funding program.

Director of Lloyd Events (3 years) WABN: Describe - in one sentence - a day at work.

THE long-running debate over Australia's energy future heated up again this week, and it's likely to continue running as the economy goes through its ups and downs.

THE state government posted a record surplus in 2007-08 of $2.56 billion, fuelled by significant growth in mining royalties and taxation revenue.

THE Western Australian government has started the formal process of selecting a new chief for the Department of Premier and Cabinet, even though the widely tipped winner - Peter Conran who was until a year ago in the inner sanctum of John Howard's prime m

IT'S probably because State Scene, long ago, spent several months in the advertising industry that the ploys and proclivities of those in that sector continue to intrigue.

PERTH'S housing market has been through a difficult few years.

TWELVE months ago, the idea of having more than a handful of job applications for a single vacancy would have been beyond contemplation for many businesses in Western Australia.

AUSTRADE and Telstra Business have teamed up to help Australian businesses develop their export potential and step up to the world stage.

DESPITE the global credit crunch, which has wiped trillions of dollars off international share markets and made it more difficult for business to borrow money, Western Australia has again recorded another stellar year of growth, and the outlook remains st

THE state’s economy could yet feel the impact of the global financial crisis, which has already lifted the cost of borrowing and could make it increasingly difficult to access finance.

WESTERN Australia had a trade surplus of $41.

OUTDATED regulatory and pricing arrangements in Western Australia's aged care industry is threatening the vulnerable sector, with industry groups warning that an ageing population will exacerbate the state's already strained health resources.

THE latest round of national research grants has highlighted the University of Western Australia's status as the state's premier research institution, though the grants also indicate that WA as a whole has not performed well.

THE Western Australian economy ended the 2007-08 financial year on a positive note, with most of the growth again driven by increased business investment.

SETTLING in to one of the toughest portfolios in government, Christian Porter knows that the role of the attorney-general is as much about law as it is spinning the political wheel.

LAST week, global stock markets experienced possibly the worst days of trading that will be seen during the current bear phase.

WHAT a roller coaster ride it's been in the past week or so.

FOUR years after it started training food industry employees, Victoria Park-based provider Australian College of Training is preparing to export its services to New Zealand and Asia.

The Western Australian Trade Enquiry Service is operated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) with the support of the WA Government's Department of Industry and Resources.

WESTERN Australia's insulation from the global financial market turmoil is getting thinner by the day, as the risk of a significant and broadly based decline in commodity prices rises with each disturbing escalation of the credit crunch.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Retail Traders Association of WA present: Business Warfare for small and medium business. Business, like warfare, is dynamic and challenging.

LABOUR market pressures remain high in the Western Australian economy, with the skills shortage continuing to hit hard and the wage price index running ahead of the rest of the country.

WA Business News' fourth annual State Economic Review comes at a time when the world economic system is facing its greatest challenge for decades.

A JOINT state and local government committee will implement recommendations of a WA Local Government Association report into councils’ sustainability.

THE value of the state's mineral and petroleum industry increased by 9 per cent on last year, with the industry generating $58.

Opposition leader Eric Ripper has demanded that Premier Colin Barnett end the uncertainty over the royalties for regions deal that underpins the Liberal-National government.

Fremantle-based agribusiness company Craig Mostyn Group has bought the fresh pork business of George Weston Foods/Watsons Foods.