Government

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd is among eight companies charged by WorkSafe WA over the death of two workers and serious injuries to others during a cyclone at a Pilbara construction camp last year.

Rio-Stokes deal good news for Pilbara ore minnows; Seven adds to WAN stake under 'creep' provisions; BHP contracts rattle WA unions; Iron ore sale plan to fund Moly Mines molybdenum project; Rates pain to persist, CBA warns

Western Australia's economic value will be reduced by $1.8 billion over the next five years as the Department of Treasury and Finance provide estimates of the economic disruption brought about by the gas crisis.

The state government has welcomed a $623 million federal government initiative to boost the number of affordable rental properties.

Western Australian small business owners are generally a positive bunch with the state revealed as having the most positive outlook over future revenue, according to the latest MYOB survey.

Rio Tinto Ltd has signed a landmark agreement to purchase iron ore from a Perth-based junior's Pilbara mine, paving the way for small companies to develop costly projects while allowing the industry majors to keep control of their rail infrastructure.

Perth-based Indian sandalwood grower TFS Corporation Ltd has realised its vision of becoming a vertically integrated producer after agreeing to acquire Albany-based essential oils business Mount Romance Australia.

Western Australian business has not warmed to the federal government's proposed emissions trading scheme, with warnings that the policy could drive billions of dollars of investment offshore.

The early call of the Northern Territory election this week has highlighted the enviable position of Western Australia's economy, as investment in the state increases by 18 per cent.

Newspaper headlines have turned increasingly negative this month on Australia's economic outlook.

PEAK building and construction industry group Master Builders Australia has called on the federal government to provide compensation and tax concessions to offset the cost of bringing Australian build

Design guidelines for high-density housing in Western Australia are in the process of being overhauled by the state government, with a new residential design code in the pipeline and a review of the R-codes scheme due to commence.

More than a month after the Varanus Island gas explosion forced businesses across WA to curtail their activity, the state's building industry is continuing its operations relatively unscathed.

PEAK building and construction industry group Master Builders Australia has called on the federal government to provide compensation and tax concessions to offset the cost of bringing Australian build

Jani-King has emerged as one of the fastest growing franchises in Western Australia, measured by number of outlets.

After each federal election, State Scene scans the new ministerial line-up to see if any political maddies were appointed to head the foreign affairs and defence ministries.

The Bank of Queensland's aggressive push into Western Australia has highlighted a growing trend of franchising within the finance industry.

After buying a small, underperforming musical instrument retail and tuition business, Joondalup Music Centre, ten years ago, husband and wife team Peter and Genelle Picton-King now operate in three locations.

The proposal for an emissions trading scheme has already provoked some sharp responses from business, especially Woodside Petroleum Ltd, which operates the country's single biggest CO2 emission site.

Briefcase has previously predicted that economic conditions will deteriorate, both globally and locally.

The federal government has flagged changes to its skilled migration program, including the temporary 457 visa, which it says will give the states greater control in recruiting overseas workers.

LEGISLATION has been passed allowing businesses applying for the Export Market Development Grants scheme to take advantage of new scheme rules.

High density development may be top of the state government's planning agenda, but the target for infill in Perth is overly ambitious and needs to be significantly downgraded, with the city likely to fall short 131,000 dwellings, according to a report fro

Those who want to see 24-hour trading across the board in Western Australia will be disappointed with one of Perth's longest-running, non-stop retailer's decision to shut overnight for the first time in 17 years.

LEGISLATION has been passed allowing businesses applying for the Export Market Development Grants scheme to take advantage of new scheme rules.

The federal government is expected to complete its review of the franchising sector by the end of the year, following a state government inquiry into the sector handing in its final report in April.

The inevitable Sunday morning queue outside Lawley's Bakery on Beaufort Street would give anyone the impression that the low-key business has been part of the local retail landscape for decades.

Tourism Western Australia has welcomed a preliminary decision opposing plans to convert Rendezvous Observation City Hotel into residential apartments.

National company Abigroup Contractors Pty Ltd has secured its first major contract with the state government, having been selected to design and construct stage two of the Geraldton Southern Transport Corridor.

Perth miner Straits Resources Ltd has been dealt a blow with the state's environment watchdog recommending against a proposal to build a $200 million solar salt farm in the Exmouth Gulf.

Nearly $93 million worth of contracts have been awarded by both the federal and state governments to improve road infrastructure in the Kimberley region.