News Articles for Ben Wyatt

The state government today announced it will provide $30 million in funding over five years to the The Clontarf Foundation, allowing the sports academy to operate in 30 Western Australian schools as of 2020.

The state government has detailed changes it plans to make across the public sector to enhance financial accountability and transparency, following recent corruption charges laid against a former senior public servant in the Department of Communities.

About 25 new industrial lots will be released across the Western Trade Coast region in south western Perth, the state government announced today.

A new investment office and tighter rules around local content on major projects are some of the latest moves in Mark McGowan's economic strategy.

Today's decision by the state government to increase the payroll tax exemption threshold has been welcomed by industry bodies.

Off-the-plan apartment buyers in Western Australia will receive a 75 per cent rebate on stamp duty for the next two years, capped at $50,000, under a stimulus package unveiled by the state government today that has been roundly welcomed by the development industry.

OPINION: Having got spending under control, the McGowan government now needs to find ways to encourage business growth.

A $2.4 billion surge in revenue above forecast levels helped the state government record a $1.3 billion operating surplus in the year to June, but the overall cash position of the budget is still in a deficit of $924 million.

A developer will be appointed to revitalise the East Perth Power Station early next year, after the state government asked its shortlist of proponents to submit detailed plans for the riverside precinct.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt says Curtin University's $500 million investment in new facilities is indicative of the evolution of universities to provide a wider benefit to surrounding communities.

An industrial estate near Mandurah will be the first of its kind in Australia to be powered by a solar energy microgrid, after the state government appointed Brookfield's Enwave Australia to build a solar farm and battery storage solution at Peel Business Park.

Construction has started on a new aged care centre at LandCorp's Claremont on the Park redevelopment, with Oryx Communities today breaking ground on The Queenslea project.

WA opposition leader Liza Harvey's blaming of "meth zombies" for Perth's weak retail sector talks down the WA capital, Labor leader Anthony Albanese says.

Three Aboriginal businesses based in Western Australia, including IPS Management Consultants, have been awarded contracts totalling $1.5 million to help other Aboriginal organisations build capability and win additional commercial work.

Aboriginal-owned Redspear Safety and UK-based Safehouse launched new business called Safespear on Tuesday night, a safety services company chaired by Redspear's Barry McGuire.

OPINION: In WA and on the national stage, the men in charge of the purse strings face challenges of control and confidence.

Ratings agency Moody's has announced that it will lift Western Australia's credit rating from Aa2 to Aa1, with the McGowan government's strong control over spending highlighted as a key reason.

Western Australia's domestic economy was the smallest it has been since 2010 in the March quarter, with state final demand just below $50 billion.

The state government will not consider pausing or scrapping its surcharge on foreign property purchasers, despite a sharp reduction in sales to offshore buyers and growing scepticism around whether revenue will meet projections.

WA BUDGET: There are at least two parties interested in buying the TAB, with the state government committing to put part of the money raised towards replacing King Edward Memorial Hospital.

WA BUDGET: WA Treasury has revised its forecasting methodology for iron ore prices to assume that prices fall away quickly from the current inflated levels, which have provided a large boost to government coffers.

WA BUDGET: Federal infrastructure grants and reform of the GST have helped the state government project a $1.5 billion operating surplus in the upcoming financial year, although funding for the Ellenbrook rail line is largely absent.

The state government announced it would spend $11.6 million on the installation of solar farms and energy storage in remote Aboriginal communities as part of this years' State Budget.

LandCorp and energy trading platform Power Ledger have unveiled a 100 per cent renewable energy residential development at East Village at Knutsford near Fremantle.

Recent policy disputes have shone a light on political and business influence in WA.

The looming federal election could mark a big shift in political power, not just in Canberra but also WA.

The McGowan government has brought a sudden end to long-running plans for a $28 million wave park on the Swan River, ironically just one day after the Tourism Council WA complained that the wave park was one of 16 new tourist experiences being held up by government red tape.

The state government has confirmed it is in talks to reach a settlement that would end the long-standing dispute over the $1.7 billion of litigation proceeds from Alan Bond's failed Bell Group.

More than 750 guests attended the 2019 Business News 40under40 Awards held this week at Optus Stadium's Riverview Room.

Wormall Civil has been awarded two contracts totaling $7.3 million for works at Peel Business Park.

A worsening of the trade war between the US and China could nearly halve Western Australian growth next financial year, according to Treasurer Ben Wyatt, but he believes a worst-case scenario will be avoided.

The federal government should offer Western Australia funding for power storage projects in proportion to its spending in the east, Energy Minister Bill Johnston says, while moves to introduce reserve capacity auctions and retail contestability locally are off his agenda.

Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation has failed in its attempt to overturn a key state government ruling concerning Fortescue Metals Group's Eliwana iron ore project.

The Western Australian government has reportedly offered contractor John Holland $20 million to settle the long-running dispute over the Perth Children's Hospital.

Moody's has lifted the outlook on Western Australia's Aa2 credit rating from ‘stable' to ‘positive', citing the state government's "strong fiscal resolve" as a key factor.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has said he does not think BHP Group has been a bad corporate citizen after it was today revealed the iron ore miner might owe up to $300 million to the state in royalties, the company's third such battle in recent years.

The state government's trend of appointing female leaders to run key agencies has continued, with Kaylene Gulich appointed chief executive of the Western Australian Treasury Corporation today.

The state government has hit a key milestone in the partial privatisation of Landgate, seeking a private sector operator to undertake automated land titling transactions.

The state's financial outlook has improved since the May budget by about $3 billion across the next four years, with iron ore royalties and federal grants doing the heavy lifting, but the domestic economy will again shrink this year.

Domestic and international events are on a collision course, with 2019 to pose a plethora of challenges for business leaders.