News Articles for Colin Barnett

The state coalition alliance partners may revert to the squabbling siblings of old if Nationals members feel their needs are being ignored.

Perth's investment banking sector is jockeying for position to sell Canning Vale Market City, Utah Point in Port Hedland and the Kwinana Bulk Terminal, the first assets to be sold off to reduce the

A recent Economic Regulation Authority report would bolster the government's case for the sale of Synergy –if it were to make one.

The government's plans for local council amalgamations have met strong opposition from some quarters, but not the big end of town.

Could Lyndon Rowe be an inspired choice to lead Synergy's next phase?

The state government's decision to give top priority to the construction of the Forrestfield-airport rail link is bold, strategic and expensive. To be operating by 2020, the move is also political.

Controversy has erupted over The National Trust's decision to end not-for-profit group Fly By Night's lease of the Artillery Drill Hall in Fremantle.

The state government says its $2.2 billion Forrestfield-Airport rail link will be complete by 2020, with the line set to include an eight kilometre tunnel underneath the Swan River.

A southern region MP has lashed out at state government bureaucracy due to the scrapping of the Department of Housing's 3,000-hectare Keralup land development.

Education Minister Peter Collier has embarked on a bold strategy aimed at reallocating his $4.6 billion budget among the state's 700 secondary and primary schools. It is a move fraught with political risk.

Colin Barnett's determined push to cut the number of local councils is a great example of how out of touch politicians are with public opinion.

The state government has a lot of political capital invested in a successful build of its Burswood stadium.

The private developer of a 150 megawatt power station with contracts to Fortescue Metals Group has announced the all inclusive cost of the project will be $570 million.

Lotterywest has granted Surf Life Saving Western Australia over $1.3 million for the construction of a new heliport facility at Rouse Head in Fremantle.

The owners of the Ocean Beach Hotel and Il Lido in Cottesloe have been given the green light for redevelopment, with planning scheme changes unveiled today that allow for up to eight storeys at the

Departing Synergy board member Keith Spence has told Business News the merger of Synergy and Verve had already delivered $70 million in savings.

The look of the new 60,000-seat Perth stadium to be built in Burswood was unveiled today by Premier Colin Barnett, who guaranteed it would be open in time for the 2018 AFL season.

Consumer behaviour plays out in business much as it does in the political sphere.

The Australian Greens have urged environment minister Greg Hunt to listen to the large group of scientists and experts rejecting Colin Barnett's shark cull.

The Western Australian government has released a master plan for the Anketell port project, which is a critical piece of infrastructure in Aquila Resources' proposed $7 billion West Pilbara iron ore project.

The state government is looking at new ways to stoke tourism-related development on Western Australia's coastline, with the Abrolhos Islands and Coral Bay identified as priority areas.

Premier and Science Minister Colin Barnett has appointed Peter Klinken as the new chief scientist of Western Australia.

SPECIAL REPORT: Power and influence in WA is adjusting to a new order after the boom.

SPECIAL REPORT: Global economic forces, a national election and state political exits have shaped the 2014 Most Influential list.

Does it make sense for a gas producer to retain title over a gas field for 27 years without proceeding with development?

The problems keep mounting for federal Labor in WA, with former colleagues speaking out against each other in a very public stoush.

Whether state and territory leaders like it or not, federal cuts to education and health put GST reform front and centre.

Padbury Mining has appointed Steinepreis Paganin to review the company's corporate governance policies in the wake of its failed equity funding deal to construct a port and rail network at Oakajee.

The state and federal budgets have created new opportunities for the private sector, as governments seek to repair their strained finances.

Liberal governments in WA and Canberra are finding few friends in light of recent budget measures.

The Environmental Protection Authority has commenced a new assessment of the proposed LNG gas hub near Broome, as speculation over development of the offshore Browse Basin gas fields increases.

A toll on trucks appears to be a condition of federal funding for the $1.6 billion Perth Freight Link roads project, Premier Colin Barnett says.

The federal government has allocated Western Australia $55 million so it can trial its own version of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The Fremantle Dockers are closer to securing new training facilities in Cockburn with $10 million allocated in yesterday's budget but a pitch for funds by crosstown rivals the West Coast Eagles proved less successful.

Savvy union leaders know they're in a strong position to negotiate for their members when an election's around the corner.

Treasurer Mike Nahan says the government could generate proceeds of up to $3 billion through the sale of several assets earmarked in the budget as candidates for privatisation.

The government appears to have reacted to pre-budget industry fears by declaring only modest cuts to new housing market entrants' stamp duty concessions, however it still earned the wrath of some industry players.

The Barnett government has trimmed back its record capital works spend further, deferring spending on key infrastructure projects including the Swan Valley Bypass.

The Barnett government would raise nearly $6 billion by selling the state's three major ports, if the Western Australian sales attracted the same surprisingly high bidding interest as recent port sales on the east coast.

Perth's sister city Houston has some interesting insights on public transport, economic diversification and other challenges faced by both cities.