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A note to our readers that Business News will take a break over the holiday season, with our daily emails and regular coverage resuming on January 6.

Baptistcare has added to its Western Australian portfolio with the acquisition of the Kalkarni aged care facility in the Wheatbelt town of Brookton.

The Australian share market lost an early lead from Wall Street to make it consecutive days in the red, but still had its best week in three after a strong start to the pre-Christmas week.

As many Western Australians wrap up another year and prepare to head down south for summer holidays, this month’s edition of the Office Hours podcast is perfect listening material for the trip down the Forrest Highway as it highlights the significant property markets across the region.

MG Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cubbie Farming to investigate the feasibility of growing cotton in the East Kimberley region.

Dacian Gold founder Rohan Williams is stepping down from his role as chief executive and executive chairman, to be replaced by 25-year mining veteran Leigh Junk and non-executive director Ian Cochrane.

Former federal MP Dennis Jensen has been awarded $325,000 in damages by the Supreme Court of Western Australia following the outcome of a defamation case against The Australian for articles it published in 2016.

Mining services group MLG has signed a three-year partnership agreement with the West Coast Eagles’ AFLW team.

Max Johnston has been appointed chair of AusCann Group Holdings, succeeding Cheryl Edwardes, who had served in the role on an interim basis since earlier this year.

WA-raised tech startup Humm has raised US$2.6 million (AU$3.7 million) from US-based investors, to further aid in the commercialisation of its wearable Edge headband technology.

Western Australian homebuyers are more in tune with design and surrounding amenity than their eastern states counterparts, with the vast majority of respondents to a recent survey also believing current market conditions are ideal to buy property.

Scott Morrison has cut short his family holiday in Hawaii and will return to Australia on Saturday after the deaths of two volunteer firefighters.

Southern Cross Electrical Engineering has been awarded $100 million in contracts, including works with Talison Lithium, Energy Resources and MARBL Lithium.

CPB Contractors has been selected to deliver key works at Rio Tinto’s Robe Valley projects, including various earthworks, civil works, bridges, pits and water supply infrastructure.

The Australian share market has opened little changed following gains on Wall Street overnight.

Forrest lures ex-SA premier to WA

Oil prices hovered near the highest in three months in thin pre-Christmas trading overnight, buoyed by the previous day's news that US crude inventories declined and as US-China trade tensions continued to ease.

Gold prices held firm overnight as investors awaited further developments on US-Chinese trade while political uncertainty in Washington DC failed to move markets across the board.

The Australian share market has closed lower after positive November jobs data pared the chances of a February interest rate cut and took the gloss off local equities.

Plans are in motion to restart mining at the Ellendale diamond mine, with Gibb River Diamonds accepting a state government offer to apply for new tenements at the Kimberley operation.

Australia’s chief executives have listed digital transformation as their top concern heading into a new decade, according to KMPG’s annual survey of nearly 200 c-suite executives.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt and Community Services Minister Simone McGurk have said the state government will spend up to $60 million in the next four years to ensure community service providers can pay for higher wages now mandated under the Equal Remuneration Order.

Chevron is returning to Australia’s fuel retailing market, through the acquisition of Puma Energy’s network of petrol stations and retail stores in a deal worth $425 million.

Kardinya’s $100 million new town centre is proposed to include a 12-storey apartment building and a redeveloped shopping centre and entertainment precinct, under plans lodged for approval this week.

Western Australia’s new museum will be free of charge for 18 months after its November 2020 opening, with the state government expecting up to 800,000 people to experience the $430 million facility over that time.

A senior bureaucrat accused with two others of Western Australia's biggest public sector theft is behind bars after failing to produce a $1.5 million surety.

Donald Trump has become only the third US president to be impeached as the House of Representatives formally charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in a historic step that will inflame a deeply divided America.

Techworks Group has developed a growth strategy that mitigates the risks experienced by other subcontractors.

A surge in part-time work helped the jobless rate tick down to a seasonally adjusted 5.2 per cent in November, but economists still expect another interest rate cut despite the better-than-expected employment figures.

The rise of AI, pressure on China, and tighter money are key issues facing the global economy.

WA consumers are entering 2020 with subdued confidence, according to research from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, with four out of five consumers surveyed expecting the economy to worsen or stay the same.

Leadership at UWA and Curtin University recognise the value international students offer the state.