Matt Mckenzie

Improving monitoring of potential COVID-19 cases in the community will reduce pressure on the healthcare system and stop transmission, according to proponents of a Western Australian telehealth consortium.

Western Australia is one of the best places in the world to be during the COVID-19 pandemic, AMA WA president Andrew Miller said today, after weeks of passionately advocating tightening restrictions.

Beaufort Street pub The Flying Scotsman is likely to keep its doors closed permanently in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing on social media today the venue's landlord had opted not to renew the lease.

The two biggest Perth-based resources companies have furthered their interest in hydrogen, with one focused on export potential and the other investigating a more metropolitan project.

Power prices that fall during the day and rise at night, plus more storage, could help address the growing impact of rooftop solar on Western Australia’s southern power grid, with a new report listing 10 suburbs as potential candidates for community batteries.

Alasdair Malloch has transformed Whipper Snapper Distillery's business model in just two weeks, organising a joint venture with LabWest and Ferngrove Wine Group to produce medical-grade hand sanitiser for some major clients.

Bentley-based manufacturer Epichem will be pumping out a new supply of hand sanitiser to cover a shortfall in the local healthcare industry.

About 100,000 Western Australians will lose their jobs as a result of the coronavirus, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, although it is unclear how much the federal government's new JobKeeper payment will reduce the damage.

SPECIAL REPORT: Several big businesses have stepped up to the plate during the current economic shock.

Free to read: WA will be relying on strong export industries to keep its economy afloat, with domestic industries employing a total of 250,000 Western Australians having closed or severely reduced operations due to COVID-19.

Businesses and non profits suffering big falls in turnover will receive subsidies of up to $1,500 per worker per fortnight under the federal government's new Jobkeeper program, with up to 6 million people to be supported.

Late on Friday afternoon, the state government revealed a $205 million contract with Chinese telco Huawei and contractor UGL to replace radio systems in the rail network had been cancelled because of trade restrictions.

Movement in major city centres has dropped 80 per cent in the past two weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today, while flagging development of a policy to hibernate businesses until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Woodside Petroleum will delay investment decisions on the Scarborough and Browse LNG developments after a big fall in oil prices amid the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, but three projects under way will continue.

Decisions on two LNG projects worth a combined $22 billion are likely to be delayed from this year to 2021, according to analysts Wood Mackenzie, while many producers have cut back to only essential staff.

Click through for the latest list of prohibited activities and venues.

Domestic gas reservation schemes have earned a rebuke from the Productivity Commission, while it has called for an end to drilling bans and warned on the massive cost of approval delays.

Industry peak body Fashion Council WA entered administration on Friday, four months after private business Perth Fashion Festival suffered the same fate.

A $20 billion loan guarantee for small businesses, $31.9 billion of grants to encourage small businesses to keep workers and $18 billion of support for welfare recipients and people who lose their jobs are the key elements in the federal government’s second round COVID-19 economic response.

BHP will hire 1,500 temporary workers across the country on six month contracts, with at least 400 to be at Western Australian iron ore operations, Business News understands, while Woodside has pledged to cut payment times for contractors.

Two new facilities to support lending worth a combined $105 billion are key elements of the Reserve Bank and federal government’s plans to support the economy in response to COVID-19, while the RBA cut rates to 0.25 per cent and promised an unprecedented target on government bond yields.

Support for businesses to hold on to workers should be prioritised over cash handouts for households, according to Deutsche Bank, which forecasts Australia’s economy will fare better than most with a contraction of only 0.1 per cent in 2020.

Australia’s economy will contract 2 per cent in the March quarter, according to ANZ, as economists weigh up the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The growing global appetite for state involvement in industry, as evidenced by two recent decisions of Boris Johnson’s new government in the UK, is also taking hold in Australia.

A greater focus on community support and the closure of Graylands Hospital could create better outcomes for Western Australians with severe mental health issues.

A redesign of Newstart and a rethink of how payments are reduced when people re-enter the workforce could make the welfare system more effective for the most vulnerable.

WA may need to reconsider the balance between imprisonment and rehabilitation for people suffering drug dependency, according to advocates.

Not having a place to sleep throws a person’s world into turmoil.

A freeze on household bills, a slight rise of the payroll tax threshold and small businesses grants will form part of a $607 million state government stimulus package, while the Commonwealth and the Reserve Bank are considering further steps.

Chinese consul general Dong Zhihua is confident international trade won’t suffer long-term disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, and is pitching for local businesses to come to a trade fair in November.

Santos has already offloaded a portion of the Darwin LNG operation for $US390 million ($620 million) to South Korean SK E&S, in line with plans flagged during an acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ northern Australian assets in October.

The federal government today announced significant investments in the energy sector, with the awarding of $69.5 million to two new cooperative research centres, and the launch of the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre.