Matt Mckenzie

Western Australia’s unemployment rate has spiked to a 17-year high, at 6.8 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, while the national numbers held steady.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has declared she is retiring from federal parliament at the next election, about six months after she left the role in the aftermath of a leadership spill.

SPECIAL REPORT: Costs and a local skills shortage are among the challenges facing the state as it seeks to develop a local train car manufacturing sector.

SPECIAL REPORT: Big data has helped the Pilbara Ports Authority to dramatically increase throughput, in contrast to other ports.

SPECIAL REPORT: WA could be about 1,000 truck drivers short at a time the industry believes there are signs of an upswing.

SPECIAL REPORT: WA will be waiting until at least 2030 before an outer harbour development is needed, and in the meantime work is being done to evaluate the best ways to extend the life of Fremantle Port.

There will be a big reduction in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s official cash rate in the next year or two, according to investment analysis Jonathan Pain.

One of Perth’s most prominent fashion designers has announced the closure of an internationally successful label, but hinted at plans for something big in the pipeline.

The two main operators at Fremantle Ports container terminal look set to stay until at least 2026, with the state government flagging discussions about infrastructure for container movements into the port to be a key priority in its negotiations.

SPECIAL REPORT: Western Australia may not be ready with the workforce and skills needed for the next boom.

SPECIAL REPORT: Elections always bring uncertainty for business, but in 2019 the difference between the major parties is among the starkest in decades.

SPECIAL REPORT: Trade battles, high Chinese debt and slowing global growth are among the biggest threats to the WA economy.

Lithium producer Altura Mining has entered a trading halt, with a plan to raise about $30 million for working capital, a day after it reported production at its Pilgangoora processing plant was improving.

Electricity has started flowing from APA Group’s Badgingarra wind farm in recent days, while two of the state’s major coal generating units have been powered down due to low demand.

Sumitomo Corporation has grown its presence in Western Australia’s retail power market with the acquisition of Infinite Energy, its first investment in a distributed grid business and a move beyond its local coal and gas-focused portfolio.

About 5,000 exploration, tenure and mining approvals were sitting in the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation And Safety’s pipeline at the end of the September quarter last year, according to the department’s latest approvals performance data.

A tech business that supports power provision in rural areas and a company developing a laser robot to remove damaged tissue and bones have won a combined $1.7 million of federal Accelerating Commercialisation grants.

Perth’s Agristart accelerator program has won $485,000 of federal government funding to run three startup incubation programs in regional Western Australia, in Northam, Albany and Busselton.

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.

Perth-based contractor Clough has been chosen in collaboration with Italian business Salini Impregilo as preferred tenderer for civil works at the Snowy Hydro 2.0 pump storage project.

Lobsters were sold for as little as $30 per kilogram under an initiative to encourage domestic supply, according to an unpublished government report which found the Local Lobster Program at least partially met two major objectives but also raised numerous concerns.

Leaders interviewed for the annual Business News CEO survey suggest that forward-looking decisions on energy policy and tax will be vital for WA’s future prosperity.

BP is planning to drill its first well in WA in decades next year as it hopes to develop a Carnarvon Basin portfolio.

Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has signalled he may well walk back plans to take control of about 17 per cent of an enlarged local lobster catch, saying his priorities would be an International Lobster Festival in Perth and a domestic quota.

Wind and solar generation backed by storage are competitive with coal and gas, according to a recent report by the CSIRO, but that does not mean coal-fired generation will be out of the picture.

More than a third of Australian risk management experts believe legislative and regulatory changes are the biggest threat to local businesses this year, ahead of a federal election and growing economic protectionism overseas.

Processing plant problems at Altura Mining’s Pilgangoora lithium mine have slowed output ramp-up, with about 24,000 tonnes of lithium shipped so far from the 220,000tpa facility, nearly six months after production began.

Oil and gas industry professional and Petroleum Club governor Brooke Arnot has passed away after a battle with cancer.

The national petroleum industry regulator has responded to media reports that Inpex’s Icthys LNG operation is unsafe, saying it gave the all clear for gas to flow at the $US45 billion ($62 billion) facility.

Former Heron Resources boss Mathew Longworth will take the helm of mining hopeful Metalicity, as managing director Matt Gauci announced he will move on after more than six years in the role.

The property industry is more confident in Western Australia than many other parts of the country, but some in the sector are warning that major policy changes could damage this outlook.

Plans for a kaolin mine and low level nuclear waste storage facility in the Shire of Coolgardie have taken a step forward, after Sydney-based Tellus Holdings received approval from the federal environmental regulator for the project.