Matt Mckenzie

The state government has stuck to its position that maintenance of leased railway infrastructure is the responsibility of the private sector, in its response to the 2014 parliamentary committee report into the management of the state’s freight rail network.

Shares in Western Australian aquaculture player Atlas Pearls and Perfumes fell dramatically today as the company announced a restructure, including the resignation of executive chairman Stephen Birkbeck.

Western Australia has one of the highest engagement rates of people aged 15-19 in employment or study, according to the Productivity Commission’s report on government services.

WA outperformed most states in December’s retail spending results, and with an interest rate cut and falling petrol prices, there are hopes of a retail revival.

Western Australia has shifted its focus to early childhood education in what might be the start of a national trend, with the federal government dumping its paid parental leave scheme in favour of childcare policy reform.

Perth-based company Commodities Group has signed an access and option agreement for a 180,000-hectare cattle station, to continue its pursuit of an industrial scale prawn farming operation.

West Perth gold explorer Orinoco Gold is aiming to become a gold producer in 2015, after announcing a $14 million package to commence production at its Cascavel project.

Western Australia’s listed money managers had a strong 12 months to June 2014, but face a challenge to repeat that performance in 2015.

The federal government has announced it will increase scrutiny on incoming foreign investment in agricultural land, lowering the threshold at which purchases are reviewed by the Foreign Investment Review Board.

China is looking to export railways and power plants to improve its external position, with the added benefit of stoking steel demand.

Western Australian businesses are being drawn to the long-term growth opportunities offered by the aquaculture sector as increasing demand from Asia drives investment.

Industrial products distributor Coventry Group will embark on a restructure, including warehouse closures and around 100 job losses, after it forecast an increased loss for the first half of the financial year.

West Perth-based Golden Rim Resources will sell its Balogo gold project to Turkish company MNG Group for up to $12.8 million, with the full payment dependent on the mine going into commercial production.

The number of super funds in WA may be in decline, but those that have stayed have grown substantially.

Western Australian gold producers are enjoying a bright start to 2015 as the domestic price of the precious metal surges higher.

Two Western Australian Liberal members of parliament, Luke Simpkins and Don Randall, have announced they will move a motion to vacate the Liberal Party’s leadership, while Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he and deputy Julie Bishop would urge the party room to defeat the motion.

New car sales in Western Australia have had a poor start to the year, with the passenger and heavy commercial markets contracting sharply and indicating that consumers and local businesses alike are tightening their belts.

Western Australia has posted a slight increase in merchandise exports in 2014, with a dip in sales to China offset by growth in exports to other Asian trading partners.

As the summer’s harvest draws to a close, CBH Group has announced that this year’s crop production was the fourth highest on record.

Industry groups are at the vanguard of a renewed push for workplace reform following Productivity Commission issues papers released as part of a broad review of the labour market.

The Department of Finance and the Department of Commerce are among those cutting wage costs hardest as the state government reacts to reduced revenue, according to the latest BNiQ research.

The former chief executive of ASX-listed company Advanced Braking Technology, Ken Johnsen, has taken the helm of Dunsborough firm Nauti-Craft, which has developed a suspension system for boats.

A new location in Bunbury will be the home of the state government’s Department of Parks & Wildlife, with up to 300 employees to be housed at a Koombana Drive headquarters.

The falling price of iron ore is putting substantial pressure on local miners, particularly small and mid-sized players, but the price of the bulk commodity is still well above levels achieved just more than a decade ago.

Consumers and businesses are submitting fraudulent invoices to avoid tax and duties on purchases from overseas, contributing to calls from local retailers for reform to the tax-free threshold for imports.

The Productivity Commission has flagged reform of the minimum wage, penalty rates and enterprise agreements in its workplace relations review issues paper, which was accidentally released early today.

One of Western Australia’s last local credit unions, Unicredit, is moving to merge with Sydney-based Teachers Mutual Bank this year, joining a long-term trend towards scale in the lending industry.

Shares in gold producer Saracen Mineral Holdings were up 14 per cent today after the company's December quarterly report revealed strong production, lower costs and improved cash flow generation.

The state government’s farm finance concessional loans scheme has been expanded to allow loans for debt restructuring, and to farmers in areas that are not rainfall deficient.

Employment growth in the construction industry will be strong in this quarter, according to a report by Hays Recruitment, as the continued influx of new people to the state drives demand for residential properties.

A group of local business owners is lobbying the state government to support changes to the GST import threshold, making Western Australia a key front in national retail reform.

Perth has maintained its trend of weekly price fluctuations at the petrol bowser, according to Australian Competition & Consumer Commission data, despite most other capitals moving towards longer fuel price cycles.