Christopher Pyne

Former University of Western Australia vice-chancellor Alan Robson is among a group of leading academics appointed to advise the federal government on reducing red tape in the tertiary education sector.

SPECIAL REPORT: WA’s higher education sector is gearing up for change as the federal government considers major reforms.

The latest round of national research grants has once again highlighted the University of Western Australia as the state’s leading research institution, with Curtin University of Technology following close behind.

Western Australia's universities will receive just 7.4 per cent out of next year's $354 million national research grants program, the lowest portion the state has been allocated in the past three years.

Western Australian universities have featured prominently in an expanded research funding program announced by federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne, with three resources-related centres scoring nearly $15 million between them.

Curtin University will close its Sydney campus in 2017 while education provider Navitas, which manages the campus and delivers the programs, will consolidate its services at La Trobe Sydney.

The federal government has dropped its offer to spend $4 million on a research centre to be headed by climate change 'contrarian' Bjorn Lomborg.

Tax breaks for risk-taking businesses and a boost in science spending lie at the heart of a four-year $1.1 billion innovation package designed to drive an "ideas boom" in Australia.

The federal government's future submarine project will be assembled in South Australia under French company DCNS, although there's still hope for Western Australian industry to win contracts.

Malcolm Turnbull will be returned as prime minister, according to renowned election analyst Antony Green, as postal vote flows strongly favour the coalition parties and three lower house independents have offered him supply and confidence.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promoted little-known Queensland Nationals Senator Matt Canavan to a cabinet position as resources minister, with Josh Frydenberg moving from that role to the portfolios of energy and environment.

Commerce Minister Michael Mischin will today encourage local defence contractors to apply for a state government industry assistance program to fund productivity enhancements, speaking at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA defence conference.

Civmec has begun constructing what it says will be Australia's biggest undercover shipbuilding facility in Henderson, confident it will have enough work even before offshore patrol vessel contracts are awarded by the federal government later this year.

Defence Issues Minister Paul Papalia says Western Australia has been dudded in the federal government’s $89 billion naval shipbuilding plan, of which WA will receive just over $3 billion of work, while the prime minister has lauded it as “unashamedly nationalistic”.

Defence contractor L3 Oceania, formerly known as Nautronix, has won a $2.9 million innovation contract from the federal government’s Defence Innovation Hub.