Martin Ferguson

Calls for reform to penalty rates are likely to grow louder following last month’s rise in unemployment in Western Australia.

The new chair of the University of Western Australia’s Energy and Minerals Institute says scientists and researchers need to deliver tangible results to their industry partners.

The problems keep mounting for federal Labor in WA, with former colleagues speaking out against each other in a very public stoush.

Former Labor minister Martin Ferguson has heralded floating liquefied natural gas as the wave of the future, urging the Western Australian government to work with developers like Shell, Woodside Petroleum, ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton.

Seven Group Holdings chief executive Don Voelte has stepped down from his role as chairman of oil and gas junior Nexus Energy, saying the position was no longer appropriate as Seven Group eyes opportunities in the oil and gas sector.

Former federal resources minister Martin Ferguson has joined the board of trustees of the University of Western Australia's Energy and Minerals Institute.

The coalition has refused to commit to reducing application fees for 457 visa workers if elected to government, despite flagging plans to make the scheme more “user-friendly”.

FORMER federal resources and energy minister Martin Ferguson has gained genuine respect from a sector that nearly brought his government down.

Last week’s failed leadership tilt has sparked further upheaval in the Labor caucus and yet another ministerial reshuffle.

At the very end of an extraordinary week, a late announcement from an unlikely source – Transport Minister Troy Buswell – gave one of the few clear signals about future growth in the mining sector.

Changing global markets and local community pressures are crimping the growth prospects for big gas projects but the industry is still in a boom.

The federal government has granted offshore petroleum exploration permits to four companies, including Woodside Petroleum and BP, to operate in Western Australia and South Australia.