Diploma Group has won a $17.6 million contract to build a mixed-use residential, retail and office project in Oxford Street, Leederville, for a joint venture between Foundation Housing, Anglicare WA and Central Institute of Technology.

The Australian Retailers Association has applauded a Fair Work Australia decision that will allow businesses to employ school students on shifts as short as 1.5 hours. Fair Work Australia dismissed an appeal by unions, which had wanted the minimum to be three hours.

Consistent rain, especially in arid Western Australia, has buoyed hopes of a bumper winter crop for 2011/12, the federal government's commodity forecaster says.

Peel Mining has reported a 48 per cent increase in the resource estimate for its Apollo Hill gold project near Leonora.

International oil and gas giant Apache Corp says it has received federal government approval to develop two new natural gas fields off the Western Australian coast.