Tayler Neale

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has said he is concerned about risks to Australia from the slowing world economy, so Labor must implement all its $200 billion-plus in pledged tax rises to arm the federal government with a bigger fiscal ‘‘buffer’’ to counteract any global downturn.

The resources industry is expected to be one of the unlikely drivers of wages growth in 2019, with recruiters forecasting some salaries to climb by almost a third.

Britain’s political crisis has deepened, with Prime Minister Theresa May’s humiliating Brexit defeat heightening the prospect of no deal with the EU as rival political factions threaten to tear the Conservative government apart.

Discounter Kmart will reduce its prices in an attempt to revive sales growth, which came to an abrupt halt in December after five years of uninterrupted gains.

A pre-feasibility study released today by Peter Bradford-led Independence Group has confirmed the viability of an underground mine at the Tropicana gold project.

Former Synergy executive Stephanie Unwin is set to lead regional energy retailer Horizon Power next year, while Screenwest, SNC-Lavalin, Worksafe WA and Destination Perth have also announced significant appointments.

Perth Airport has commenced legal action in the Supreme Court of Western Australia against Qantas to recover $11.3 million in unpaid charges for using its facilities.

P&N Bank is considering a merger with regional east coast credit union bcu, which is about half the size of the Perth-based lender, to form a combined group with a $6 billion asset base and 150,000 customers across the country.

Diversified family business CFC Group has registered a big jump in profit for the 2018 financial year, aided by strong performances across its three primary operations.