The Reserve Bank of Australia has revised down its economic forecasts as expected, but the Australian dollar has plunged again after the central bank surprised the market with the scale of its revisions.
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop says she intends to stand for her seat again at the coming election and has given her backing to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Australian shares have finished higher for a third straight day, while the Australian dollar has hit the skids after the Reserve Bank opened the door to a possible rate cut.
Exports from Western Australia increased by 17.7 per cent to a record $144.8 billion in 2018, underpinning a strong improvement in the nation's overall trade performance.
Shares in Perth-based Australian Finance Group and in ASX-listed Mortgage Choice plunged today on concerns the mortgage broking sector will be one of the biggest losers from the banking royal commission, which recommended the banning of commissions paid by lenders to brokers.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has again kept the official cash rate at a record low of 1.5 per cent, but Governor Philip Lowe has tempered his economic outlook.
The current and former prime ministers agree they waited too long to call the banking royal commission but the treasurer says it's time to look forward, not back.
The banking sector has been told it "must change forever" for forcing the Australian community to pay an immense financial and emotional price over many years.
SPECIAL REPORT: Elections always bring uncertainty for business, but in 2019 the difference between the major parties is among the starkest in decades.
The state government has used the launch of its battery industry strategy today to announce that one of the first initiatives will be to develop an investment attraction strategy for the sector.
Big business has stepped up its campaign in favour of a constitutionally enshrined ‘voice' for indigenous Australians, with BHP Group chief executive Andrew Mackenzie using a speech in Perth this morning to endorse the proposal.
There are doubts Chinese government-owned telecommunications giant Huawei will be able to deliver a $136 million contract for Perth's rail network, after the United States brought criminal charges against the company.
Perth's subdued inflation rate has continued, coming in at just 1.3 per cent in 2018, trailing only Darwin for the lowest price increase out of Australia's eight capital cities.
Moody's has lifted the outlook on Western Australia's Aa2 credit rating from ‘stable' to ‘positive', citing the state government's "strong fiscal resolve" as a key factor.
China's economic slowdown and the lingering threat of a trade war between the world's largest country and the US are the biggest threats to Western Australia, according to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA.
The Australian share market has edged up to close higher, but the Aussie dollar took a dive after NAB joined its big four rivals in hiking its variable mortgage rates.
Treasurer Ben Wyatt has said he does not think BHP Group has been a bad corporate citizen after it was today revealed the iron ore miner might owe up to $300 million to the state in royalties, the company's third such battle in recent years.
Australian shares are higher as renewed US-China trade optimism lifts global equities, with the local energy and financial sectors particularly buoyant in early trade.
Lobsters were sold for as little as $30 per kilogram under an initiative to encourage domestic supply, according to an unpublished government report which found the Local Lobster Program at least partially met two major objectives but also raised numerous concerns.
Leaders interviewed for the annual Business News CEO survey suggest that forward-looking decisions on energy policy and tax will be vital for WA's future prosperity.
Asian shares have crept higher as upbeat bank earnings bolstered Wall Street, while an anti-climactic end to the latest chapter in the Brexit saga gave sterling a moment's peace.
Fisheries Minister Dave Kelly has signalled he may well walk back plans to take control of about 17 per cent of an enlarged local lobster catch, saying his priorities would be an International Lobster Festival in Perth and a domestic quota.
The Australian share market has opened flat as market sentiment is pulled in opposite directions by optimism about a Chinese economic stimulus package, and pessimism about the UK House of Commons defeat of the Brexit deal.
Wind and solar generation backed by storage are competitive with coal and gas, according to a recent report by the CSIRO, but that does not mean coal-fired generation will be out of the picture.
More than a third of Australian risk management experts believe legislative and regulatory changes are the biggest threat to local businesses this year, ahead of a federal election and growing economic protectionism overseas.
The state government's trend of appointing female leaders to run key agencies has continued, with Kaylene Gulich appointed chief executive of the Western Australian Treasury Corporation today.
Job vacancies in Australia edged higher in the three months to November to notch an all-time peak, hinting that demand for labour remains strong despite a low unemployment rate.
