Western Australia has lost about 80,000 jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proportionally lower than any region other than the Northern Territory; while Bunbury, the Wheatbelt and inner Perth were the hardest hit parts of the state.
Driving growth through productivity, not higher taxes, is Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s key strategy for paying back the COVID-19-accrued debt, with a number of options for tax reform available if he has the ambition.
Western Australia has officially moved into the second phase of lifting some of its coronavirus restrictions, while recording no new infections and two recoveries overnight.
The number of homes being built in Western Australia has fallen by 25.2 per cent since coronavirus-related restrictions were implemented in late March, according to Housing Industry Association (WA), which has predicted the state will be the first to experience a homebuilding downturn.
The state government has unveiled reform packages designed to improve procurement processes and environmental approvals, with the latter seen as an important step towards a keenly awaited bilateral approvals plan with the federal government.
The federal government has borrowed nearly $60 billion since December, while 25,000 Western Australians will head back to work as stage one restrictions are lifted, according to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who has been tested for COVID-19 after a coughing fit in parliament.
The National COVID-19 Coordination Commission chaired by Nev Power has produced its first tangible result with the launch of an online planning tool to help business develop a recovery plan from the shutdown.
Businesses in the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors are holding out for COVID-19 restrictions to lift, as a majority of turnaround professionals believe these businesses won’t be able to survive more than three months if the shutdown continues.
Central banks have ditched their traditional caution in attempting to stimulate economies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an ongoing evolution in thinking about monetary policy helps explain why.
Activate Perth chair and mayoral hopeful Di Bain has penned an open letter to the state government lobbying it to spend up to $130 million raised through Perth CBD’s parking levy as stimulus for the city’s commercial tenants.
Western Australians broadly approve of the state government’s efforts to suppress COVID-19 but are becoming concerned about their own economic security, according to new research into the community’s response to the pandemic.
Some in WA’s education sector remain at odds over how and when to reopen schools, as the state takes steps to relax its strict social distancing policies.
Free to read: Malcolm Turnbull spoke to Business News about his life, passion for innovation, and why Australians should feel confident about standing up to China.
Long-time public servant Michelle Reynolds has been appointed chief executive at the embattled City of Perth, replacing acting chief executive Murray Jorgensen.
The state government’s stimulus package is much smaller as a portion of the economy than the federal government’s injections, opposition leader Liza Harvey said today, but Treasurer Ben Wyatt has bit back against her claim the government is hoarding a surplus.
The WA premier has refused to be drawn on when the government will lift COVID-19 restrictions despite more evidence of their economic damage and another day of zero new infections.
