The business sector has cautiously welcomed the federal government's announcement of a new visa scheme aimed at attracting high-paid and highly skilled workers to Australia, with the changes effectively reversing some of the stricter rules announced last year when the 457 visa sub-class was abolished.
Soaring gas prices on Australia's east coast are making manufacturing difficult or even impossible, the competition watchdog has warned, as a gas 'crisis' puts jobs in brickmaking and other industries at risk.
Soaring energy prices, driven by growing gas exports are putting jobs at risk and "politics-driven energy policies" are making the situation worse, Australia's peak business lobby group has warned.
Fresh from a year that delivered major political shocks and proved tougher than expected, Australian business leaders are taking a cautious approach to 2017.
Western Australia's peak business group is facing competition for members after the Australian Industry Group established a Perth office, shortly after ending a commercial alliance with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA.
SPECIAL REPORT: The state government is pursuing major reforms to the training sector, at a time when national data on traineeships and apprenticeships tells a surprising story for WA.
Construction activity has fallen, after enjoying four months of expansion, due to weakness in mining-related engineering construction, as well as commercial construction.
The latest report on the services sector from the Australian Industry Group was a bit of a worry, not just for the industries covered by the AIGroup's monthly survey, but for the rest of the economy as well.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has been selected as one of 10 organisations to provide business advice as part of the federal government's new entrepreneurs infrastructure program.
The federal government has announced it will spend an extra $1 billion on its Emissions Reduction Fund to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but has failed to reveal what penalties will apply to companies that don't comply.
Industry groups have slammed the Fair Work Commission's ruling that 20-year-old retail workers should be paid adult wage rates, claiming it will destroy young Australians' job prospects.
A peak industry group says new data showing a drop in apprentice and trainee commencements is cause for concern and reflects continuing employer uncertainty about the state of the economy.
A peak industry group has called on the federal government to lift Australia's immigration intake by 15 per cent in order to address skills shortages in a number of professions.
