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The imminent departure of four heavy hitters in the public service couldn't have come at a worse time for the state government.

Fairfax Media has flagged an end to weekday print editions of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in the face of falling advertising revenue.

The state government has provided $16 million to ScreenWest to boost film productions in Western Australia.

PHOTO ESSAY: With our special report into Universities in next week's paper, Business News has taken the opportunity to speak to some recent and soon to be university graduates about what looms ahead as they make the big transition into the workforce.

Decmil Group has lowered its revenue guidance after announcing a number of one-off costs relating to the closure of one of its local business divisions, coupled with delays to a project and further restructuring, as it seeks to direct its business away from the resources sector.

PrevYou is a web-based platform that matches businesses with students for paid project/freelance-based work and internships.

The Australian share market has opened one per cent lower, with wholesale losses across the board.

Gold turned lower on Thursday, dropping for the fourth straight session on pressure from the firm U.S. dollar ahead of Friday's U.S. payrolls report, which will give clues about whether the Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates.

Company tax plan to cost $48bn, Treasury reveals

US stocks have given up early gains to end flat as consumer discretionary shares fell and investors showed caution ahead of the April jobs report.

The Australian dollar is lower and facing headwinds in coming days.

Home ownership and interest rates provide solid point-scoring opportunities for politicians, but the whole narrative is increasingly out of touch with the reality of many working families in Australia.

One part of the Dick Smith business has been snapped up by an entity affiliated with Harvey Norman, although employees will still need to wait for a liquidation process to receive overdue entitlements.

Chevron is the latest major resources player in the state to announce a change in leadership, after selecting a successor to current managing director (Australia) Roy Krzywosinski, who will hand over the reins in June.

Perth company director Sharon Warburton has been named as the incoming chair of a soon-to-be-established federal government fund that will have $5 billion to spend on infrastructure in northern Australia.

The Australian share market has edged higher as National Australia Bank's half-year earnings report met expectations and supported the banking sector.

Philip Lowe will take over the reins as the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia when Glenn Stevens retires in September.

Perth-based Swick Mining Services has flagged a $3 million net loss for the financial year, as the company works to improve productivity to weather the tough times for mining contractors.

The worst might be over for many of the state's mining services businesses, as they seek to bounce back from the effects of the slowdown in resources project development.

Developer and funds manager OpenCorp has predicted Perth's residential property market to turn around in the next 12 to 24 months, with the Melbourne-based company aiming to increase its portfolio in Western Australia after the recent launch of two projects.

Mining giant Rio Tinto plans to continue its cautious approach as it expects the tough operating environment to remain in the foreseeable future.

This week, Reiwa members reported an increase in weekly sales to 680. The rise in overall sales by 37 per cent over the week is attributed to a 34 per cent increase in sales for houses, 56 per cent for units and 37 per cent for land.

The estate of the late mining billionaire Michael Wright has been ordered to slash its submission appealing the $25 million awarded to his youngest daughter, with a judge saying it needs some serious editing.

Frasers Property Australia has sold a parcel of land in Port Coogee to Regis Aged Care for an undisclosed sum.

Shipbuilder Austal has signed a $305 million contract to build and maintain Pacific Patrol Boats for the Australian government, however the contract's price tag was smaller than what the Commonwealth had flagged.

Junior miner Orecorp has raised $16.2 million from investors to fund development of its Nyanzaga gold project in Tanzania.

National Australia Bank shares jumped more than 4 per cent after the lender lifted first-half earnings 6.5 per cent to $3.31 billion.

The Australian share market has opened flat.

FMG backs Beijing to calm iron ore

Global equity markets have fallen for a second straight day on mostly weak economic data while metals prices slipped on renewed concerns of a downturn in global growth.

Gold has dropped one per cent, falling further from a 15-month high on pressure from the strong US dollar, which retreated from recent lows against the yen and euro as US trade and factory order data eased some worries.

Investors are selling off the Australian dollar in the belief that the Reserve Bank has entered an easing cycle.