Latest Headlines

Two Western Australian Liberal members of parliament, Luke Simpkins and Don Randall, have announced they will move a motion to vacate the Liberal Party's leadership, while Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he and deputy Julie Bishop would urge the party room to defeat the motion.

Murphy Pipe & Civil has strongly denied allegations that it breached 457 visa sponsorship regulations, after the Department of Immigration and Border Protection yesterday carried out an inspection at the company's offices.

Engineering firm Calibre Group has flagged an $185 million to $190 million impairment as a result of a downturn in its business outlook and forecast trading conditions, as well as the cost of property leases.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has cut its forecasts for economic growth as a pick-up in non-mining investment takes longer than earlier expected.

The share market has opened in positive territory for a record 12th straight day, on a strong lead from Wall Street as a rise in oil prices.

The Dow has finished more than 200 points higher on surging oil prices and merger activity on the eve of the closely watched US jobs report.

Oil prices have rallied in volatile trading, partly erasing the previous day's heavy losses in what analysts said was mostly a technical rebound.

Gold has nudged lower as a stronger US equities market and shifting expectations for US interest rates hemmed in traders' appetite for the haven asset.

The Australian dollar has bounced back above 78 US cents as rising oil prices give risk appetite a boost.

The Barnett government is in a catch-22 position ahead of the 2017 state election, needing to get the books in order without alienating voters.

Accounting firm KPMG is launching a business ‘accelerator' that is designed to assist early-stage technology ventures and bring them together with major companies in the energy and resources sector.

Retail spending is still soft, as weak consumer confidence outweighs any boost from falling petrol prices.

A bushfire is hampering mining operations for BHP Billiton and Newmont Mining at two Western Australian sites.

The share market has achieved its longest winning streak in more than 11 years, with the financial sector driving its latest day of gains.

Private house sales rose 13.4 per cent in Western Australia in the December quarter, the highest three-month achievement in more than a decade, new figures from the Housing Industry Association have revealed.

National Australia Bank has cut interest rates for home owners after unveiling a $1.65 billion first-quarter profit.

Australia's latest political crisis, the potential dumping next week of the prime minister, Tony Abbott, is masking a far greater threat to the country – a fresh outbreak of the GFC caused by the dramatic build-up of private and public debt.

Local governments are the main source of corruption in Western Australia, Premier claims.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has raided the office of mining sub-contractor Murphy Pipe & Civil over allegations it has been assisting foreign employees fraudulently obtain work visas.

All four of the major banks will pass on the Reserve Bank of Australia rate cut, though customers will have to wait at least another week for the cheaper rates to apply.

US fund management giant The Capital Group has taken a 5 per cent stake in the world's fourth biggest iron ore miner, Fortescue Metals Group.

Perth-based Macmahon Holdings has flagged a $125 million to $135 million impairment in first-half profit on the back of challenging market conditions in the mining services sector.

The Gorgon gas project, which is due to be completed this year, is continuing to deliver work opportunities for local contractor AusGroup.

The share market has opened weaker after a 10-day winning streak as oil prices fell.

US stocks have given up late gains after the European Central Bank put fresh pressure on Athens by lifting its waiver on the use of Greek bonds as collateral.

Gold prices have ended higher as investors hunker down for drawn-out debt negotiations with Greece, boosting demand for the precious metal as a haven asset.

The Australian dollar has come under pressure against a resurging greenback, amid sliding commodity prices and a retreat in risk appetite.

There was a welcome rebound this week with reported activity up 25 per cent which takes sales back to their highest level for two months and similar to the beginning of December 2014.

Perth's office vacancy rate has hit 14.8 per cent, as widely predicted, the highest level reached in almost 20 years.

Perth technology company APE Mobile has made it into the shortlisted top 5 in the 2014-15 OzAPP Awards, which seek the most innovative tech startup companies from the Asia Pacific region.

The next stage of LandCorp's Claremont on the Park has been unveiled, with developer Mirvac Group launching sales for a luxury 142 apartment project today.

New York-based resource investment company Sigur Minerals has taken a $1.9 million placement in Walkabout Resources, representing 19.9 per cent of the Perth-based junior exploration firm's stock.