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Business News - Business, finance, political, & economic news.

Corporate Finance DealsView all

Sandfire Resources

Sandfire seeks $94.5m takeover of MOD

Mark Beyer Adrian Rauso
21 Jan 2019

Sandfire Resources confirmed today it has approached MOD Resources about a potential takeover, with the target proceeding instead with a $15 million capital raising to support work on its T3 copper project.

Navitas

Navitas to recommend acceptance of $2.1bn bid

Adrian Rauso Mark Beyer
15 Jan 2019

Navitas directors have recommended shareholders accept an increased $2.1 billion takeover proposal by a consortium that includes its founder and former chief executive, Rod Jones, who says the new ownership would boost the company's prospects .

Flinders Mines

Takeovers Panel receives second Flinders’ notice

Adrian Rauso Adrian Rauso
11 Jan 2019

Flinders Mines' second largest shareholder has submitted an application to the Takeovers Panel to prevent the company from continuing with its proposed delisting, just a day after it received a similar notice from its 12th largest shareholder.

Carr & Co

Shine acquires Carr & Co

Adrian Rauso Adrian Rauso
04 Jan 2019

ASX-listed law firm Shine Corporate has expanded its presence in Western Australia with the acquisition of local firm Carr & Co Divorce and Family Lawyers.

Lateral Capital Ventures

Lateral raises $7.3m for Soar, Unocart

Business News Business News
14 Dec 2018

Tommy Shin-led Lateral Capital Ventures has secured funding for two Perth-based startups, led by a $6.8 million raising for blockchain platform Soar.

Politics & the EconomyView all

ASX trading higher on early energy boost

AAP AAP
21 Jan 2019

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.

Policy risk topping Australian concerns: Allianz

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
15 Jan 2019

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.

Western Australian Treasury Corporation

Female CEO for WA Treasury Corp

Delia Price Delia Price
11 Jan 2019

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.

Wesfarmers

WA stocks hit harder than most in 2018

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
07 Jan 2019

The final months of 2018 hit investors in Western Australian stocks hard, with the Business News index of 30 local ASX-listed companies falling 13.3 per cent.

Nationals MP Broad quitting to save face

AAP AAP
04 Jan 2019

Fallen Nationals MP Andrew Broad is quitting politics to ensure he doesn't remain a diminished figure and "half-laughing stock" in parliament, after a scandal involving a younger woman.

Upcoming Business News EventsView all

Sector Briefing - Property

Central Park - 19 February 2019

Treasury Breakfast

Hyatt - 28 February 2019

PropertyView all

Fini Group

Fini targets market uptick

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
22 Jan 2019

One of Perth’s best-known private developers is focusing on building momentum for an expected market recovery in 2019.

Finbar Group

Planning changes pave way for two-tower Civic Heart

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
22 Jan 2019

Finbar Group’s new $330 million Civic Heart in South Perth will comprise two towers at 39 and 22 storeys, with the state government giving its tick to planning guideline changes for the site.

Coles

Chinese investor buys Vasse Coles for $20m

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
18 Jan 2019

An unnamed Chinese private investor has purchased a Coles supermarket in the state’s South West for $19.6 million, part of a $50 million asset sell-off by the retail chain.

Heath Development Company

Court rules against land developer

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
16 Jan 2019

The Supreme Court has found prominent land developer and real estate agent Colin Heath breached his fiduciary duties in regard to his role in long-running land development ventures with the Godecke family.

Survey reveals shared concerns over Airbnb users

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
16 Jan 2019

Property owners using websites such as Airbnb to rent out their homes share similar concerns to their neighbours over short-stay users, with a new survey indicating both groups support tighter regulat

WA Event CalendarView all

WA's most comprehensive guide to forthcoming business-related events. To list an upcoming WA event on this page, complete the online submission form.
29 Jan 2019 | @ 06:00pm
Michael Mosley Fast 800 Tour
30 Jan 2019 | @ 05:00pm
Join us for Belmont Business ’Ask an Expert’ Sundowner for 2019 Wed 30th January
31 Jan 2019 | @ 08:00am
The CEO Summit
04 Feb 2019 | @ 07:30am
Quantify Technology - A Breakfast With Amazon Alexa
06 Feb 2019 | @ 09:00am
Understanding Facebook Advertising [MASTERCLASS]
07 Feb 2019 | @ 12:00pm
Business News 25th Anniversary Lunch
08 Feb 2019 | @ 07:00pm
Carbon's Annual Big Poker Night!
11 Feb 2019 | @ 09:00am
Safety Legislation for Small Business
12 Feb 2019 | @ 08:30am
Social Media for Business [MASTERCLASS]
12 Feb 2019 | @ 08:30am
Social Media for Business [MASTERCLASS]

Arts & CommunityView all

Minderoo Foundation

Philanthropic trusts hit $830m

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
22 Jan 2019

Big donations to three philanthropic trusts in Western Australia augur well for future charitable donations, although the state’s wealthiest person, Gina Rinehart, has bucked the trend.

Screenwest

Screenwest moves on from drama

Delia Price Delia Price
16 Jan 2019

Screenwest’s new CEO anticipates a strong project pipeline will allow the organisation to move past a period of instability.

Communicare

$3.4m for refugee support

Delia Price Delia Price
14 Jan 2019

Communicare, Save the Children and Centrecare have joined forces to deliver a new federal program for migrants and refugees to Western Australia called Settle In.

Minderoo Foundation

Former NAB exec to lead Minderoo

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
09 Jan 2019

Andrew and Nicola Forrest have recruited a former banking executive as the inaugural chief executive of their private company Minderoo, while also disclosing its total assets more than doubled last ye

Perth Festival

Kalaf joins Festival board

Delia Price Delia Price
08 Jan 2019

Former Youth Focus chief executive Fiona Kalaf has been appointed to the board of arts organisation Perth Festival.

Featured PhotographsView all

Hadiqa Moroccan Restaurant & Bar at Hibernian Place
Meeting room and rooftop
Success & Leadership breakfast with Chris Sutherland, Programmed
Element office kitchen
The Melbourne Hotel
Conservatory
Riff powered by SpaceCubed
Riff powered by SpaceCubed
Sculpture By The Sea 2018
Sculpture By The Sea 2018

EnergyView all

Clough

Clough for civil works at $4bn Snowy 2.0

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
21 Jan 2019

Perth-based contractor Clough has been chosen in collaboration with Italian business Salini Impregilo as preferred tenderer for civil works at the Snowy Hydro 2.0 pump storage project.

Synergy

Case for renewables, but coal will power on

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
15 Jan 2019

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.

Macquarie Capital

Second waste to power plant closing on construction

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
08 Jan 2019

Proponents of a $400 million waste to energy facility to be built in East Rockingham are hoping to get construction under way within months after finalising a waste supply deal with utilities giant Suez.

Horizon Power

Appointments wrap

Tayler Neale Tayler Neale
19 Dec 2018

Former Synergy executive Stephanie Unwin is set to lead regional energy retailer Horizon Power next year, while Screenwest, SNC-Lavalin, Worksafe WA and Destination Perth have also announced significant appointments.

Woodside Petroleum

Pluto gas enters domestic orbit

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
18 Dec 2018

Domestic gas has started flowing from Woodside Petroleum’s Pluto plant near Karratha today, around six years after LNG exports from the facility got under way.

"Mark My Words" PodcastsView all

18 January 2019

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Woodside projects, Heath Development, Navitas, rising philanthropy and our special report on WA’s biggest deals and dealmakers.
11 January 2019

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Perth’s luxury suburbs, crayfishing drama, tourism downturn, bumper grain harvest, Minderoo’s new CEO and our special report on the increasingly important and newsworthy aged care sector.
14 December 2018

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Matt Mckenzie discuss Stan Perron, our update on major WA projects — some going ahead, some not — Westport, the space agency, lobster quotas, and our person of the year feature.
07 December 2018

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss property development challenges, weak housing market, Fast Brick Robotics (FBR), subcontractor protections, and our special report on Business Dynasties, including the Buckeridge, Perron, and Blackburne families.
30 November 2018

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss the Rio Tinto expansion, fracking move, Rob Scott, Eastern Goldfields, Stan Perron and our special report on CEO salaries.

Food & WineView all

Chevron

New Normal for restaurant waste

Delia Price Delia Price
29 Nov 2018

A small bar in Subiaco is demonstrating the benefits to business of developing more efficient waste management practices.

WA Insolvency Solutions

New owner for Beach Bar

Delia Price Delia Price
16 Nov 2018

Scarborough Beach Bar has been thrown a lifeline, with insolvency specialist WA Insolvency Solutions selling the company to hospitality operator the ARK Group, which currently operates venues including The Generous Squire and Market Grounds.

Shire of Augusta-Margaret River

Settlers Tavern finds growth formula

Cassandra Charlick
06 Nov 2018

Never settling for second best, a hardworking couple has spent the past 15 years transforming Margaret River’s local pub, Settlers Tavern, into a venue of national note.

Xanadu Wines

Xanadu wins top gong

Tayler Neale Tayler Neale
19 Oct 2018

Margaret River-based Xanadu Wines has claimed the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, which were held last night.

Paul Conti Wines

Small fish expanding the gin pool

Delia Price Delia Price
17 Oct 2018

WA gin distillers Grumpy Fish and The West Winds Gin are taking small steps in a crowded market, using local flavours and sustainable techniques to attract lovers of the spirit.

Special ReportsView all

Corporate finance 2018

Corporate finance 2018

21 January 2019

Annual review of WA deals and outlook

Goldman, Freehills top deal tables

Goldman, Freehills top deal tables

Mark Beyer 21 Jan 2019
Cutting through tech funding maze

Cutting through tech funding maze

Mark Beyer 21 Jan 2019
Lithium, gold and base metals driving deals

Lithium, gold and base metals driving deals

Dan Wilkie 21 Jan 2019
Aged care

Aged care

17 January 2019

Fast-growing sector under scrutiny

Aegis, Juniper lead aged care growth

Aegis, Juniper lead aged care growth

Delia Price 17 Jan 2019
Property slump playing role in retirement plans

Property slump playing role in retirement plans

Delia Price 17 Jan 2019
Fear, loathing and hope for commission

Fear, loathing and hope for commission

Delia Price 17 Jan 2019
Person of the year 2018

Person of the year 2018

17 December 2018

Forrest leads pack in 2018

Forrest’s contribution a standout

Forrest’s contribution a standout

Dan Wilkie 17 Dec 2018
McGowan hits targets, Cormann prominent

McGowan hits targets, Cormann prominent

Matt Mckenzie 17 Dec 2018
Scott, Coleman, Ellison make their marks

Scott, Coleman, Ellison make their marks

Matt Mckenzie 17 Dec 2018
Canning’s growth legacy

Canning’s growth legacy

Delia Price 17 Dec 2018
WA Business Dynasties 2018

WA Business Dynasties 2018

14 December 2018

Blackburnes leaving lasting legacy in Perth property

Blackburnes’ lasting legacy on Perth property

Blackburnes’ lasting legacy on Perth property

Dan Wilkie 14 Dec 2018
Success is one thing, smooth succession quite another

Success is one thing, smooth succession quite another

Mark Beyer 14 Dec 2018
CEO salary survey 2018

CEO salary survey 2018

03 December 2018

Our annual survey highlights new trends

Drop in million-dollar club

Drop in million-dollar club

Mark Beyer 03 Dec 2018
Ellison earns $4.7m, or is it $2.4m?

Ellison earns $4.7m, or is it $2.4m?

Mark Beyer 03 Dec 2018

MiningView all

Wright Prospecting

Wright Prospecting pays out $700m

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
23 Jan 2019

The descendants of iron ore pioneer Peter Wright have received total dividends of $702 million over the past three years, according to recently lodged financial statements that also reveal the big legal expenses they have paid.

Northern Star Resources

Northern Star expects cost rise

Business News Business News
23 Jan 2019

Northern Star Resources’ full-year production guidance remains unchanged at a healthy 850,000-900,000 ounces, but its shares slumped today after it flagged a lift in all-in sustaining cost guidance.

Tribune Resources

Asic appoints Morgan Stanley to sell Tribune shares

Business News Business News
23 Jan 2019

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has appointed Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to sell approximately 12 million ordinary shares in Tribune Resources.

Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA

Calls for faster approvals

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
23 Jan 2019

About 5,000 exploration, tenure and mining approvals were sitting in the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation And Safety’s pipeline at the end of the September quarter last year, according to the department’s latest approvals performance data.

Fenix Resources

Fenix shares soar on drilling results, end day up 64%

Adrian Rauso Adrian Rauso
23 Jan 2019

Shares in Fenix Resources were up by as much as 150 per cent today before falling at the close of trade, after the company announced it had intersected substantial high-grade iron ore via a drilling program at its flasgship Iron Ridge project, located in the Murchison region.

OpinionView all

Bishop faces critical call

Peter Kennedy Peter Kennedy
23 Jan 2019

Opinion: Julie Bishop’s standing with the electorate and fundraising skills make her a key player at the coming federal poll, but will she stand?

Craying foul: fishing sector pays for past policy mistakes

Mark Pownall Mark Pownall
22 Jan 2019

Opinion: Upheaval in a key fishing resource highlights how policymakers need to build flexibility into their approach to regulating industries from the start.

Mark my words podcast

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
Mark Pownall Mark Pownall
18 Jan 2019

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Woodside projects, Heath Development, Navitas, rising philanthropy and our special report on WA’s biggest deals and dealmakers.

An upside for every downside

Tim Treadgold Tim Treadgold
14 Jan 2019

The protracted Brexit negotiations, a tough-talking new leader in Brazil, and a buoyant gold price all bode well for WA in the year ahead.

Mark my words podcast

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
Mark Pownall Mark Pownall
11 Jan 2019

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss Perth’s luxury suburbs, crayfishing drama, tourism downturn, bumper grain harvest, Minderoo’s new CEO and our special report on the increasingly important and newsworthy aged care sector.

RetailView all

Wesfarmers

Scott embraces disruption at Wesfarmers

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
03 Dec 2018

Disruption, a demerger and divestments are shaping Wesfarmers’ long-term approach to growth, managing director Rob Scott told last week’s Success & Leadership breakfast.

Wesfarmers

Bunnings UK sell-off still stings Wesfarmers CEO Scott

Dan Wilkie Dan Wilkie
27 Nov 2018

Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott says while decisions to sell out of Bunnings’ loss-making operations in the UK and Ireland, and to demerge supermarkets giant Coles, were easy in a commercial sense, the Bunnings move in particular proved taxing on an emotional level.

Claremont Quarter

Tommy Hilfiger opens Perth store

Business News Business News
26 Oct 2018

International designer clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger has today opened its first full-price store in Western Australia, with a new outlet located in the Claremont Quarter.

Retail reward for Quick Flick

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
05 Oct 2018

A retail deal with Priceline Pharmacy is the latest win for local makeup business The Quick Flick, which was launched last year by Perth university student turned entrepreneur Iris Smit.

SCA Property Group

SCA in $270m Perth shopping spree

Tayler Neale Tayler Neale
03 Oct 2018

Sydney-based SCA Property Group has purchased four Perth shopping centres for a combined $269.4 million as part of a larger deal with ASX-listed Vicinity Centres.

SkylineView all

Skyline
Property Council of Australia

Property Council cautiously backs noise reforms

Mark Beyer Mark Beyer
Tayler Neale Tayler Neale
20 Sep 2018

The Property Council of Australia has welcomed proposed laws governing apartment projects in entertainment precincts, but has expressed caution about where the policy applies and its impact on planning approvals.

BGC Australia

Hibernian Place tops UDIA awards

Matt Mckenzie Matt Mckenzie
17 Sep 2018

BGC Development’s Westin Hotel and Hibernian Place development was picked as the top project in Western Australia in this year’s Urban Development Institute Australia WA awards.

CBRE

Regus takes space at new Raine Square office

Peter Kermode Peter Kermode
14 Sep 2018

International serviced office provider Regus is close to finalising a lease for new office space at Raine Square, being developed by Charter Hall Group.

Linc Property

Access key at Linc industrial estate

Peter Kermode Peter Kermode
12 Sep 2018

Mining services, logistics warehousing and food services firms are boosting demand for industrial property.

Sirona Capital

The Village Margaret River on the market

Peter Kermode Peter Kermode
05 Sep 2018

Sirona Capital has engaged Colliers International and CBRE to offer its 5,706 square metre shopping centre in Margaret River to the market.

Bulls N' BearsView all

Bulls N' Bears
Greenland Minerals

Greenland clears path for rare earth processing

Matt Birney Matt Birney
23 Jan 2019

Greenland Minerals now has a formal means for the Chinese processing of its rare earth concentrates from the massive Kvanefjeld project in Greenland that contains the radioactive elements uranium and thorium. This follows its largest shareholder Shenghe Resources Holding forming the China Nuclear Hua Sheng Mining joint venture with subsidiaries of China National Nuclear Corporation.

Calima Energy

Calima’s Montney well continues to build excitement

Matt Birney Matt Birney
22 Jan 2019

Wireline logs at Calima Energy’s first well at the revered Montney oil and gas play in Canada have returned porosities and hydrocarbon saturations comparable to those in adjacent producing wells. Analysis of the log and core data also confirmed the presence of three zones that match those already targeted by other operators in the region. The company has also spudded the first of two horizontal wells.

MGC Pharmaceuticals

MGC gets green light for cannabis dementia drug trial

Matt Birney Matt Birney
22 Jan 2019

MGC Pharmaceuticals has secured approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration to start the Phase IIB clinical trial of its CogniCann medical cannabis treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. The company’s manufacturing facility in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has also secured a permit to extract and develop its own Phytocannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Australian Potash

Australian Potash makes high quality potassium salt

Matt Birney Matt Birney
22 Jan 2019

Australian Potash has hit a major milestone with the manufacture of high grade sulphate of potash at its pilot processing plant in Perth that exceeded its previous expectations of product quality. The 98% purity SOP product was generated from the first raw salt products from the pilot pond network at the company’s Lake Wells SOP project, located about 180km northeast of Laverton in the Goldfields region of WA.

Terrain Minerals

Terrain poised to drill gold target near Leonora

Matt Birney Matt Birney
22 Jan 2019

Terrain Minerals plans to undertake a 650m RC drilling campaign at a priority and potentially high impact gold target under transported soil cover at the Wild-Viper project tenement north of Leonora in WA. A successful drilling program will validate the company’s structural geological model and potentially unlock the multiple targets it has identified throughout the tenement.

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Simon Grant-Rennick

Simon Grant-Rennick

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Arief Sidarto

Arief Sidarto

Non-Executive Director, Macmahon Holdings

James Baillieu

James Baillieu

Non-Executive Chair, BidEnergy

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John Langoulant

Chairman, GESB
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Colin Heath

Colin Heath

Managing Director, Heath Development Company
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Thought LeadershipView all

Breast Cancer Research Centre - WA

More than "giving for good", supporting BCRC-WA saves lives

Carmelo Arto Carmelo Arto
17 Jan 2019

Breast Cancer Research Centre-WA (BCRC-WA) will open a world class integrated breast cancer treatment, research and patient support service centre in Perth in 2020 which will further consolidate our r

Schneider Electric

Land of Sweeping Plains

James Colbert James Colbert
08 Jan 2019

Schneider Electric and SA Power Networks combine to combat distributed power network outages.

Quantify Technology Holdings

Amazon Alexa is coming, you're invited.

Brett Savill Brett Savill
27 Dec 2018

In 1950, Bell Labs invented Audrey, a machine that could understand the digits zero to nine with a degree of accuracy up to ninety percent.

University of Western Australia

Boosting your career prospects

The University of Western Australia. The University of Western Australia.
13 Dec 2018

It should come as no surprise that today’s job market is changing rapidly.

Breast Cancer Research Centre - WA

WA BREAST CANCER SPECIALIST’S DETERMINATION TO CURE INCURABLE

Carmelo Arto Carmelo Arto
04 Dec 2018

Finding a cure for metastatic breast cancer is what drives Perth medical oncologist Professor Arlene Chan, a world leader when it comes to research into advanced breast disease.