The state government is allocating a $15 million pool of interest-free loans to WA’s beleaguered nickel miners in a bid to spur the restart of a spate of mothballed mines.
The federal court has handed down its highest penalty for a competition law breach, ordering Qteq and its Perth-based director Simon Ashton to pay $6 million.
In a decision delivered on Thursday, Federal Court of Australia Justice Robert Bromwich fined oil and gas supplier Qteq $5 million, and Mr Ashton $1 million.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which brought the case to court, said Mr Ashton’s fine was the highest penalty awarded for a competition law breach by an individual in Australia.
Deputy editor Jack McGinn explores the networks of influence which run through Western Australia's business and political spheres.
