Fraser Beattie

Bronwyn Barnes has been appointed the new chair of West Perth-based Indiana Resources, on the same day the company went to the Takeovers Panel to fight attempts by a group of shareholders to oust existing directors.

Former BHP Billiton executive Julius Matthys has been named interim chief executive of Quintis, after Frank Wilson resigned on Tuesday to plot a takeover of the Indian sandalwood producer.

The number of people living in regional Western Australia fell last year for the first time in at least a decade, with mining towns such as Leinster, Meekatharra, Kambalda and Coolgardie driving the decline, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows.

The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia has revealed 10 Perth suburbs where properties are selling faster now than during the mining boom, with four of the top 10 in the western suburbs.

An extraordinary twist has emerged in the Quintis saga, with founder and managing director Frank Wilson resigning to work with an unnamed overseas corporation that is planning a takeover proposal of the Perth-based Indian sandalwood producer.

Todd Corporation-controlled BBI Group has signed an agreement with a Chinese firm for construction of the $6 billion Balla Balla iron ore project in the Pilbara.

The Western Force is calling on the public to purchase $10 million worth of shares in the club in what it has labelled a “last call” to save it from being cut from the Super Rugby competition.

Renewable-focused Carnegie Clean Energy has announced it is developing a $20 million, 10-megawatt solar power station in Northam, which it says will generate enough electricity to power 4,000 homes for 25 years.

Western Australia's biggest gas retailer, Alinta Energy, has been bought by a Hong Kong jewellery and property conglomerate, with Premier-elect Mark McGowan saying the deal confirmed his opposition to privatisation.