Fraser Beattie

Former Gindalbie Metals managing director Tim Netscher is set to take the helm of gold miner St Barbara, when Colin Wise retires from the role as non-executive chairman next month.

Altona Mining has signed a joint venture agreement with a Chinese construction group for its Cloncurry copper-gold project in Queensland, with the partner to contribute $US214.5 million ($A278.1m) towards the project.

Auditor-general Colin Murphy has found that state government ministers Kim Hames, John Day and Dean Nalder acted unreasonably and inappropriately when they withheld information from parliament.

MMA Offshore has won a contract to supply its marine logistics and supply base services for Chevron’s operations in the north-west, in a deal worth $100 million.

The state government plans to invite the private sector to bid for state-owned properties that aren’t listed for sale under a proposed unsolicited bids process, while also announcing the listing of 40 extra assets in the second wave of its land sales program.

Perth IT company Empired has upgraded its revenue guidance for the financial year by $10 million, on the back of numerous recent contract wins totalling $65 million, and has more than doubled its staff since the start of the financial year.

The state government expects to reap inabout $1 billion in revenue after signing a development agreement with the Woodside Petroleum-led Browse consortium to supply 800 perajoules of gas to the domestic market.

The average home price dropped 0.3 per cent, to $545,000, in Perth in the 12 months to March, against a national average gain of 6.9 per cent, to $576,100.

The first sod has been turned at the Sarich Neuroscience Research Institute in Nedlands, with Cockram Construction set to begin work under a $30.3 million contract.