Mark Beyer

Legal action against nickel miner Minara Resources has provided a stark reminder that negotiating a native title agreement is not the end of the matter for mining companies.

The owner of the Dampier to Bunbury natural gas pipeline has opted for a staged capacity expansion, fuelling speculation that planned expansion projects at Alcoa's Wagerup alumina refinery and BHP Billiton's Worsley Alumina refinery will be deferred.

Technology investor Entrepreneurs in Residence is planning a major diversification by establishing a US$20 million ($26 million) venture capital fund targeting Australian companies expanding into China.

Technology Park manager Zernike Australia is planning to widen its activities, with new chief executive Arnold Stroobach looking to build stronger ties with the university sector and establish new medical centres.

The top executive at BankWest parent HBOS plc has endorsed the aggressive and innovative growth strategy being pursued by the bank in Western Australia and on the east coast.

The state budget is projecting continued rapid growth in mining royalties and property revenue in 2006-07.

Former Wesfarmers executive Bob Denby and Empired co-founder Justin Miller have teamed up to commercialise a Western Australian invention that tackles the world’s most common occupational illness – hearing loss.

The effectiveness of the State Administrative Tribunal as a cost-effective judicial forum could be eroded if government agencies appealed all adverse decisions to the Supreme Court, lawyers have told WA Business News.

Australia’s longest civil trial is scheduled to sit for a further four months after reaching an unprecedented 400 sitting days in early May.