Matt Mckenzie

A suite of contract announcements has been made for Gold Road Resources' $507 million Gruyere project, including for GR Engineering Services, Maca and Civmec, while Macmahon Holdings said today it had been selected as preferred contractor for a new Queensland coal mine.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston says the McGowan government will keep a close check on usage of the industry’s mine rehabilitation fund to ensure unscrupulous operators don’t shift costs onto honest players, while also confirming the existing state exploration incentive scheme will continue operation.

A lack of battery storage across the electricity network in Perth and surrounds is the most significant energy problem facing the state, according to recent research from the University of Western Australia.

Agribusiness consultancy Kalyx Australia will pursue growth opportunities in horticulture research following its recent merger with Peracto WA, the local franchise of the Tasmania-based Peracto research brand.

West Perth-based hedge fund NWQ Capital Management has revealed it will be targeting the huge US financial sector with a new offshore fund, on the same day it announced former Bennelong Funds director of consultant relationships Tara Bell would be appointed managing director of research.

A big increase in takeaway spending in WA may not be flowing through to the big players, but they are still investing in market share.

Air travel from Perth to Broome and Perth to Karratha fell dramatically in January compared to the same month in 2016, according to the latest data by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.

Chevron managing director of Australasia Nigel Hearne has confirmed a fourth LNG train at the Gorgon project won’t be happening in the near term, while calling on governments not to buckle to calls for higher taxes and increased regulation that will reduce competitiveness of the industry.

The unemployment rate dropped 0.4 percentage points in Western Australia in February, to 6 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, as the state jumped from last place on that metric to be better than Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.