Latest Headlines

Norwegian aluminium company Norsk Hydro has abandoned its bauxite mining plans in the Mitchell Plateau region to the north Kimberley, giving back its mining leases to the state government.

A growing volume of WA contracts has prompted engineering and infrastructure company AJ Lucas to open a Perth office as it today secured a $95 million contract for works at the Gorgon gas project.

Galaxy Resources has received environmental approval for its Jiangsu lithium carbonate plant in China, which is expected to have a small environmental footprint.

The state government has raised $11 million from the auction of 10 government houses in affluent suburbs over the past three months.

West Perth-based Bathurst Resources will reverse its acquisition of a United States coal miner after a dispute arose over the original agreements.

Toro Energy could potentially expand the uranium footprint at its Wiluna project in Western Australia after it acquired two nearby uranium tenements from Liberty Resources for $1 million.

West Perth-based Sipa Resources has agreed to sell a small exploration licence in the Mid West to Sinosteel Midwest Corporation for $450,000.

Leighton Holdings, in joint venture with Italian company Eni, has secured a $900 million contract to develop the liquefied natural gas jetty and marine structures for the Gorgon project.

A Bibra Lake-based transport company has been fined $30,000 in relation to a workplace incident where a mechanic had his legs crushed under the wheels of a truck trailer driven by one of the directors of the company.

A substantial fall in the state's unemployment rate to 5 per cent has sparked concern that WA is not ready for the next wave of growth, with a business lobby group projecting a shortfall of 150,000 workers within seven years.

NO doubt many Business Class readers would have had a flutter last week on the Melbourne Cup.

HAVING maintained strong results despite the economic downturn, accommodation providers in the state’s north-west face a fresh problem, with a potential oversupply of new hotels and increased room availability.

I CONSIDER myself to be a devoted Western Australian.Perth born-and-bred, I thought I'd seen most of what this glorious state has to offer in terms of tourism experiences.

IS fancying a French really considered cheating? Ive had a bad week.

Favourite holiday destination? Most recent holidays tend to be front of mind and we recently holidayed in the ‘top end’.

INVESTORS in the SAS Global group’s property companies face a dire outlook after at least one company was placed in administration last week and two others were forced to cancel restructuring plans.

HERITAGE-LISTED residential properties have proved to be just as valuable as an asset as similar non-listed properties, according to new research undertaken by the Australian Property Institute.

A NEW home building service has been established to assist clients find the builder most suited to their needs.

Benny's Bar & Café is a unique business on South Terrace. Adam Orlando reports.

Brent Stewart takes a scientific approach to his role with Synovate.

THERE was a huge sigh of relief in political circles last week when Thai oil company PTTEP finally brought under control a leak in the Timor Sea.

WHEN I spoke in April about the ‘road to recovery’, the issue was how to get onto that road.

As Western Australia's economic recovery gathers steam, supply-side constraints are shaping up as a major issue.

Two different financial plays in the past week share a similar view of the future.

On company boards as in politics, it's about getting the balance right.

Managed investment schemes face tough times after the latest round of collapses.

There's little to separate the nation's major political parties.

Woodside Petroleum has split the front-end engineering work for its Pluto expansion project by awarding dual contracts for trains 2 and 3 to KBR and its existing joint venture contractors FosterWheeler and WorleyParsons.

The state government has released proposed new housing codes for higher density areas for public comment today.

Almost one year before Great Southern collapsed under a mountain of debt, board members of the agribusiness provider were acutely aware the company faced a serious cash-flow problem.

The Woodside Petroleum-operated North West Shelf Venture today said it was continuing to negotiate with gas retailer Alinta, owned by Babcock and Brown Power, over future gas supplies from the project following an interim ruling by an arbitrator yesterday

St Barbara has today revealed a $124 million rights offer, described as the next logical step for the gold miner's growth objectives, chief executive Tim Lehany said.