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The City of Perth, property developer Match and the Rottnest Island Hotel were among the winners unveiled last night at the 2009 Heritage Awards.

Macmahon Holdings has been awarded a $60 million contract by the Ulan Line Alliance for rail construction work as part of plans for increased coal output in the Hunter Valley.

Shares in Dioro Exploration have surged as it urges shareholders take no action on Ramelius Resources' $92 million all-scrip takeover bid, a higher offer to Avoca Resources' recommended proposal.

Mining services company NRW Holdings, in joint venture with the Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation, has been awarded a $15 million construction contract by Rio Tinto.

Mining services company Imdex has terminated a $28 million merger with drilling specialist Coretrack after due diligence did not meet expectations.

Chevron has taken the next step in its ambitious plans to become a major gas operator in WA, awarding the onshore front-end engineering and design contract for its $25 billion Wheatstone project to US company Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemicals Inc.

Avoca Resources' recommended takeover offer for Dioro Exploration has been trumped by Adelaide-based Ramelius Resources, which today launched a superior $92 million all-scrip offer for the gold miner.

Neptune Marine Services says it has ended negotiations over a US-based acquisition as it progresses its plans to acquire Singaporean company Core IRM for $11 million.

Perth-based Sino Gas & Energy plans to list on the local stock exchange in the coming months as it prepares to launch a $10.3 million rights issue and initial public offer.

Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr has outlined a new government strategy to encourage the use of Australian steel in domestic projects.

The Australian Institute of Company Directors says existing insider trading laws and rules governing director share trading are adequate and do not need tightening as recommended by the federal government's market advisory committee.

Perth's property market has today received mixed signals from latest surveys on house prices as building approvals surge 21.1 per cent, official data shows.

Osborne Park-based A1 Minerals has received environmental and mining approvals for its Brightstar gold project, with production slated to start in the December quarter this year.

Building approvals in Western Australia have jumped more than 21 per cent in June as the nation posts its biggest surge in four years thanks to a flurry of new apartment projects, official data shows.

Premier Colin Barnett has vowed to block any move to pipe gas from the Browse Basin to existing LNG facilities on Burrup Peninsula, in a bid to shore up support for his preferred Kimberley LNG hub at James Price Point near Broome.

House prices in Perth have bucked the national trend, dipping nearly 1 per cent in the second quarter this year, a national survey shows.

Treasurer Troy Buswell has flagged a possible overhaul of an act governing the public sector as the state government starts a reorganisation of its administration.

IN a packed room at Fremantle Sailing Club last week, 200 people with a stake in the future of Western Australia's rock lobster industry all agreed further catch restrictions would cause considerable pain.

SINO Gas & Energy will be the latest Perth-based company to test investor appetite for initial public offerings as the number of companies with listing aspirations starts to increase.

PREMIER Colin Barnett was understandably chuffed to announce this week that Chinese steel giant AnSteel would spend the next 18 months studying the viability of a potential steel mill, at Oakajee.

THE fate of federal government grants conduit, Perth Area Consultative Committee, is in limbo after a planned transition to the Regional Development Australia network on July 1 failed to materialise.

THE state's peak business organisation is urging employers to get independent advice before signing documents from unions seeking negotiations over pay and conditions, following claims the CFMEU has been operating contrary to new industrial relations laws

Northbridge hospitality operators are paying the price for the actions of a small group of troublemakers. Adam Orlando reports.

PERTH-BASED property fund manager, Aspen Group, has extended its entitlement offer for its ailing property fund after failing to attract sufficient support from investors.

Debra Goostrey relishes the daily challenges of her professional life, and wants to help other women build their careers.

While the state's budding uranium industry grabbed local headlines last week, two Perth companies quietly confirmed the potential of southern WA as a new source of transport fuels.

Karratha should be an obligatory destination for Western Australians who want to understand their state.

WHEN energy giant BP and miner Rio Tinto quietly shelved a joint $2 billion 'clean coal' power initiative at Kwinana in May last year, many pundits considered it the death knell for the state's nascent coal-gasification sector.

While well placed to ride out the downturn, Australia still has work to do.

Barnett seeks more foreign workers

Job security is key, as employees worry about economic uncertainty, according to this year's Best Employers survey.

In any democracy, ideas have, in the first instance, to deliver what the people want