Business News

PACT Construction has secured a $60.8 million contract to complete the main works at the new Inner City College at Kitchener Park in Subiaco.

ASX-listed Imdex, software company Manufacturing Intelligence and Emapper are among five local companies in the mining technology sector that will share in $7.1 million of federal government funding announced today in Perth.

Swick Mining Services has announced the first commercial agreement for use of its Orexplore mineral scanning technology, which has been developed over the past seven years.

Rift Valley Resources has tapped investors for $5.5 million as the company continues exploration work at its Longonjo rare earths project in Angola.

Pacific Energy says it will meet its underlying earnings guidance for the 2018 financial year, but has flagged impairments totalling $14.8 million.

Perth-based MOD Resources has announced a significant upgrade to the mineral resource at its T3 copper project in Botswana.

The announcement of a new team tournament set to kick off in 2020 in Australia has called into question the future of Perth’s international tennis event, the Hopman Cup.

Automotive cooperative Capricorn Society has increased its stake in Fremantle-based environmental technology company Pearl Global (formerly Citation Resources) to 6.1 per cent after investing $1.8 million.

The Takeovers Panel has dismissed an application from Fortescue Metals Group questioning the veracity of Hancock Prospecting’s $390 million bid for Atlas Iron.

Automotive Holdings Group has confirmed the proposed $400 million sale of its refrigerated logistics business has fallen through after Chinese conglomerate HNA Group called off the deal due to liquidity issues and approval delays.

Rio Tinto has commenced a $50 million replacement of the iron ore stackers at its Paraburdoo mine, with local engineers and contractors set to benefit from the project.

Labor leader Bill Shorten has backed down from his ‘captain’s call’ to roll back company tax cuts for businesses with turnovers between $10 million and $50 million a year, after a leadership meeting today.

Boston leaves arts chamber:

Swick Mining Services has announced two contract extensions worth about $80 million, including a renewal at Northern Star Resources’ Jundee gold mine near Wiluna.

The board of Atlas Iron has unanimously recommended a revised bidder’s statement from Hancock Prospecting, while also announcing the suspension of production at its Mt Dove iron ore mine due to challenging market conditions.

Mark Connelly has resigned as non-executive director at Ausdrill. Mr  Connelly has held various senior management positions for other resource companies including Adamus Resources and New

Adrian Trevisan has resigned as non-executive director of Neurotech International. Dr  Trevisan was integral in the founding of Neurotech and served as company director for a time.

Western Australia was among the states leading a rise in job vacancies, which lifted 5.7 per cent between February and May driven by with growth in both the private and public sectors.

Mineral sands-aspirant Strandline Resources has appointed GR Engineering Services to lead a definitive feasibility study at its Coburn project, while Arafura Resources has signed on Mining Plus and a number of other consultants for a study at the Nolan project.

Tanami Gold says it will exercise a put option forcing Northern Star Resources to buy a 15 per cent stake in the junior miner’s Central Tanami project for $20 million, after the Bill Beament-led company said it had not reached commercial production at the joint venture mine.

Klaus Eckhof has resigned as executive chairman of AVZ Minerals. Mr  Eckhof is a geologist and has worked in delineating gold within the mining industry.

Colin Gilligan has been appointed non-executive director of Geopacific Resources. Mr  Gilligan is a mining engineer with over 25 years’ experience in the resources sector.

Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega has been appointed  as managing director at Dempsey Minerals.

Melbourne-based medical services company Capitol Health has acquired six medical clinics in Perth as part of a deal worth up to $20.3 million.

A NSW District Court has acquitted former Kimberley Diamonds executive chairman Alex Alexander of charges related to the issuing of false or misleading information to the market.

AVZ Minerals has announced the resignation of executive chairman Klaus Eckhof, weeks after he sold off half his stake for $4.4 million, while also signing up Perth-based CPC Engineering to complete a scoping study for its Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Perth-based Pacifico Minerals has announced it will take a 75 per cent stake in the Sorby Hills lead and silver project north of Kununurra in a cash-and-scrip deal worth up to $4.1 million.

Margaret River winery Vasse Felix is set to acquire the principal assets of Watershed Premium Wines, under a $20 million deal that allows Watershed’s cellar door and restaurant to continue operating under a two-year lease agreement.

Shares in local contractor NRW Holdings were up 9.2 per cent today after the company said its order book had increased to near record levels of $2.05 billion, while also saying the business was well placed to be involved in Western Australia’s major upcoming iron ore projects.

Accounting firm UHY Haines Norton will have three offices in Western Australia following a merger with national outfit Sothertons, while Moore Stephens Perth - which absorbed the old UHY practice in WA in 2015 - has announced changes to its leadership team.

Collins Foods, Australia's biggest KFC franchisee, has lifted full-year profit by 16 per cent, buoyed by the addition of new stores to its network, and despite the Western Australian market being an under-performer.