Mark Beyer

State and federal governments can work together on labour market policy.

TORTUOUS state government efforts to find a site for an LNG processing hub on the Kimberley coast may count for nought, at least for the next decade.

LIQUEFIED natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas that has been liquefied by reducing its temperature to about minus 160ºC.

ECONOMIST Ian Satchwell doesn't mince his words when describing the likely impact of big LNG projects like Gorgon.

THE global gas industry could be on the brink of having its first floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility, and there is a likelihood this technology will be in Australian waters in the next decade.

Long-term business strategies could become casualties of the downturn.

Australia has managed to avoid the excesses so prevalent elsewhere.

CHINESE company CITIC Pacific Mining is doing more than its fair share to counter the downturn in mining and construction jobs in Western Australia, announcing that the peak workforce on its Sino Iron project will peak at a larger than expected 4,000 peop

Local suppliers need to be given a fair chance to compete.

WHILE Western Australia's geothermal energy industry progresses at a snail's pace, former Perth-based BHP Billiton executive Bret Mattes is enjoying rapid progress in Indonesia.

PREMIER Colin Barnett is a long-time critic of the former Labor government's energy reforms, arguing they are structurally flawed.

THE state government's plans for a gas processing hub on the Kimberley coast have received a boost from the region's traditional owners, which have said they are ready to negotiate a deal for a large-scale liquefied natural gas development on Aboriginal l

Record sales and revenue figures seem out of step with all the doom and gloom.

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel is planning to close all of its mining and exploration operations in Western Australia, resulting in the loss of about 330 jobs.

THE business sector has expressed strong support for the state government's push for mergers among local councils across Western Australia.

Perth is being left behind when it comes to major sports facilities.

The owners of the Dampier to Bunbury natural gas pipeline have taken direct control of asset management activities that previously were run by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure subsidiary Westnet Energy.

The outlook for WA is not as gloomy as some are predicting.

THERE'S not much talk of the global economic downturn or falling commodity prices when you listen to companies with an interest in iron ore mining and infrastructure projects in the Mid West region.

The Science and Innovation Council review presents a creative opportunity.

With most major ports located in the middle of populated areas, the government faces some tough decisions on infrastructure.

THE Industry Capability Network of WA has launched a new scheme to help Australian companies win supply contracts with major Asian oil and gas contractors.

INDUSTRIAL services company Cape plc has seized on the renewal of a major maintenance contract with Alcoa as evidence the company is performing well.

UK company Cape plc's acquisition spree in Australia in 2007 has continued to have extraordinary fallout, with three new competitors emerging in the scaffolding and formwork sector in Western Australia.

The importance of building value has been highlighted by the financial crisis.

WE'VE gone beyond the old boom-bust cycle." How many times did we hear that comment over the past year or two? "We're in a new paradigm."

The state government has confirmed that the University of Western Australia will be the headquarters of a new $20 million radio astronomy research centre that is designed to help WA win the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array project.

THE failure of one commercial venture could provide a boost for a new and potentially much larger venture at the University of Western Australia, which is the likely headquarters of a $20 million radio astronomy research centre.

DURING the past two months there has been an unprecedented wave of bad economic news and plunging business confidence; but just how bad is Western Australia's economic outlook? Many people ask rhetorically why there is so much gloom in the local business

Oil and gas producers Apache and Santos have officially deferred development of the $900 million Reindeer gas project, as forshadowed last week in WA Business News, with engineering company Clough likely to be the biggest loser.

MINING entrepreneur Andrew Forrest provides a classic illustration of how share options, which are a key part of many remuneration packages, can be extremely valuable, and quickly become worthless.

THE downturn in Western Australia's mining industry is starting to flow back to the energy sector, with Apache Energy understood to be reviewing its $900 million Reindeer gas project.