Mark Beyer

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.

I have been reading extensively this month about the deep problems in the US financial system and it has left me with one overriding conclusion.

BHP Billiton is the world's biggest mining company so it was fitting it was BHP that decisively marked the end of the five-year global resources boom this week.

Murchison Metals has disclosed that the state government is requiring it to include Chinese suppliers in its $1.5 billion Oakajee port and rail infrastructure project.

WHO remembers the final week of the 2008 state election campaign, when then premier Alan Carpenter ran an increasingly desperate and almost bizarre scare campaign? Every waking moment he told voters about the supposed dangers posed by uranium mining, nucl

Today marks the third birthday of the Daily Business Alerts service, which broke new ground in November 2005 when it started providing Western Australia's business community with breaking daily news in what was then the early stages of a long bull run.

HOW many dollars and how many share options does it take to motivate a chief executive? Judging by recent experience with engineering and contracting companies in the Perth market, it could be anything from $350,000 up to nearly $3 million.

THE debate over infrastructure provision in WA has taken many intriguing twists and turns since the election of the Barnett government.

ONE of the recurring criticisms of Western Australia is that the state is little more than a quarry for the rest of the world and that our small, one-dimensional economy drives bright, young talent to cities like Melbourne, London and Sydney.

THERE has been an intense focus in recent weeks on the impact of global financial trends on Western Australia's economic prospects but recent policy decisions have highlighted the equally important impact of government.

THE long-running debate over Australia's energy future heated up again this week, and it's likely to continue running as the economy goes through its ups and downs.

THE latest round of national research grants has highlighted the University of Western Australia's status as the state's premier research institution, though the grants also indicate that WA as a whole has not performed well.

THE global financial crisis has had a big impact on two energy projects off Western Australia's northern coast, with Coogee Resources and Nexus Energy both putting out 'for sale' signs this month.

PLUNGING international stock markets have been the most visible manifestation of the global financial crisis of the past month, but an equally worrying trend has occurred in debt markets.

A GROUP of companies active in Western Australia's fast-growing subsea oil and gas sector have established an industry representative body.

The stock market carnage over the past year has seen the value of Western Australia's blue chip stocks cut by half from their peak value while other stocks have been smashed to as little as 10 per cent of their top price.

MANY technology and innovation conferences in Western Australia have a sub theme that can be summed up as 'life after the resources boom', but the chair of next week's Leading Lights conference has a different focus.

THE global financial crisis has been an unmitigated disaster for investors and looks like getting worse, but the impact on the business sector in Western Australia is far from clear-cut.

THERE was something almost surreal about events last Friday when Western Australia lost the country's single largest resources project as the rest of the world trembled over the fallout from the global financial crisis.

THE formal swearing-in this week of the Barnett ministry marks the start of what should be an exciting period of government in Western Australia, though there will be no shortage of tough challenges.

ONE of the many challenges facing the new state government will be development of a coherent industry policy.

Norwegian fertiliser company Yara International ASA has lifted its stake in Burrup Holdings to 35 per cent after purchasing additional equity from the company's founder and chairman Pankaj Oswal.

Increased downstream processing of Western Australia's mineral resources has for many years been the goal of successive governments.

WHILE critics have been quick to jump on the Labor-bashing bandwagon after the state election, there hasn't been much reflection on some of the strategic challenges that will face the next state government, whoever leads it.

If Western Australia plays its cards right, the state will benefit from a succession of giant oil and gas projects over the next decade that will deliver big economic dividends for 30 or more years.

The Legislative Assembly is expected to have three independent members, though the final figure could be as little as two and as high as four.

Two of Premier Alan Carpenter’s hand-picked candidates, Reece Whitby and Karen Brown, have spectacularly failed to win voter support.

The National Party has resisted overtures to form a governing coalition with the Liberal Party, vowing to deal with whichever party offers the best deal for its supporters in the bush.

Western Australia faces a period of unprecedented political uncertainty after the major parties failed to win a majority of seats in yesterday's state election.

Opinion polls have always been a very rough guide to election outcomes, and this weekend's state election is likely to be no exception.

Gindalbie Metals has adopted an innovative approach for developing its $1.8 billion Karara iron ore project, with four engineering companies being given roles.