Mark Beyer

Western Australia’s water and electricity utilities are planning further big increases in their capital works spending, to nearly $1 billion a year, as they seek to keep up with fast-growing demand.

The state government’s register of lobbyists, which took effect this week, has highlighted the prominence of a small group of firms run by former Labor politicians and ex-ministerial staffers.

The booming uranium market has turned red hot in the past fortnight, with the metal’s price hitting a new record, two local companies attracting increased takeover offers and a raft of explorers raising new capital.

The private equity binge has extended to the fast food industry with a Sydney fund backing Australian Fast Foods Pty Ltd managing director Frank Romano in a $180 million deal, buying out major shareholder Nick Tana.

Mining giant Rio Tinto is planning to significantly lift its iron ore output in Western Australia's Pilbara region beyond its current target of 220 million tonnes a year.

Listed agricultural investment company The ARK Fund Ltd has expanded its close alliance with West Perth-based managed investment scheme promoter Rewards Group by acquiring a sandalwood property in the Western Australian wheatbelt.

Westonia Mines Ltd has blamed the rising Australian dollar for its inability to finalise a $65 million-plus loan for its namesake gold project, but insisted the project still has a future.

Law firm Freehills is looking to expand its intellectual property and technology practice in Perth after recruiting Minter Ellison special counsel David Stewart and his two support staff.

The state government has delayed calling tenders for its electricity purchases after Premier Alan Carpenter announced a big increase in the state’s renewable energy targets.

Listed Western Australian companies raised a total of $936 million in new capital in the first three months of 2007 through initial public offerings and secondary capital raisings.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd boss Andrew Forrest laid the groundwork for his current wealth four years ago this month when he negotiated a deal with Allied Mining & Processing.

The Western Australian entrepreneurs who have created the most wealth in the non-mining sector are led by people who spent most of their business life running private companies before opting for a sharemarket float.

The cost of building five new power stations and an associated gas plant in the north of Western Australia has increased by 76 per cent to an estimated $265 million, adding to the long list of projects suffering big cost blow-outs.

The iron ore boom has underpinned the enormous wealth of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd managing director Andrew Forrest, and it has also boosted the wealth of some of Western Australia’s most famous families.

The mining and property booms have created unprecedented wealth in Western Australia. WA Business News looks at the individuals leading the charge.

Total spending on the expansion of Western Australia’s booming iron ore industry over the past five years has reached $17 billion following BHP Billiton’s commitment to another major upgrade of its Pilbara operations.

North American money and Chinese engineering are helping West Perth company Moly Mines progress a $620 million mining project in the Pilbara.

A shortage of gas supplies in the South West is likely to result in Collie coal miner Griffin Group becoming the dominant supplier of new electricity generation in Western Australia in the coming years.

Curtin University is looking for extra industry partners to join BHP Billiton in helping to develop its new resources and chemistry precinct, which was officially launched at its Bentley campus last week.

Yilgarn Infrastructure has estimated that the cost of buiding new rail lines and a port at Oakajee to service the emerging Mid West iron ore industry would be about $2 billion.

Conservative candidates strongly in favour of the single-desk selling arrangements for Australian wheat exports have won two out of three district elections at WA grain handler CBH Group.

Two major Western Australian-owned companies, ThinkSmart and Allphones Group, have appointed advisers ahead of planned listings on the stockmarket.

Western Australia has long dominated mining company floats on the Australian Stock Exchange but a new report has found that WA accounts for a growing share of non-resource floats.

Mining and finance veteran George Jones has established two major businesses and, at the age of 62, is helping to build a few more.

Government lobbyists in Western Australia have moved this week to establish their own professional association, coinciding with the state government’s establishment of a register of lobbyists.

The state government will discover next week just how tight the Western Australian construction market has become when final bids are lodged for two major projects.

Managed investment scheme promoter Rewards Group Ltd believes its close alliance with listed investment company, The Ark Fund Ltd, will reduce the adverse impact of recent tax changes on its non-forestry projects.

Western Australia is sharing in a national trend towards increased use of natural gas as the fuel source for new power stations, a report by law firm Minter Ellison has found.

Five years after leaving engine technology company Orbital Corporation, Kim Schlunke has reached a major milestone at his new privately-owned venture, Entecho.

The founder of Perth-based engineering and infrastructure company GRD Ltd, Brettney Fogarty, has sold a second large tranche of shares, netting $42 million.

Former Alinta managing director Bob Browning has accepted a United States-based role with shipbuilder Austal, but for the next four months will continue working with Macquarie Bank on a bid for his old employer.

The Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry has already claimed a pride of fallen scalps but the real implications lie ahead for lobbyists, ministers, bureaucrats and business.