Mark Beyer

Western Australia’s Economic Regulation Authority has approved a nearly 20 per cent cut in “reserve capacity” prices for the state’s electricity generators, including aspiring producer Eneabba Gas.

A decisive shift in the Labor Party’s Western Australian factions has played a key role in dictating the momentous political changes of the past month.

Cutting taxes, improving infrastructure and tackling the skills crisis should be the top priorities for the Carpenter government, a survey of Western Australian business leaders by WA Business News has found.

The information and communications technology sector is worth around $10.1 billion to the Western Australian economy, much more than previous official statistics had found, a state government report released this week has concluded.

The chief executive and management team at portable accommodation builder Nomad Consolidated have teamed with the ANZ Bank’s private equity arm to complete a management buyout.

Global mining giant Rio Tinto tripled the profit from its West Australian iron ore business last year, underpinning a strong rise in the group's underlying net profit to US$4.9 billion (A$6.5 billion).

Leighton Contractors has completed the $211 million purchase of Henry Walker Eltin's Austrralian and New Zealand contract mining business and disclosed that it is negotiating to buy HWE's 50 per cent interest in Pilbara-based indigenous contractor Ngarda

Premier Alan Carpenter used the election of two new ministers, including one with links to former premier Brian Burke, to try to bury forever discussions about WA Inc and its impact on the government.

Biotechnology company Imugene said it has achieved “one of its biggest regulatory milestones” with a licence for the limited release of its poultry productivity enhancer (PPE).

Western Power is moving into the final stages of preparing for its break-up into four separate corporations, with the announcement of the chairmen and trading names of the four new entities.

Biotechnology company Imugene said it has achieved "one of its biggest regulatory milestones" with a licence for the limited release of its poultry productivity enhancer (PPE).

Technology company DDD Group plc has announced plans to raise £1.26 million ($A3 million) through a placement of 11.5 million shares at 11 pence per share.

Float hopeful Eneabba Gas, which is seeking to take advantage of Western Australia’s deregulated energy market, has caught the eye of the industry supervisor.

It's not often that a political announcement genuinely catches everyone by surprise, but Geoff Gallop’s decision this week to step down as premier and retire from politics certainly falls into that category.

The state government’s waste management board has released a discussion paper proposing a sharp increase in Western Australia’s landfill levy, which is among the lowest in the country.

Private equity investors participated in some of the largest and most notable transactions in Western Australia in 2005, including the rescue of biotech company Chemeq and the acquisition of EG Green Group.

Three high-profile transactions launched during 2005 ran into unexpected difficulties, providing telling reminders that even the best-laid plans can run off course.

Big mining projects, hotly contested takeovers, new floats and trade sales feature in WA Business News’ review of the top deals of 2005.

The chairman of a new state government infrastructure taskforce believes there needs to be more focus and more spending on the state’s infrastructure.

The boom conditions in Western Australia’s iron ore industry have underpinned a rapid increase in capital raisings by current and aspiring iron ore miners.

Western Australian companies raised a record $3 billion in new equity issues in 2005, underpinning a second boom year for local broking firms Patersons Securities and Euroz Securities.

The late Lang Hancock was usually described as a mining magnate but the great frustration in his life was that he never developed his own mine.

With Western Australia entering what promises to be another year of strong economic expansion, the major challenge facing the state continues to be managing its rapid growth.

Former Mallesons Stephen Jaques partners Ian Cochrane and Michael Lishman are looking forward to working for their clients of choice when they open the doors of their new law firm next week.

West Perth-based Transerv Australia has been placed in administration, just two weeks after new directors took control of the company.

One of the most significant challenges facing the state government is its capacity to provide economic and social infrastructure that is able to keep pace with Western Australia’s rapid growth.

The past 12 months have been a boom period for Perth’s big stockbroking firms, but the year ended on a sour note for the state’s largest broker, Patersons Securities, which has run into compliance problems at its Canberra branch.

One quarter of Australians will be aged 65 years or more by the year 2045, roughly double the present proportion, according to the latest population projections.

International investment funds Harmony Capital Partners and Stark Investments are poised to make their second joint move into Western Australia after being selected as the preferred bidder for beef processor EG Green Group.

The proposed merger of Home Building Society and StateWest Credit Society suffered a setback in the Federal Court in Perth late today.

At first glance, the retiring founders of mortgage manager Homeloans Limited do not appear to have a lot to smile about.

Curtin University is facing big changes in 2006 after chancellor Eric Tan announced he would retire when his current term expires in March.