Mark Beyer

Education services company Navitas has extended its reach into Sydney’s western suburbs, after signing a 50:50 joint venture agreement with the University of Western Sydney to establish a pathway college for international students.

Social Ventures Australia has launched its first state-based venture philanthropy fund, with the new fund designed to invest in a portfolio of high-impact not-for-profit ventures in Western Australia.

The Water Corporation is cutting 10 per cent of its workforce, with about 300 full-time jobs to go, as it reduces the amount of capital investment.in new infrastructure.

Fortescue Metals Group has restructured rosters for mine workers at its operations in the Pilbara, in its latest move to cope with plunging iron ore prices.

Shareholders in Tanami Gold have overwhelmingly supported a tie-up with Northern Star Resources, despite the threat of legal action from rival miner and would-be partner Metals X.

Toll Group is anticipating a sizeable increase in the volume of freight it handles at Fremantle, after commencing operations at a $26 million container handling facility it is developing at Rous He

The Perth Freight Link road project could extend the capacity of Fremantle harbour and lead to a rethink on long-term planning for a second container port at Kwinana.

The private sector is developing light rail projects on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, and there is no shortage of investors, builders and operators able to do the same in Perth.

Atlas Iron has announced it will halt all production at its three Pilbara iron ore mines over the next month, a move that is likely to result in the loss of more than 500 jobs.

A new supply deal struck this week by Western Australia’s largest buyer of domestic gas, Alcoa of Australia, has confirmed the availability of gas for customers prepared to pay the going price.

Perth will play host to chief executives from seven of the world’s biggest energy and engineering companies during the LNG18 conference, to be held in April next year.

Only four out of Western Australia's top 20 companies currently meet a gender target set by the Australian Institute of Company Directors, which wants women to fill 30 per cent of board positions on S&P/ASX 200 companies within three years.

Macquarie Capital and Brookfield Asset Management have agreed to buy Apache Corporation's Australian oil and gas operations for $US2.1 billion ($A2.7 billion), with the deal underpinned by a long-term gas sale agreement with Alcoa.

Select Exploration has brought in a new broking firm to support a $5 million capital raising, ahead of its planned reverse takeover of rent.com.au, after Bailleau Holst backed out of its appointment as joint lead manager.

The growing number of backdoor listings in WA has highlighted the best, and worst, of the capital markets.

The March quarter was a quiet period for M&A transactions in WA, although the deals that were announced attracted their fair share of controversy. Click through to see details on 78 WA deals worth $2.4 billion.

Woodside Petroleum has completed the purchase of Apache Corporation’s interests in the Wheatstone and Balnaves projects, as speculation continues over the ownership of Apache’s remaining Australian assets.

Patent attorney and software developer Thomas Haines has struck a deal with Sydney company IPH to sell his data analysis businesses for $8 million, but plans to continue running the operation from Perth.

One of the state’s largest Aboriginal contractors is seeking to establish a joint venture with the Republic of Guinea, to work on Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore mines and its planned Simandou mine.

Emeco Holdings has postponed the $75 million purchase of truck rental business Rentco, as it seeks to address criticism of the deal from some of its biggest shareholders.

US energy giant Chevron is narrowing its Australian focus onto its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas projects, by selling its $5 billion stake in Caltex Australia and exiting an onshore gas project wh

Greater scrutiny by corporate regulators of backdoor listings on the ASX is not slowing the flow of new transactions, with six Western Australian companies announcing transformational deals in the past fortnight.

Intense competition among the state’s three major brick manufacturers means prices are lower now than they were six years ago, despite record levels of building activity.

Perth entrepreneur Zhenya Tsvetnenko has announced plans for a backdoor listing of his online advertising business Mpire Media, two months after an earlier, more generous deal was terminated.

KPMG has secured backing from more than a dozen major businesses for its Energise technology accelerator, which will provide financial and in-kind support to eight startup businesses servicing the energy and resources sector.

Windward Resources has taken advantage of a recent spike in its share price to raise $6 million to fund exploration at its Fraser Range nickel-copper projects.

Blue chip mineral sands miner Iluka Resources and small biotech Sun Biomedical are as different as chalk and cheese; but what they share, apart from a Perth base, is a willingness to invest in Western Australia’s emerging technology ‘accelerator’ programs.

Multinational oil and gas service providers have set up in WA for the long haul, as the state searches for the best way to enhance its competitive advantage.

The energy and education sectors are going through a paradigm shift and businesses must adapt if they want to survive, let alone prosper, some of WA’s most successful entrepreneurs told Business News.

Founder and minority shareholder of iiNet, Michael Malone, has emerged as another critic of the $1.4 billion agreed takeover of his former company, as chairman Michael Smith sought to defend the deal with rival TPG Telecom.

Perth franchise group Quick Colour Print has gone into liquidation, adding to a string of Western Australian business collapses this month, including two substantial construction contractors and a

Global technology company Cisco has announced plans to invest $US15 million over five years in an ‘internet of everything’ innovation centre in Australia, with locations at Curtin University in Bentley and in Sydney.