Mark Beyer

The corporate watchdog is threatening to come down hard on payday lenders as a report shows the industry remains rife with questionable lending practices.

BHP Billiton is promoting its spin-off company South32 as a diversified business with high quality assets, sufficient cash flow to support healthy dividends and a strong balance sheet able to fund new investments.

The state’s peak business group believes the MAX light rail project and the Perth Airport rail link are prime examples of poor infrastructure planning in Western Australia, as it repeated calls for an independent advisory body to guide decision-making.

Mining and civil contractor Brierty has become just the sixth organisation nationally and the first in its industry to obtain the top ‘Elevate’ ranking for its Reconciliation Action Plan.

Salaries for newly-appointed chief executives at WA-listed companies were down by 20 per cent from the levels prevailing last year, research by Business News has found. Click through to see salary packages for 77 WA chief executives.

This year’s First Amongst Equals winner is a passionate medical specialist, but he’s also a visionary entrepreneur who has a lot in common with successful business leaders.

OZ Minerals has sold its 19.2 per cent shareholding in copper miner Sandfire Resources in a transaction worth $125 million.

Four Perth tech stocks are set to join the All Ordinaries Index, highlighting the tentative emergence of new industries.

Sydney-based TPG Telecom and its competitor iiNet scored a rare double today after announcing a friendly takeover offer, with shares in both the bidder and its Subiaco-based target rising strongly as investors welcomed the combination as a logical strategic fit.

Phil Byrne has resigned as managing director of Nido Petroleum, after presiding over two transactions that transformed the Philippines-focused oil producer.

The companies that run Melbourne’s trams and the Gold Coast’s privately owned light rail service are set to enter the Western Australian market after buying one of Perth’s major bus operators.

Asset sales, cost cutting and restructuring are under way across WA, creating opportunities for professional services firms. Click through to see details of more than 30 privatisation deals in WA, from 1961 to the present day.

Carna Group has been placed into administration after revealing it is fighting the owners of the Griffin coal mine for payment for work done prior to walking off the Collie mine last year.

Fitzroy Resources is set for big changes after winning backing from prominent Perth investors Tony Grist and Rod Jones.

PKF Lawler has shot into the ranks of Western Australia’s top 10 accounting firms after merging with Subiaco-based Barringtons.

The state opposition plans to shake up planning laws to support the development of community hubs across Perth, creating jobs close to where people live.

Private equity funds are turning into long-term owners of some major WA businesses, after being unable to complete their planned exits.

In a rare interview, Byrnecut executive chairman Steve Coughlan spoke to Business News about the growth of the low-profile mining contractor into one of WA’s biggest private companies. Click through to see our comprehensive BNiQ list of private companies.

The third daughter of late mining heir Michael Wright has succeeded in her bid to extract much more than she was left from his will, with a judge ruling she should get $25 million.

Macmahon Holdings’ shares have been smashed in early trading, falling by about 40 per cent after it was disclosed late on Friday that it had lost a major contract at Fortescue Metals Group’s Christmas Creek mine.

Power generation company Pacific Energy has trimmed its full-year earnings guidance after reporting a lower than expected interim profit, but says a contract at the Tropicana gold mine will help it return to growth in 2016.

Sixteen years after establishing Asphar Survey Group, and then building it into one of Western Australia’s largest surveying firms, Anthony Asphar is heading back to the jobs market after the demise of his business. Click through to also see the updated BNiQ list of WA's Top 10 surveying firms.

Mineral Resources has highlighted its focus on its services business, including the development of innovative bulk transport solutions, after reporting interim results that were dragged down by its iron ore mining operations.

Sirius Resources managing director Mark Bennett said today the company could be a gold miner before it becomes a nickel producer, following positive drilling results at its Baloo deposit.

Nedlands company Proteomics International Laboratories is hoping for increased support for its initial public offering after finalising an agreement with a Chinese drug development business.

Engineering and construction contractor Monadelphous Group is continuing to look overseas for growth opportunities, after reporting a drop in interim profit and foreshadowing a substantial slide in full-year revenue.

The Wirrpanda Foundation, which is one of nine Western Australian groups pioneering a new indigenous training and employment program in the state, has put contractors who over promise and under deliver on notice.

Facing a slowdown in mining-related construction work, indigenous contractors are diversifying into new fields, establishing joint ventures and highlighting their Aboriginal credentials. Click through to also see our BNiQ list of 25 major indigenous contractors in WA.

Chile-focused gold miner Lachlan Star has been placed into administration after it was unable to complete negotiations for the sale of its major subsidiary.

A planned backdoor listing by Perth technology business Cloud Lands Digital Fortress, which was established by prominent company promoter Ross Smith, has been cancelled.

Astron Environmental Services has merged with its smaller, associated business, Astron Soil and Water, as the Perth group adapts to a tougher market and tighter margins.

Specialist oil and gas services company 3B Survey has bucked the gloomy mood in the sector by shifting its Australian head office to Perth to pursue growth opportunities.