Mark Pownall

A mining magnate investing in a television station ought not be that surprising; just look at the history.

N a city where people are used to being 20 minutes from anywhere, a bit of traffic congestion can really get the blood boiling.

The Western Australian government has moved to reshape the board of state employee superannuation provider GESB by adding industry leader John Langoulant as a director, the first major move since mutualisation plans were thwarted earlier this year.

The South West is a land of opportunity, but some locals worry the chance to develop is being missed.

THE interconnectivity of industry in the state’s South West corner, based on the value adding undertaken by many of the region’s businesses, makes it very different from what we see to our north.

We should be paying more attention to the changes under way in the superannuation industry, because they’ll affect us all.

PROVIDING employment opportunities is the key corporate role in bridging the gap between indigenous living standards and the rest of Australia, according to two of the nation’s business leaders.

Close inspection shows there are challenges for big developments in our north-west.

INDIGENOUS employment remains a big issue in Western Australia, with development in regions with significant Aboriginal populations prompting many communities to use native title agreements to create jobs.

NEW Perth-based philanthropy umbrella group Giving West has unveiled a high-powered board in the first public stage of its mission to increase charitable work among the state’s high net worth individuals, who appear to be less generous than those elsewher

If any business sector is profitable we congratulate it and buy more shares. Why should banks be any different?

IT was the audit account that never was.

KELLIE Benda and her husband Phil Rule are rare examples of people who have crossed the great divide between corporate life and industrial small business.

THE sudden disappearance of PKF from Perth has had unexpected flow-on effects in the market beyond the audit and tax expertise where the mid-tier accounting firm had a solid business base.

Emotion needs to be taken out of the debate over a possible merger between the ASX and Singapore’s bourse.

THE controversial Singaporean bid for the ASX has prompted market discussion about an alternative Perth exchange proposed by a financial services industry group.

PERTH being Perth, it’s difficult to avoid the strong historic connections between the key players at the top end of the management consulting market.

Singapore Exchange’s $8 billion bid to takeover the ASX has raised eyebrows in the Western Australian investment community, which has flourished in recent years by listing high volumes of mining companies with relatively small market capitalisations.

Booming resources companies are putting Perth on the consultants’ map

JOHN Rothwell is not just an entrepreneur; he is a recognised champion in his special field of business, having grown a humble cray boat business into the world’s leading fast-ferry company.

Stockbroking and investment banking has proved lucrative for local players Hartleys and Argonaut which both delivered pre-tax big gains for the year ending June 30.

THERE may be many advantages in Western Australia’s isolation, but the state’s distance from a pool of available labour is not one of them.

The boom is back with all the same issues as before, and a few new challenges thrown in.

BRACING for a difficult financial year after poor winter rains, Western Australian fertiliser players will also have to have an eye on the medium term, with Incitec Pivot hoping to become a major local player in the wholesale market.

How would the performance of our political leaders rate if Australia was a business?

THE financial strain of a poor season in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt is starting to show, with the owners of machinery dealership Farmpower calling in the administrators.

Nunzio Nici’s back to doing what he knows best at the new Il Padrino Caffe in Northbridge. Mark Pownall reports.

Inspired by fictional lawyer Perry Mason, Patti Chong brings colour and passion to her profession.

IN what has proved a slow period for floats in Western Australia, the $150 million listing of mining services group MACA Ltd could prove to be one of the biggest of the calendar year.

Unrealistic expectations plague our society, from the market to the political realm.

Having assumed a spoiler’s role in the economic debate, retailers act in no-one’s interests but their own.

EDUCATION entrepreneur Rod Jones believes his biggest opportunity is the US, which is just emerging as a market for the services of his company Navitas.