Mark Pownall

After almost four years as one of Western Australian business’s most recognisable faces, John Langoulant last week stepped off the public stage.

The state's peak business lobby group has called for more than $500 million in tax cuts as part of reforms it says are needed after releasing research showing Western Australia has the highest per capita tax take.

The multi-national absorption of local mining services players continues this year with the Leighton Holdings Ltd purchase of Australian Mine Services Pty Ltd.

The Augusta-Margaret River Shire has approved a $40 million resort development near Cape Leeuwin which will include an abalone hatchery.

When Bronwyn Barnes met WA Business News, the stock market was in free fall and she seemed quite relieved to get away from the carnage that was taking place on the screens.

‘Diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ might be a cliché, but the history of Western Australia’s Argyle mine in the Kimberley reflects something of a deeper truth in that saying.

It’s hard to see any common ground between geology and communication, yet these two fields do share something – they both feature prominently in the career backgrounds of women now atop the corporate tree in Western Australian listed companies.

There’s progress and there’s progress. The opportunities for women in business have grown significantly during the past 30 years, aided by laws, societal changes and individuals who broke through barriers.

Narelle Finch is not the first woman to sit on the board of the Western Australian Cricket Association, but she has achieved an extraordinary amount not only as a female in sport, but also as one who acknowledges she knows little about the games she works

Medical research could almost be the other boom industry of Western Australia, with more than $300 million in pledges over the past year to this thriving sector.

An early achiever in breaking through the glass ceiling, Professor Leonie Still has largely retired from an academic life rich in management studies.

Maureen Muggeridge is not really interested in causes or making a big deal about women’s progress up the corporate ladder.

Libby Lyons is a very rare commodity – a female who chairs the board of a Western Australian-listed company.

The creation of more diversity in Perth is essential to retaining talent and ensuring long-term economic growth, according to Planning Minister Alannah MacTiernan.

I have spent the past fortnight immersing myself in issues relating to women in business.

Sydney-based property developer Mirvac is proposing a series of high-rise apartment blocks overlooking the Peel Inlet as part of a major new project in Mandurah.

At first glance, the parallels between producing a musical and developing a mine seem tenuous.

I was interested by a report from a stock market analyst this week that showed directors who bought shares in their own company substantially outperformed the market.

The author of an international housing survey has defended its findings, notably the surprise inclusion of Mandurah among the world’s least affordable cities in terms of housing prices when compared to income.

The Fremantle business community has sought to rescue Peter Briggs’ motor museum from closure, putting forward an alternative plan to move it to a building used by the nearby Western Australian Maritime Museum.

Perth-based Patersons Securities Ltd is set to launch a resources-focused fund, the second product for the fledgling asset management business launched late last year.

The Australian cricket team has been a wonderful example of professional sport at its best and worst in recent years.

Funds associated with New York commodities hedge fund player Ospraie Management LLC have emerged with substantial stakes in two major Western Australia companies, both outside the group's previous purely mining focus in the state.

A bit of news late last year aroused my interest – the results of two private companies that had restructured their business with positive outcomes

International trade agreements appear to have overridden the state government’s ‘Buy Local’ policy, raising concerns in some areas of industry that compete globally or nationally for local tenders.

In times to come we might look back at 2007 as the year Western Australia finally counted in the national schemes of things.

So what is the secret? Western Australia is meant to be at the cultural fringe, dominated by mining and other sectors that lack the sophistication necessary to appreciate the arts.

No wonder people get cynical about politics.

More than four decades after it was started by general practitioner Kevin Cullen, the landmark Busselton population health study is the subject of growth plans that could substantially broaden the use of its valuable data.

The Perth market for inner-city apartments has defied concerns that rising prices and increased supply might result in Western Australia following other markets and experiencing a

Local business has welcomed the long-awaited funding for the final link in the Indian Ocean Drive north of Perth, announced by Premier Alan Carpenter last week.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Ltd is believed to be close to finalising a deal to create an operational command centre in Perth as part of a shift towards remote-controlled workplaces.