Mark Pownall

Amcom Telecommunications Ltd has signalled its desire to be a major player in a likely consolidation of the junior telco sector, securing a further $30 million from major shareholder Futuris Corporation Ltd.

One of Western Australia's biggest advertising accounts, the $5 million-a-year Water Corporation, has changed hands, with 303 winning the account off The Brand Agency.

There’s an air of mystery around the giant Gorgon project at moment.

A meeting last year of old business partners looking for an asset that would benefit from some new oil and gas technology was the spark for a new corporate finance consortium that emerged behind two deals last week.

Fremantle is fast emerging as the brewing capital of WA, with a brace of beer-linked market activity including this week’s move by Perth-based Empire Beer Group Ltd to fund two developments in the port precinct through a $10 million float plan.

Observant readers might have noted that my regular column was absent last week.

There is a significant debate at the moment about whether we should reserve natural gas for domestic use.

Island-based resorts are something of a Queensland specialty in Australia, but one West Perth-based group is hoping to be at a key player in developing this sector in this state.

In keeping with WA Business News’ mission to help business grow, the newspaper is delighted to introduce another international columnist to complement our locally focused news and features.

West Perth wine producer Palandri Ltd has suspended trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investments Market, citing issues with internal group transactions and warning that interest costs may hit net proft.

The internet may have revolutionised information access, but email has gone one step further in the way it has broken down traditional hierarchies, offering almost unfettered access to all.

Email has changed the way we communicate at work and in our personal lives, but the technology has also given rise to problems, particularly in the office. WA Business News looks at the issues to be overcome and how WA businesses are going about it.

This week’s cover story was a bit of a personal one for me.

Perth seems an unlikely place for the development of tools to manage a globally ubiquitous product such as Microsoft Outlook, but by some coincidence two local firms have based their time management solutions around this common software.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh highlighted the role of collaboration and communication in achieving business success in his address to a recent WA Business News Success and Leadership function.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh delivered a thought provoking presentation this morning with a central theme around business success being built on collaboration and communication.

It’s easy to be relaxed about change when it doesn’t really affect you.

It’s on again. WA Business News and its partners are seeking WA’s fastest-growing, private companies for the annual Rising Stars awards.

The need to deregulate shopping hours and liquor licensing have been placed at the top of a long list of Western Australia’s failings when it comes to providing a competitive environment for commerce, according to the state’s peak business body.

One of the big questions going around is whether Western Australia is heading for yet another one of its cyclical busts or if, just maybe, the state is going to snub its nose at history.

Perth-based RSG Global Consulting Pty Ltd has been acquired by ASX-listed Coffey International Ltd in a deal worth almost $16 million which continues the rationalisation of mining services in Western Australia.

It is no doubt an exciting time for Western Australian exporters, with the state exporting $47.35 billion worth of commodities and goods in the year ending June 30, reflecting growth of 21.9 per cent from the previous corresponding period.

Conservative thinker and self-described true market liberal, Dr Mike Nahan has returned to live in Perth with plans to get involved in Western Australian policy at what he believes is a critical time in the state’s development.

The federal government’s announcement that the next tranche of Telstra is to be sold is good news.

The Brand Agency has scotched rumours of a buyout by big stakeholder, STW Group Ltd.

Richard Goyder has made the most significant move in his short tenure as Wesfarmers Ltd chief, creating a new stand-alone coal division and reshuffling his executive team on news of the departure of energy boss David Robb to head Iluka Resources Ltd.

This year’s total shareholder return survey results are perhaps less surprising than usual.

I am finding this fuel debate quite extraordinary.

Western Australia's unemployment rate has dropped to 3.1 per cent for July 2006, another significant fall from the record low of 3.5 per cent recorded in June as the state's booming economy continues to create jobs.

Our 2006 branding survey – the fifth since 2002 – is the most comprehensive to date and is probably the first to show a marked shift in sentiment in a major Western Australian brand.

Imaging the South is a telemedicine pioneer, starting business in 1995 when its founder, Johnny Walker, returned from the UK.

Liberal Party state president Danielle Blain has hit back at claims that the party is broke, outlining a new fundraising strategy at the weekend state conference where accounts were revealed showing a significant asset base.