Matt Mckenzie

Opinion: While politicians are showering favoured industries in cash this federal election, voters should remember the recent train wreck of Carnegie Clean Energy as a reminder that subsidies for businesses can flop badly.

A $579 million expansion of Rio Tinto’s West Angelas iron ore mine has been recommended for approval by the Environmental Protection Authority today.

Car sales in Western Australia might have been down again in April but there’s a sense of optimism about the Australian luxury vehicle market at Lamborghini, as the brand positions itself for two major automotive trends.

WA BUDGET: There are at least two parties interested in buying the TAB, with the state government committing to put part of the money raised towards replacing King Edward Memorial Hospital.

WA BUDGET: Federal infrastructure grants and reform of the GST have helped the state government project a $1.5 billion operating surplus in the upcoming financial year, although funding for the Ellenbrook rail line is largely absent.

Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting appears to have emerged victorious in its $644 million bid to acquire metallurgical coal hopeful Riversdale Resources, after Resource Capital Funds accepted the deal.

A big expansion of lithium production at the Greenbushes mine is a step closer after Talison Lithium was given environmental approval for its plans to lift output to 2.8 million tonnes per annum.

Administrators have been called in to 12 companies under the umbrella of South Perth-based Sterling First, which claims to have a residential property portfolio of $900 million.

PS Structures, Ertech and WBHO Infrastructure are among contractors that have won $53 million of work from the state government in recent weeks, while PwC has been selected for two major consulting reviews.

Our list of seven reasons why WA will continue to be at the forefront of development of traditional fuels.

The battery minerals boom may have captured the public’s imagination, but WA is also at the vanguard of applying batteries and other technologies at the consumer level.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element and WA could play a role in making the gas a big part of the world’s energy supply.

Free to read: From resources projects to rooftops, the technological revolution under way in energy will have a lasting impact on Western Australia.

The state is developing from a gas exporter to produce a range of energy commodities and technological innovations, with energy exports to potentially hit $50 billion in a decade.

The state government will grant $4.5 million towards StudyPerth’s plan to turnaround the decline of international student numbers, which will include an alumni database, digital marketing campaign and an international student centre in the city.

The federal Labor opposition needs to lock down the details of its emissions policy before the impact will be clear, according to Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman, but the ability to buy international offsets will be key to keeping the cost of carbon reduction low.

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Matt Mckenzie discuss Wesfarmers' lithium bid, Perth house prices, Aldi's impact, AHG takeover, Tempo, contract awards, the election debate, and our latest Great for the State feature — Future of Energy.

Liquidators have been appointed to Mad Dogs Jungle Bar five months after the Milligan Street venue shut its doors following a dispute with the landlord, but it is anticipated the decision may be reversed.

Colin Barnett, Carmen Lawrence and Jennifer Lawrence are among the high profile names appointed to the UWA Public Policy Institute’s international advisory board today.

Metals X is planning to spend $163 million to sharpen up the performance of the Nifty copper mine, nearly three years after it bought the Pilbara operation from Indian business Aditya Birla Minerals.

Revenue at agribusiness Heytesbury Holding dropped 14 per cent to be $47.7 million in the year to December, but sales income was steady.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Matt Mckenzie discuss two major private WA companies – Andrew Forrest’s Harvest Road Group and mining contractor Byrnecut – plus the outlook for the Perth Basin and LNG projects, female directors, China’s Huawei, and our special report on construction companies.

After a prolonged intermission, oil and gas activity in the Perth Basin appears to be picking up.

Debate around the selection of Huawei to roll out the communications network for Metronet is just an example close to home of how the western world is grappling with the rise of the Chinese company as a technology powerhouse.

South Korea should join Australia and 10 other nations in the second generation Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to Perth USAsia Centre chief executive Gordon Flake.

Huawei deputy chair Ken Hu has argued that moves by western countries to stop the Chinese company participating in rollout of next generation telecommunications technology will reduce competitive tension in the sector and hold back innovation.

A Perth-based business that merges computer simulation with live battlefields has partnered with some big international platers in the defence space

WA’s business lobby has blasted state government plans to shake up the industrial relations system, and called for residual workplace powers to instead be handed to the Commonwealth.

Inequality is rising but conventional wisdom on addressing it may need a shake-up, according to University of Western Australia economics lecturer Jakob Madsen.

Toronto-listed Macarthur Minerals is moving forward with a proposed magnetite project in the Yilgarn, after announcing yesterday that it had chosen Aurizon as its rail haulage operator.

Major WA agribusinesses plan new investments to create scale and efficiency, while smaller operators are cooperating to access new markets with niche products.

Local timber businesses have about $100 million of investments in planning as they hope to benefit from demand for environmentally friendly products.