Matt Mckenzie

SPECIAL REPORT: Several acquisitions in the past four years have helped Cranecorp Australia grow into new markets, but the company’s owners still make themselves available to clients to give relationships a personal touch.

SPECIAL REPORT: Spacecubed has been at the vanguard of the growth in Perth’s startup community in recent years, with the social enterprise now operating about 5,000 square metres of co-working spaces and a range of accelerator programs.

The state government will partially privatise title registry agency Landgate in a move expected to raise at least $640 million, with the money to be used to fund the state's share of the National Redress Scheme for child abuse victims.

International opportunities for Western Australian startups, microgrid developers and the biotech sector are expected to develop in coming years, according to the state’s trade representatives.

Stavely Minerals, Prodigy Gold, Chalice Gold Mines and St George Mining are among the Western Australian miners that will share in $31 million allocated through the federal government’s Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive announced today.

Work is continuing on the stage one expansion at Greenbushes lithium mine, according to Talison Lithium, despite the business hitting a legal speed bump in a dispute with Global Advanced Metals.

A greater proportion of Western Australian taxpayers are likely to benefit from immediate changes to tax thresholds passed through parliament yesterday than other states, according to Business News analysis of Australian Taxation Office data.

Nearly three in four taxpayers will pay a marginal tax rate of 32.5 per cent from 2025, with the government’s plan to flatten the income tax system approved by the Senate today, despite moves to lower company tax still stalled.

Job vacancies in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions hit their highest level in four years in May, as demand for engineers, IT professionals and automotive trade workers in Western Australia takes off.

Perth-based blockchain business Power Ledger has signed a deal to work on an electric vehicle charging project in California’s Silicon Valley.

Western Australians still have higher median incomes than those in other states despite recent softening, according to data released today, with Ashburton and Peppermint Grove the nation’s top local government areas by the measure.

SPECIAL REPORT: The rollout of next generation energy infrastructure such as batteries and microgrids is kicking off in WA, adding to the opportunities available for contractors in this space.

SPECIAL REPORT: Perhaps surprisingly for a contracting business based in Bibra Lake, Sovereign Hydroseal has some high-profile international clients in its order book, with the world’s seventh busiest subway among them.

SPECIAL REPORT: The state government appears to be tacking away from using contracting in public services provision, but the work of Serco is an example of how private businesses can bring cutting-edge innovation into the space.

SPECIAL REPORT: Contractors are buoyant despite the twin challenges of uncertainty around infrastructure spending and an employment market tipped to tighten.

A Perth-based business that uses augmented reality technology to help customers visualise designs for factories, offices or other products is investing up to $6 million in research after winning a federal grant.

BHP’s local boss has said more than 75 per cent of work on the new South Flank mine will be sourced within Western Australia, as CPB Contractors announced it had won a $260 million contract on the $4.5 billion project.

The University of Western Australia has big plans for its newly established Public Policy Institute, with hopes its research will have a powerful, real-world impact.

A second mining major has given the green light to a big iron ore development in a month, with BHP’s board approving the $4.5 billion South Flank development on Thursday.

Rooftop solar capacity across Perth and surrounds will nearly triple in the next decade, to be about 2.3 gigawatts, as the Australian Energy Market Operator confirmed current capacity and demand side management was sufficient to meet forecast demand on the South West Interconnected System power network.

Australia outperformed most other jurisdictions as a destination for Chinese direct investment in 2017 despite a fall in flows and declining confidence in the country as a safe location for capital, according to KPMG.

Securing union support for his bid to introduce competition into the local electricity retailing market will be a major test of Ben Wyatt’s political and negotiating skills.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer, Matt Mckenzie, and Katie McDonald discuss the latest economic growth data, three intriguing takeover prospects (Atlas Iron, HBF, BGC), stockmarket floats, including Primero group, agricultural projects in WA's north, the continuing debate over fly-in-fly-out, and our special report on Perth apartment projects.

BN 25th Anniversary series- WA has been slow to introduce private ownership to some state industries, although a series of moves during the Court era generated benefits, according to one prominent WA economist.

Three industry associations in WA are seeking to help local businesses win defence work.

Several major agricultural irrigation projects are moving forward in the state’s north, with Pardoo Beef Corporation and Argyle Cattle Company among the proponents.

The state government has signed off on a $16.8 million Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility loan for the stage two expansion of Onslow Marine Support Base, located at Beadon Creek and operated by Kuwait-based Agility Logistics.

Sydney-based utility APA Group will expand its 130-megawatt wind farm project at Badgingarra to include a 17.5 megawatt solar farm, after extending a power purchasing agreement with Alinta Energy.

A project to irrigate and run cattle on 650 hectares of pastoral land south of Broome has become the second such plan recommended for approval by the Environmental Protection Authority this year.

A subsidiary of Belmont-based NRW Holdings has secured a $210 million extension of its mining services contract at the Curragh coal mine in Queensland.

Moves to encourage downstream lithium processing in Western Australia continued today, with the state government announcing a taskforce to develop a strategy for the sector.

High company taxes are one of the biggest impediments to Australia’s economic success, according to the latest global competitiveness index by Swiss business school IMD, although improving infrastructure and government efficiency have helped boost the country’s overall rating.