Matt Mckenzie

Interest is growing in Kwinana as a possible battery manufacturing hub, with Wesfarmers mooted to be considering a move into the sector and representatives from US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Perth to meet with Premier Mark McGowan today.

The startup space supporting the resources sector is Australia’s game to lose, according to Unearthed director Justin Strharsky, but vision and wise investment are needed amid growing competition.

A series of new blockchain plays and a growing assortment of associated businesses highlight how the new asset class is sparking entrepreneurship in Perth.

West Perth-based Buru Energy has sold a 50 per cent share in its Ungani oilfield to Chinese-backed Roc Oil for $64 million, as part of a broader deal the company hopes will unlock its assets in the Canning Basin.

A long-mooted port development at Lumsden Point adjacent to existing operations at Port Hedland has taken a step forward with the Pilbara Ports Authority opening expressions of interest for potential investors in the project.

Australian businesses can be confident that strong personal relationships with their partners in China can help overcome any short-term problems between the governments of the two countries, according to two local business executives with close ties to the Asian powerhouse.

Telstra is spending about $140 million annually on upgrading and expanding its network in Western Australia, as it seeks to enable the uptake of new technology such as the internet of things in mining, agribusiness and other industries.

With the outlook for the small bar sector becoming more positive, hospitality entrepreneur Andy Freeman has embarked on a $2 million Moroccan-themed venue in Perth’s east end.

A plan to redouble capacity at Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes mine was lodged with the federal government’s environmental regulator last week, while US-based Albemarle Corporation has updated its timeframe for a Kemerton refinery.

The German company contracted to build Australia's new offshore patrol vessels has concluded negotiations with its build partners, but Henderson-based Austal will not be participating, with Civmec being the big local winner.

Western Australians paid federal taxes of $16.5 billion in the year to June 2017 that were spent outside the state, according to WA Treasury data, with the latest numbers suggesting WA would be the biggest winner from federal moves to cut company and income taxes.

A trade war driven by the Trump-administration’s protectionist policies is probably unlikely, former US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner told a Perth audience last night, words that may offer some comfort for those in WA’s export industries.

With carbon emissions in India expected to double in the years to 2030, research by a Curtin University team could have a dramatic environmental impact by helping improve the efficiency of the country’s coal-fired generators.

The state’s net debt will peak at a level $2 billion lower than previously forecast, at $40.9 billion, with Treasurer Ben Wyatt forecasting an operating surplus in the 2021 financial year.

The Small Business Lounge on Mount Hawthorn’s Oxford Street is just the first step for founder Brooke Arnott, who plans to take the advisory concept nation wide.

Two by-elections will take place in Western Australia in coming months, after a parliamentary inquiry into scandals involving Darling Range MP Barry Urban recommended his expulsion from parliament.

Startup hub The Growth Box has shut its doors in recent weeks, less than a year after opening, with project proponent the Malaga & Districts Business Association facing an uncertain future after 26 years in operation.

Two Western Australian mining juniors focused on battery-related commodities have secured $50 million to advance their projects in Africa.

Milk production in Western Australia has recovered to levels approaching those before the industry’s deregulation nearly two decades ago, a recent report has found, while the number of milk-producing farms in the state has fallen significantly.

Federal Labor has effectively committed to end live sheep exports with its agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, telling an Adelaide radio station the party does not believe there is a future for the sector.

Less than 1 per cent of businesses paid half of Australia’s corporate tax take in the year to June 2016, according to ATO data, while the financial services and resources industries were the biggest contributors.

State-owned Western Power will need to trim operating costs by about $100 million more than planned over the next five years under the Economic Regulation Authority’s latest draft access arrangements released last night.

Applecross-based Mineral Resources is looking to sell a 49 per cent stake in its Wodgina lithium project, as work to investigate the feasibility of a lithium hydroxide or carbonate processing plant at the site continues.

More than $12 billion of mining projects are in the pipeline for WA and likely to proceed, with major iron ore developments the biggest contributor.

Few projects are more meaningful for WA’s economic direction than the Greenbushes lithium mine expansion and the new lithium refinery in Kwinana.

Eight mineral sands projects are either under construction or consideration as the sector finally enjoys some pricing relief.

A Victorian sports bar franchise has opened its second pub in Western Australia, part of a planned $10 million expansion in Perth.

Collie could soon be home to a 20 megawatt solar farm and cryptocurrency 'mining' operation, after the Southern Development Assessment Panel recommended approval for a project led by energy entrepreneur Ben Tan.

Perth's inflation rate was just 0.1 per cent in the March quarter, bringing the total increase in consumer prices in the past 12 months to just 0.9 per cent, well below the national inflation rate of 1.9 per cent.

The WA School of Mines should include new disciplines and postgraduate degrees to insulate it from the cyclical resources economy, and help it become a global leader in its field, according to three former students who are now industry leaders.

A solar power company founded by former Western Power manager Neil Danby and olympic basketballer Andrew Vlahov has picked up its first contract, winning $7 million of work for Image Resources’ Boonanarring mineral sands project.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall, Matt Mckenzie, and Katie McDonald discuss Gorgon stage two, corporate tax debate, defence contracts, employment data, fracking ban, tourism, and our building and construction feature.