Matt Mckenzie

The number of enterprise bargaining agreements active in Western Australia fell to 1,592 at the end of September last year, about 30 per cent down on the mid-2015 peak.

The state government has chosen Arc Infrastructure business development principal Tim Collins as project director for its proposed Westport outer harbour project in Cockburn Sound.

Local electricity retailer Perth Energy is planning a leadership change, with chief development officer Giles Redmile to take over as chief executive in mid-February as current boss Andrew Rowe moves back to the engineering industry.

SPECIAL REPORT: Franchises are being increasingly squeezed by employment law changes, but recent reforms to competition law provided a few wins for the sector.

SPECIAL REPORT: Technology and a greater emphasis on strategic advice are how one local accounting franchise hopes to brace for changes in the professional services sector.

SPECIAL REPORT: Whether it’s burritos, car repairs or mortgage advice, a number of big franchises are targeting growth in 2018.

CFC Group subsidiary Cape has become the latest business to win work from the the state’s growing lithium sector, sealing a four-year contract for crushing services at Bald Hill.

The state's domestic gas market will soon receive a small supply boost, with Woodside Petroleum's Pluto project expected to begin pumping up to 25 terajoules a day into the network from the second half of this year.

Australian LNG export revenue grew 44 per cent in 2017 on the previous year to $25.8 billion, making the commodity the nation's third biggest export earner, according to consultancy Energy Quest.

The strong performance of the Business News index of 30 local companies designed to track the state’s economy implies good years ahead for WA.

Grain handling cooperative CBH Group has more than doubled its operating surplus to $247 million in the year to September 2017 on the back of a big harvest, with grower rebates of $156 million.

Local business chiefs are positive about the state’s economy in the year ahead, according to the recent Business News CEO Survey.

Melbourne-based fertiliser and explosives manufacturer Incitec Pivot has lost its second major Western Australian supply contract in two months, with iron ore miner Roy Hill to allow its purchase agreement to expire in February.

The education, arts, accommodation and agriculture sectors were the state’s biggest job creators in the five years to November 2017, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has warned businesses using labour hire companies to confirm they have met their payroll tax obligations, after a number of local operators fell victim to a scam.

Former Rio Tinto executive Denise Goldsworthy and former Water Corporation chair Eva Skira have been appointed directors of Western Power, replacing Sharon Warburton and George Cash.

Western Australian merchandise exports were up 22 per cent in the year to November compared with the previous corresponding period, despite the month being slightly softer, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A group of Quintis shareholders has requisitioned a general meeting to spill three directors, including chairman Dalton Gooding, with avocado grower Craig Duncan, Kimberley Development Commission director Robert Boshammer and property developer John Allen nominating for roles.

The number of electricity users disconnected for failing to pay bills increased around 60 per cent in Western Australia in the 2017 financial year, while more than 10,000 electricity users were on a hardship program, according to a report released by the Economic Regulatory Authority today.

The number of new gas and power connections in Western Australia fell in the year to June, an outcome of the slowing property development market, according to the Economic Regulation Authority.

An optometrist and a former mining equipment company executive are spearheading a Perth startup’s plans to disrupt the eyewear industry by allowing customers to try on, and buy, glasses virtually.

SPECIAL REPORT: Chris Ellison’s astute commercial achievements placed him at the top of our short list of nine people contending to be person of the year.

A Manjimup farm business’s $2 million-plus processing facility has become the latest in a string of horticultural investments around the state.

Former Premier Colin Barnett has called time on a nearly three decade parliamentary career, which included leading the Liberal Party to a surprise victory in 2008, and heading a government which increased social support spending and invested substantially in infrastructure.

Western Australia’s domestic gas market is likely to have sufficient supply for the next decade if Chevron's Gorgon domgas stage two proceeds on time and other replacement fields come online as anticipated, according to the latest Australian Energy Market Operator report.

Australia’s former Trade Commissioner to Mexico, Central America and the Carribean Chris Rodwell will take the reins of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA in February, as Deidre Willmott leaves the helm.

Industry stakeholders are concerned about the level of port market share held by grain handler CBH Group, while entry for new players like Bunge has been challenging, according to a new Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report.

Most chemicals used in hydraulic fracking are not harmful, while precautions can be taken to prevent problems from those substances which are, according to a CSIRO report released today.

SPECIAL REPORT: Data from the annual BNiQ Search Engine biggest employers list suggests an economic recovery is under way as mining and civil contractors boost their workforce numbers.

Western Australia’s economy is one year away from a return to normality, according to consultancy firm Deloitte Access Economics, with consumer confidence, exports and dwelling approvals data all pointing towards an upswing.

The environmental watchdog has given the green light for BHP Billiton’s planned 80 million tonnes per annum South Flank iron ore development, with first ore targeted in 2021.

A big increase in manufacturing capacity could result from the production of tight and shale gas in Western Australia similar to that which occurred in the US state of Pennsylvania, according to Dennis Davin, secretary of that state’s department of economic development.