Matt Mckenzie

The City of Melville has approved a lease for a proposed wave park on a 4.4-hectare area of Tompkins Park in Alfred Cove, after a lengthy council meeting last night.

Health could be the next sector to be disrupted by technology, according to a panel of employees from four globally significant companies in that sector at Business News' Success & Leadership breakfast this morning.

A wage freeze could be on the agenda for public sector staff in the upcoming state budget, according to new Treasurer Ben Wyatt, as Treasury officials warn the state will need to pay increasing rates of interest on government bonds.

A lower company tax rate, the abolition of stamp duty and a review of the federation should be top priorities to drive national prosperity in coming decades, the Australian Institute of Company Directors has said, as it seeks to reignite public debate on major economic reform.

Western Australian merchandise exports were up 36 per cent in February compared to the same month in 2016, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while the national trade surplus reached the second highest level on record.

Offshore oil & gas: The marine logistics sector is yet to significantly rebound from the lower oil prices of the past few years, although positive signs are emerging.

Offshore oil & gas: Woodside Petroleum’s February launch of a new supply ship that can use liquefied natural gas as a fuel is an early move in what could be a larger focus on driving new market demand.

Offshore oil & gas: Three international players are among those to have won work for Woodside Petroleum’s Greater Enfield oil project since it was given the go ahead in the middle of last year.

Offshore oil & gas: The lack of new construction projects is not too much of a headwind for one helicopter operator.

Special Report- Offshore oil & gas: First gas at the final train of Chevron's Gorgon project and two potential significant Woodside-led brownfields LNG projects are positives for an offshore energy industry under pressure. Click through for four related articles on the sector.

A suite of contract announcements has been made for Gold Road Resources' $507 million Gruyere project, including for GR Engineering Services, Maca and Civmec, while Macmahon Holdings said today it had been selected as preferred contractor for a new Queensland coal mine.

Paladin Energy’s planned $US10 million sale of a 30 per cent stake in the Manyingee uranium project to Avira Energy has been thwarted, with Avira unable to secure financing in time.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston says the McGowan government will keep a close check on usage of the industry’s mine rehabilitation fund to ensure unscrupulous operators don’t shift costs onto honest players, while also confirming the existing state exploration incentive scheme will continue operation.

Investment plans for BHP Billiton’s South Flank project can proceed with greater certainty following the defeat of the Nationals WA's proposed iron ore levy hike at the ballot box earlier this month, according to the company’s asset president of WA iron ore, Edgar Basto.

A lack of battery storage across the electricity network in Perth and surrounds is the most significant energy problem facing the state, according to recent research from the University of Western Australia.

Perth-based share registry business Automic Registry Services wants to double its market share this year after making a substantial investment in a new cloud-based platform.

Agribusiness consultancy Kalyx Australia will pursue growth opportunities in horticulture research following its recent merger with Peracto WA, the local franchise of the Tasmania-based Peracto research brand.

Exploration spending among ASX-listed resources juniors increased about 13 per cent in the December quarter, the third consecutive uptick, according to recent research by professional services firm BDO.

West Perth-based hedge fund NWQ Capital Management has revealed it will be targeting the huge US financial sector with a new offshore fund, on the same day it announced former Bennelong Funds director of consultant relationships Tara Bell would be appointed managing director of research.

New state Treasurer Ben Wyatt has labelled the latest recommended GST distribution "abysmal" and a threat to the state's finances after the Commonwealth Grants Commission recommended Western Australia receive 34.4 per cent of its per capita share. 

The appointment of Sam Walsh as a director of Mitsui & Company this week has brought attention to the usually low-profile Japanese multinational, which according to BNiQ Search Engine data has been a major investor in Western Australia’s resources industry and is one of the state’s largest exporters.

A big increase in takeaway spending in WA may not be flowing through to the big players, but they are still investing in market share.

Biogas and hydrogen could be injected into distribution networks to partially replace natural gas for use by industry and households within decades, according to a report released today b

Air travel from Perth to Broome and Perth to Karratha fell dramatically in January compared to the same month in 2016, according to the latest data by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.

Almost 500,000 workers would need to be laid off in China’s steel industry by 2020 under a plan to reduce excess capacity, according to a report released by the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development this week.

Chevron managing director of Australasia Nigel Hearne has confirmed a fourth LNG train at the Gorgon project won’t be happening in the near term, while calling on governments not to buckle to calls for higher taxes and increased regulation that will reduce competitiveness of the industry.

Quantify Technology Holdings has announced it is likely to win contracts for its internet of things services to be rolled out on three projects, including at the University of Western Australia’s Medical and Dental Library.

Western Australian Labor leader Mark McGowan has been sworn in as the state's 30th premier at Government House.

The unemployment rate dropped 0.4 percentage points in Western Australia in February, to 6 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, as the state jumped from last place on that metric to be better than Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

Iron ore dust in Port Hedland has cost the local economy around $60 million per annum, with an additional $216 million in one-off capital costs, according to a report released today commisoned by a local hotel opposing further expansion of BHP Billiton's port operations.

Australian Vanadium has joined fellow Perth company Carnegie Clean Energy in hoping to help solve South Australia’s energy crisis, today committing to tender to build a battery storage facility in that state.

A recent report by professional services firm Deloitte Access Economics suggests retail spending could be slowly picking up in Western Australia, with recent official data finding sales grew 0.3 per cent in January after seasonal adjustment.