Senior journalist Matt Mckenzie worked for Business News from 2014 to 2023. He covered economics, resources, energy, major projects, and insolvencies; at times he was also responsible for manufacturing, agribusiness, politics and technology. Matt was editor of the Limitless and Cutting Edge publications, and for a period cohosted the At Close of Business podcast.
In 2018, Matt won a WA Media Award for business reporting, while in 2022, he won the AMEC excellence in journalism award for revealing huge delays to project approvals.
He also jointly won two AABP awards in 2022: with Jesinta Burton for coverage of the Pindan collapse; and with Jordan Murray and Jesinta for a podcast on the Belmont Park racecourse redevelopment.
A University of Western Australia graduate in economics and politics, he has been on the board of a community radio station and the finance committee of a local non-profit. Matt would also like to declare he is a member of a political party.
Grower feedback has led the Australian Grains Champion to remove two clauses from its proposal to corporatise CBH Group, with the consortium continuing to criticize the CBH board’s handling of the matter.
Blackburne managing director Paul Blackburne was last night named the 2016 Business News 40under40 First Amongst Equals, ahead of a talented and diverse field of candidates.
The recent BHP Billiton organisational restructure will drive productivity improvements without significant operational job losses, according to new BHP operations president of Australian minerals Mike Henry, although the company won’t commit to a deadline for its targeted 290 million tonnes per annum iron ore run rate.
SPECIAL REPORT: The ubiquitous influence of the internet in modern business has brought an uptick in investment in Perth’s data storage capacity, and into new high-speed subsea cables.
New car sales have again fallen in Western Australia, down 2.2 per cent in the first two months of the year compared to 2015, with Holden and Hyundai the worst hit.
Canadian policy thinktank the Fraser Institute has ranked Western Australia the best location in the world for mining investment, with Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion today touting the results as a tick of approval for the state government’s red tape reduction strategy.
There are many growth-driving tax reform options still on the table despite the federal government’s move away from a GST increase, according to KPMG tax partner Grant Wardell-Johnson.
Shares in agribusiness Wellard have fallen 9.2 per cent as the company revealed its first financial result since listing in December last year, while also flagging a reduction in expected net profit.
The global LNG market could soon be in sharp oversupply, with Australia contributing about a third of that excess in what will become a buyers’ paradise, an international expert says.
Any trade union-backed court challenge to the state government's updated wage policy would result in job losses in the public sector, Treasurer Mike Nahan warned today, as above inflation pay rises would need to be offset through lower staff numbers.
Two business units of technology retailer Dick Smith could live to see another day, as receivers today announced that the majority of the empire will be shut down after a number of proposals to acquire the company were all deemed unacceptable.
Today at AOG: US petroleum company Hess is pursuing development of its Equus gas field off the Pilbara coast, with senior manager Andrew Drayton telling the Australasian Oil & Gas conference today it would proceed with a variety of tendering opportunities this year, including for subsea work.
Grain handler CBH Group has called for more information on the $1 billion-plus offer from Graincorp-backed Australian Grains Champion to corporatise and list the cooperative, highlighting concerns around long term cost increases, the proportion of grower ownership and board representation.
Today at AOG: Former APPEA environmental director Miranda Taylor has been appointed as chief executive of the federal government’s newly established energy resources growth centre, which will be known as National Energy Resources Australia.
The impact on economic development and power prices from a sale of the state’s electricity network could be managed by a strong regulatory framework, Premier Colin Barnett said today, as he continued to reassess his view on the ownership of Western Power.
Premier Colin Barnett has ruled out any further state tax increases in the upcoming budget, and has said the government might look at reviewing land tax aggregation, at this morning’s Business News Success & Leadership breakfast.
Shares in miner and contractor Mineral Resources were up 13 per cent today after it announced dividends of 8.5 cents per share, about 60 per cent larger than what it committed to in November.
Perth contractor NRW Holdings has had a major boost, with the state government selecting the company's joint venture with Italy’s Salini Impregilo as preferred contractor for the $2 billion Forrestfield-Airport Rail Link.
January brought a major reduction in the Western Australian unemployment rate, down 0.4 points to 5.9 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with a record number of women in jobs.
Almost 80 contract variations worth more than $81 million tripled the cost of a Department of Health central computing services contract, with issues including more than 60 per cent of data racks going unused, the auditor general revealed today.
Sydney-based GrainCorp has emerged as a cornerstone investor in a bid to corporatise and list CBH Group, through a complex deal that would deliver up to $1 billion in cash plus share
A public sector wage freeze, amalgamations of major departments and a reform of health would be key moves to fix the state government’s worsening debt position, according to Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA’s pre-budget draft submission.
A visiting Sydney-based infrastructure adviser has suggested Western Australia undertake a pilot project to recapture some of the value created by publicly funded capital works developments.
Special report: A subsidiary of global banking giant Goldman Sachs is backing a local private equity player to develop a freight hub near Bullsbrook, in anticipation of increased freight movements connected with the state government’s Northlink WA project.
Veteran Labor Party politician Alannah MacTiernan has confirmed she will not seek to stay in federal parliament after the election due later this year.
The state government has completed the first in a series of planned asset sales, announcing that it has concluded negotiations with an industry consortium to purchase the Perth Market Authority’s Market City.
Iron ore miner Roy Hill has officially taken control of its mine, rail and port operations in the Pilbara from lead construction contractor Samsung C&T, with the company now commencing ramp-up of production to target the nameplate 55 million tonnes per annum capacity.
Global oil supply fell by 0.2 million barrels per day in January, while falling demand growth and resilience of high cost suppliers could lead to continued downward pressure on prices, according to the International Energy Agency.