Saskia Pickles

Emerging Perth based oil and gas exploration company WHL Energy has signed a farm-in agreement with London-based Ophir Energy.

SPECIAL REPORT: Energy Minister Mike Nahan has told Business News a review of Western Australia’s wholesale electricity market could open the door to some dramatic shakeups in the sector.

Approvals for the construction of new houses rose 5.6 per cent in January in Western Australia, providing a boost for the housing sector.

Former Labor minister Martin Ferguson has heralded floating liquefied natural gas as the wave of the future, urging the Western Australian government to work with developers like Shell, Woodside Petroleum, ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton.

South Korean contractor Samsung C&T has announced it will take over the work previously contracted out to failed construction company Forge Group at Roy Hill.

Strong residential sales have boosted Cedar Woods Properties’ first-half net profit after tax to $20.5 million, up 13 per cent on last mid-financial year.

Western Power has reported cost savings of $16.1 million in the first half of the financial year, while increasing spending on its capital works program by $93.5 million in the same period.

Forge Group administrators Ferrier Hodgson held the first creditors meeting in Perth today, where it was revealed there are now only 90 Australian staff still employed by Forge, down from 1,622.

Prominent economist and former government adviser Ross Garnaut has publicly questioned the ability of the Abbott government’s Direct Action policy to reduce carbon emissions in line with the Kyoto

Demountables and recreational vehicles manufacturer Fleetwood Corporation has posted a half year profit loss of $4.2 million, down 18 per cent on the prior corresponding period.

Perth company director David Alan Zohar has pleaded guilty to three counts of providing false and misleading information to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Western Australia’s peak business body for sustainable energy has welcomed the federal government’s review of the Renewable Energy Target, welcoming the challenge to reveal the benefits of the RET

Matrix Composites & Engineering lifted its half-year profit by 29.4 per cent compared with the previous corresponding period, despite dropping 20.2 per cent in revenue.

Google Maps competitor nearmap launched its first product aimed at businesses in mining, rail and ports today.

Atlas Iron managing director Ken Brinsden told a business forum in Perth today the big mining houses’ practice of locking-up resources in the Pilbara was depriving smaller miners of development opp

Iron ore miners in the Pilbara are on track to reach production and shipping targets, despite bad weather hampering operations and affecting some December quarter results.

Increasing demand for hardwood plantation products has boosted the outlook for the much-maligned industry in Western Australia, but whether companies can capitalise on new growth will depend on how much suitable land they can access.

SPECIAL REPORT: Associations are filling the market with events for business people, leading some to request additional venues.

SPECIAL REPORT: More national and international conventions are choosing to come to Perth, adding a boost to tourism and industry and catalysing a big change at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The state government has released design plans for the 110-metre pedestrian bridge that will be a key feature of the Elizabeth Quay development.

Nedlands-based tech company Norwood Systems has enlisted two influential supporters to launch a platform which it says will cut exorbitant mobile roaming costs for corporate clients.

Some parts of the economy might be in cost-cutting mode, but coffee franchising is still a growth sector.

Perth house blocks in new developments shrank by 9.2 per cent over the year to September, with the average size of a block sold declining to 415 square metres.

Few in the crowd captivated by the recent Ashes action at the WACA Ground would be aware that the immaculate grooming of the oval is, in part, due to lawn mowing machinery built in Bayswater.

Karratha is undergoing a transition as more families move to town, attracted by the improved infrastructure and new housing developments.

A $60 million apartment development in Coolbellup with a strong Fremantle football connection has received the green light.

Karratha's first small bar owner, Bart Parsons, has realised his dream of opening among the traditional pubs and hotels in the northern town, but it has come with a costly sting in the tail.

Leederville jeweller Rohan Milne is moving in esteemed circles, having joined two other Perth jewellers and 17 nationally as members of the exclusive diamond association, Diamond Guild Australia.

Construction of Rosewood Care Group’s aged care facility in Leederville will begin next week, after two years of delays, following the award of a $36 million construction contract to Pindan.

The slowing of Western Australia’s population growth as forecast in this year’s state budget appears to be well under way, particularly in response to the tapering off of resources construction activity.

A cross-continental dispute and trademark tug-of-war between former colleagues has emerged over the rights to the business name Guns For Hire.

Patrons of The Grocer will have to change their shopping habits next year if they want to enjoy the Claremont purveyor’s range of Australian chorizo, French and Belgian chocolate, and Spanish jamon, among other specialty items.