Special Reports

The consolidation of major multinational record labels and rapidly evolving music-sharing technology has shifted the power in the music industry and provided new ways for local independent artists

THE world of commerce may be guided by share values, net assets and project scale, and political power ultimately decided at the ballot box, the business of government is far more opaque – with inf

FIVE years ago when Mathias Cormann took office, assuming the Senate seat vacated by his Liberal predecessor Ian Campbell, the political landscape was very different.

THE political landscape has changed significantly in recent months and, while the shift is not yet tectonic, there is much less certainty around who will be influential as this electoral cycle draw

AS the world enters its fifth year of economic turbulence and even the best-insulated businesses in Western Australia are being affected, the factors that determine business influence in this state

Most of the power and influence in WA is concentrated in the political and resources sectors.

IF trading during their first week is any guide, the hospitality venues in the Brookfield Place heritage precinct will be a major drawcard in Perth.

Newly restored heritage buildings on St Georges Terrace are set to become a showpiece, but architects and developers worry new rules will halt other projects.

Property developers are unhappy with how the National Broadband Network is being rolled out in Western Australia, complaining they are not receiving enough guidance and support from NBN Co.

The rollout of the NBN has begun in WA, but how it ends up will be determined by politics.

Giant liquefied natural gas projects like Gorgon and Pluto dominate coverage of the oil and gas sector, yet there are plenty of other developments under way.

Shell’s development of a world-first floating LNG project off the Kimberley coast is likely to be a game changer for the industry, allowing extensive ‘stranded’ gas assets to be developed.

If you are a ‘glass half-full’ person, the LNG boom has presented great opportunities for local industry, but not everyone is happy.

Western Australia’s huge – if largely unproven – potential to host massive so-called unconventional oil and gas resources has already caught the eyes of some major international energy majors.&nbsp

Changing global markets and local community pressures are crimping the growth prospects for big gas projects but the industry is still in a boom.

Both the federal and state budgets, due next month, are forecast to hold little joy for investment in business and industry.

Numerous major contracts have been awarded to the state’s mining and civil companies, creating a robust job market for contractors.

The state government has committed $5 million towards feasibility and planning studies for a marine common use facility (CUF) in the Pilbara, likely to be at either Anketell or Lumsden Point.

A state infrastructure plan will help Western Australia come to grips with the big development issues.

Demand for energy in WA is big and so is the demand for an open, competitive market.

The state government’s freight strategy will see big changes, from Fremantle in the west to Kalgoorlie in the east and many stops in between.

An array of short-term fixes to Perth’s traffic congestion woes are under development while the state government works on a strategy for the longer term.

Delivering infrastructure to regional WA isn’t simple, even with a $6 billion Royalties for Region budget.

Huge potential could be added to WA’s export terminals capacity over the next decade.

A TRANSPORT analyst has proposed the state government consider using a ‘value capture’ funding model and increases in council rates to help pay for almost $3 billion of proposed public transport in

Two major rail freight operators are pursuing growth opportunites in WA’s mining sector.

Many other companies, from Australia and offshore, are eyeing investments in varied port and rail projects in the state.

The state government is spending record amounts on capital works projects but setting priorities and meeting demand remain major challenges.

Nine international and interstate law firms have entered the WA market in the past two-and-a-half years and more are likely to follow. The industry is still debating what it really means.

John Spence is one of a handful of operators prepared to invest in WA tourism despite difficult market conditions.

WA’s corporate finance sector is getting back to business as a late flurry of deals get the sector warmed up for better year.

Perth’s capital markets players reckon the past few months have been hard to take but they are seeing signs of growth as money returns.