Special Reports

If there was one decision that highlighted the weakness of the stock market for most of 2011, it was the deferral of mining contractor Barminco’s initial public offering.

In a year when big deals were few and far between, the $4 billion acquisition by the Kerry Stokes-controlled WA Newspapers Holdings to buy most of his other media assets was something of a standout

A small group of businesses across a handful of industry sectors were the really big winners in a year when times were tough for many.

TO move up or to move out, that is the question Perth planners have been contemplating in recent years as a city built on the quarter acre dream deals with increasing population density issues.

LESS than 20 years ago almost anywhere in Perth was no more than 20 minutes away from anywhere else in a car-friendly city over-serviced with roads.

AN urban planning expert has recommended that a long-term infrastructure development strategy for Western Australia be given more importance in order to avoid the issue becoming a casualty of polit

Perth’s population is set to double over the next 40 years, and a lot needs to happen to accommodate that growth.

ANAECO chief Patrick Kedemos believes the waste industry is set to undergo a profound, technological shift in the next 20 years comparable to the rapid advances in telecommunications since the adve

WHILE the Barnett government deliberates over its waste policy, Phoenix Energy and local company New Energy are pushing ahead with plans to invest close to $1 billion in waste-to-energy plants in t

The waste sector is hopeful the state government will release a waste policy next year ending a policy vacuum in this essential service sector.

The controversial subject of high CEO salaries at state government agencies appears to have gone off the boil as a policy to rein in remuneration appears to have helped stop surprise jumps in pay p

THIS year’s salary survey shows that it’s not just the chief executives at the top end of town who have mouth-watering incomes.

Changes to Wesfarmers’ remuneration policies have shone a bright light on the company’s results.

Five years of WA salary surveys show some chief executives appear to be remarkably well paid relative to the size of their business and the returns they have delivered, while others offer great value for money.

THREE trends stand out when the salary packages of newly appointed chief executives at Western Australian companies are examined.First,the bigger the company the higher the salary.

Executive remuneration is a hot political issue but the controversy does not seem to have slowed growth in pay packets at WA companies.

WHETHER a matter of corporate social responsibility or a condition for an operating licence, a tactical stop-gap measure or just the right thing to do – the adoption of measures to improve indigeno

Western Australia is riding high on the mining and resources boom but it’s the construction, retail and health sectors that are pulling the most workers.

Chantal Haskett says companies need to stop trying to compete with the resources sector by offering their staff more money.

The growing skills shortage is forcing more and more WA employers to look overseas to secure skilled workers.

IT is a familiar tale in the online business world – a local innovator offshores its development work in an emerging market and then seeks to crack a big market like the US as a company maker.

COULD the state government do more to encourage investment in IT?

Political debate over the NBN may be highly charged, but there’s no agreed position within industry as to the best plan for the nation’s future needs.

THERE is a new reality in banking that businesses need to understand.“The banks are definitely open for business, but they are being more diligent.”

Lending to business almost dried up during the GFC, but the banks, big and small, are starting to talk to their clients again.

WHEN billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey launched a bid to get GST imposed on online purchases less than $1,000, he unwittingly provided a major publicity boost for internet shopping in Australia.&nb

WHEN the water-cooler talk turns to shopping, there are two big topics that no-one ever seems to tire of – online bargains and bad service.

WESTERN Australia’s super-charged resources sector has provided little protection for retailers battling to overcome sagging consumer sentiment and a shift from spending to saving.

Investment worth tens of millions of dollars has been slated for a number of Perth’s shopping centres as owners bank on a retail revival.

STARTING out as a business focused on direct-use geothermal projects, Green Rock Energy has diversified its portfolio to avoid the pressures of a diminishing capital-market appetite for such projec

THE lack of a cohesive, strategic approach to meeting the Pilbara’s increasing energy requirements, and mining giants’ domination of the region’s power generation and supply, are among the major pr

Regulatory uncertainty and the state’s role in energy generation and market structure are hindering private investment opportunities in the sector.