Jim Hawtin

The head of the WA Department of Industry and Resources, Jim Limerick, declared last week that the local nickel industry had become the state’s second most valuable mineral sector after iron ore.

The mining industry’s flow-through share scheme proposal appears to have slipped from the Federal Government’s agenda ahead of the upcoming budget.

Many mining companies are warming to the Northern Territory yet its government still has its work cut out to change some perceptions.

Junior miners continue to pile into the iron ore sector as China’s appetite for steel continues unabated.

The state’s nickel laterite mining sector received a confidence boost from an unlikely source recently when Canadian nickel giant Inco threw its weight behind junior miner Heron Resources’ $1.4 billion Kalgoorlie nickel project.

One of Western Australia’s biggest recruiters has warned employers, particularly those in the construction industry, to be more proactive in their employment solutions in light of the worsening skills shortage situation.

The state’s bullish appetite for gold appears to be waning as exploration spending continues to flat line against surges on commodities such as iron ore, nickel, and uranium.

Local China business experts say a recent spat between Western Australian iron ore developer Fortescue Metals Group and its Chinese partners is unlikely to have a major impact on the Australia-China trading relationship.

Rare earths may not be illustrious minerals in the Australian mining industry yet the essential commodities have quietly attracted the attention of a couple of renowned Australian mining names of late.

National retailers Coles Myer and Woolworths may have received a referendum-delivered blow to their supermarket expansion plans in Western Australia last month, but the pair’s growth has not been entirely unchecked in recent years.

Western Australia’s two leading farm lobby groups will continue their support of legal action against a US animal rights group despite the claim being struck out by the Federal Court last week.

Investors remained at first unconvinced as the irrepressible chairman of Fortescue Metals Group, Andrew Forrest, moved to play down recent market concern regarding the viability of the company’s proposed $1.85 billion Pilbara iron ore project.

Western Australia’s stone fruit growing industry is grappling with ways to reinvent itself as it continues to face a significant downturn in export conditions.

Western Australian port users have accused the State Government of milking port profits at the expense of investing in infrastructure amid national concerns on infrastructure bottlenecks.

Looking to capitalise on the recent success of Australian musical acts in the US, a growing line-up of Australian bands, including a strong contingent of acts from Western Australia, is blazing a trail to one of the world’s largest music markets.

The head of one of the world’s largest integrated resource companies has fired a warning shot as the Gallop Government embarks on its second term.

There is a growing acceptance of the benefits of the free trade agreement on both sides of Australian politics, according to the Australian Trade Commission’s regional director for the Americas.

Australian companies undertaking “big” export projects needed government assistance to guarantee not only the projects’ success but also to foster the perception of Australia as an innovative nation.

The Western Australian-based academics behind a new rail competition study hope their research will not only help to solve Australia’s infrastructure crisis but also draw significant global interest as well.

A range of Western Australian companies has gone to the market looking for funding lately, confirming the continued strong investor appetite for stocks.

Fortescue Metals Group chief Andrew Forrest has signaled an appetite for another high demand commodity, bauxite.

Signs of an attitude shift among investors could lead to a renewal of interest in mineral-rich Indonesia, according to recent international reports.

Mineral exploration expenditure is booming but after a decade of downturn the state's drilling industry is straining under the pressure. Jim Hawtin reports.

From cracking rocks in the bush to doing deals in the boardrooms of St Georges Terrace, Kate Hobbs is a rare find in the male-dominated mining sector.

A shipping market riding high on the commodities wave has prompted UK shipper Braemar Seascope Group plc to expand its global presence with the purchase of Australian-based dry cargo shipbroker Seawise Australia for $A8.7 million (£4.6 million).

Perth-based engineering firm Monadelphous has established what appears to be a tidy little earner servicing the aviation sector.

Western Australia is set for a $260 million windfall from iron ore royalties after one of the state’s major producers, Rio Tinto, negotiated a 71 per cent price increase from a Japanese customer.

Western Australia’s junior miners continue to secure South African mining assets, many being hived-off by global resource companies in the wake of a recent shake up of that country’s mining laws.

Perth Glory Football Club hosted a razzamatazz launch early this month to tell its fans and everyone else that the club is back, and better than ever, as a participant in the Hyundai A-League, the new eight-team national competition that will kick off in

One of Western Australia’s more colourful public companies, Tony Barlow, is back from voluntary administration; but rather than continuing to sell up-market menswear it is now exploring for oil and gas in Texas.

With competition for the sponshorship dollar getting tougher, major sporting codes are bracing for the arrival of rugby union's Super 14 competition in 2006.

It’s no great stretch to suggest that the competition between states to secure major events can often be as intense as the on-field battles.