Mark Beyer

Solid gains in building approvals in 2013 are expected to flow through to the housing construction numbers in coming quarters.

Forge Group has announced further cost blow-outs of up to $28 million on one of its power station projects, less than two months after telling the market it had defined the full extent of its problems.

The founder of failed property investment group Westpoint, Norm Carey, will lose his real estate agent certificate after the Commissioner for Consumer Protection took the matter all the way to the Court of Appeal.

As Business News is closing today for a two-week break, we wish all our readers and business partners the very best for the holiday season.

The construction union and its militant leader Joe McDonald have been hit with their second hefty fine in one week, after being penalised for their role in unlawful industrial action at CITIC Pacific’s Sino Iron project in the Pilbara.

Western Australian farmers have delivered their biggest harvest in history, with the total haul today surpassing the 15.06 million tonne record set in 2011-12.

FEATURE: Gina Rinehart's ability to maintain momentum at the Roy Hill project put the mining magnate at the top of our people of the year list.

Shares in biotech company pSivida Corp surged more than 50 per cent today on positive regulatory news from the United States, making up most of the losses it suffered in a dramatic fall in October.

The new management team at accounting firm Lawrence Business Management has agreed to buy the business for $7.3 million cash from listed company Countplus, after two years of restructuring.

After a tough, confidence-sapping year, business is taking a more positive outlook to 2014, according to a Business News subscriber survey.

Woodside has for the first time confirmed the high cost of its shelved James Price Point gas project, though the figure it has released is not directly comparable to the construction cost estimates for other LNG developments like Chevron’s larger Gorgon development on Barrow Island.

The business sector got the governments it wanted in 2013 but it’s unclear what policies they will deliver.

The state’s peak business group has hired a former chief of staff to premier Colin Barnett as its new chief executive. Deidre Willmott will succeed James Pearson as CCI chief executive.

Twenty years after being established in controversial circumstances, insurance broking firm Strathearn is eyeing some big potential changes.

FEATURE: A diverse array of privately held and public-listed companies is angling to become the next success story in the onshore oil and gas sector.

Chevron has announced a second cost increase and further delays to its giant Gorgon gas project, with the budget now set at $US54 billion.

Atlantic chairman and managing director Michael Minosora has predicted a doubling in production volumes this month, as the vanadium and iron ore miner moves toward breakeven on its operating cash flow.

A Productivity Commission report this week has given state and federal governments a clear guide towards a better project approvals system.

The recent publication of two listings of influential business leaders provided food for thought about the growing international influence on Western Australia.

Having studied investment cycles over seven decades, Peter Kennedy has identified some extraordinary patterns, and they give him great confidence about the stockmarket outlook.

GDI Property Group and Charter Hall have formally launched investment offers this week, giving wholesale investors an opportunity to buy a stake in two major Perth office buildings.

Rio Tinto has announced plans to cut capital expenditure by more than 20 per cent per year out to 2015, but beyond then will need to consider major new projects to support its growth objectives.

Grocery wholesaler Metcash has lifted its first-half profit more than 20 per cent thanks to its exit from the Franklins line of supermarkets, but its underlyng earnings were weaker as it continued to be affected by deregulation WA and strong competition nationally.

Nedlands company Advanced Geomechanics is hoping to extend its reach into the global subsea engineering market following its directors’ decision to sell the business to Dutch multinational Fugro.

Rio Tinto has highlighted the dramatic shift in strategy by the big mining houses by unveiling a ‘low cost’ expansion for its Pilbara iron ore business, with plans to lift production at five existing mines before it considers developing any new mines.

The state government needs to tackle real regulatory minefields, like liquor licensing, and not just abolish redundant laws.

Empire Oil and Gas shareholders showed their overwhelming lack of support today towards the company’s recently ousted directors by lodging a massive vote against the remuneration report.

Iron Ore Holdings had mixed news for shareholders yesterday, with lower costs likely to bolster its major project but heritage issues causing delays at a second project involving Mineral Resources.

Dalton Gooding has agreed to stand down as chairman of biotech company Avita Medical but shareholders today supported the re-elect

Embattled miner Mirabela Nickel has formally acknowledged “significant uncertainty” about whether it will continue as a going concern, after Canadian regulators issued a ‘cease trade’ order.

FEATURE: The trucking and logistics sector is investing in new growth projects around Perth’s two major freight hubs, despite the economic slowdown in WA.

Mineral Resources is expecting to defy the mining services downturn, telling shareholders today that it anticipates strong growth in net profit in the current financial year.