Mark Beyer

Finbar Group has gained planning approval for a new apartment project that combines a 38-level tower with restoration of two former ABC buildings on Adelaide Terrace.

Experienced insolvency practitioner Gary Anderson has agreed to merge his practice with Kim Wallman at HLB Mann Judd.

The supply of apartments in Perth's western suburbs will increase rapidly this year, with TRG Properties, Georgiou Living and Blackburne Property Group set to launch new projects during the next three months.

Qantas is the latest in a growing number of business icons to be confronted by rapidly changing market conditions.

Aspiring iron ore miners Flinders Mines and Rutila Resources have joined forces, with backing from private New Zealand company Todd Corporation, to assess the development of an integrated rail and port project in the Pilbara.

Waste management company Tox Free Solutions has declared its first interim dividend after posting solid growth in earnings for the half year to December 2013.

Mirabela Nickel has proposed a complex restructuring that involves placing the company into administration, raising new capital and implementing a debt-for-equity swap that will leave current shareholders owning just a small fraction of the embattled mining company.

Blackburne Property Group has passed major development milestones on three of its projects, with the most significant being planning approval for what will be one of the largest apartment developments in Perth's western suburbs.

BHP Billiton has notified Macmahon Holdings that it plans to take over the Orebody 18 iron ore mine this year, while also announcing its intention to close one of its smaller Pilbara mines.

The influx of global oil and gas players to Perth for a major conference this month has provided a platform for some to announce plans to expand their operations in Western Australia.

QUBE Holdings is confident of continued growth in revenue and profits, helped by the acquisition of Canning Vale-based IML Logistics and the increase in volumes under its port services contract with Chevron.

Debate continues over the best way to maximise returns from the state's rapidly growing oil and gas sector.

Embattled miner Atlantic is once again set to obtain extra funding from major shareholder Droxford International, which has proposed a new $32.6 million loan facility.

Panoramic Resources' share price rocketed higher today after the company reported drill results that it described as a “potential game changer” for its Savannah nickel project.

Alcoa of Australia has announced it will permanently close its Point Henry aluminium smelter at Geelong in August because it has "no prospect of becoming financially viable" in another blow to the nation's manufacturing sector.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science has teamed up with three universities for a major environmental study off the state's Kimberley coast that will be funded by gas project developers Shell

In hindsight, Forge Group founder Peter Hutchinson was unwittingly prophetic when he spoke to Business News in June 2012, on one of his last days at the company. Explaining his decision to hand the reins to more experienced managers, Mr Hutchinson said he wanted to ensure Forge didn't enter the “graveyard of mining services contractors that have come unstuck”.

The spectacular collapse of Forge Group highlights some of the big differences between the resource states and other parts of Australia.

Mining services company Mineral Resources is close to implementing ambitious plans to develop new transhipment facilities in the Pilbara and in Cockburn Sound to support growth in iron ore exports.

Accounting group PKF will find itself in the unusual position of having two member firms in Perth, after the members of the mid-tier Lawler alliance agreed to join the global network.

Maintenance and construction contractor AusGroup has returned to the black in the December quarter, with a tax credit offsetting the adverse impact of falling revenue.

Former John Holland executive Adam Harry is planning to launch a new multi-disciplined construction business this week.

Stockland has selected Probuild as its preferred contractor for the $116 million redevelopment and expansion of the Baldivis shopping centre.

Kalgoorlie-based Phoenix Gold has opted for a low cost development option at its Castle Hill project, with plans to commence production using third-party milling capacity rather than build a stand-along project.

The University of Western Australia has recruited BHP Billiton executive Peter Lilly to head up its ambitious ‘engineering zone' project, which comes with a likely cost of $250 million.

Woodside Petroleum is set to take a 25 per cent stake in the Leviathan gas project off the coast of Israel, under a conditional deal that involves up-front payments of $US1.2 billion.

The directors of US-focused Aurora Oil & Gas have recommended that shareholders accept a $1.84 billion takeover offer from Canadian oil company Baytex Energy.

Joe Hockey won plaudits this month for providing intellectual backbone to the federal government.

Owners of older office buildings in central Perth are struggling to find tenants, with the latest Office Market Report showing a widening gap between premium buildings and the rest of the market.

The state government is calling for extra private investment at the port of Dampier, following a major new development at the port by QUBE Holdings and a call for private development of new facilities at Fremantle.

Former Ezeatm chief executive Todd Zani has been ordered to stop working with a company established five months ago that operates in the same business as his old employer.

The operators of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit - Australia's second largest open cut gold mine - say they will extend its processing life by eight years.