Mark Beyer

More than ever before, the outlook for state finances seems to be dictated not by the policy decisions as by the underlying assumptions, with three being particularly important this year.

The federal government has warned Western Australia will get lower GST grants and lower infrastructure funding after the state announced an increase in iron ore royalties in today's budget.

The state government's annual budget has projected a blow-out in state debt to more than $22 billion over the next four years but is based on revenue estimates that treasurer Christian Porter admits are not realistic.

State government spending on capital works projects is projected to increase to a record $7.6 billion in 2011-12 but the government has disappointed sports fans hoping for tangible progress on development of a major new stadium.

The Barnett government seems to have slipped up in its efforts to strike a balance between decisive leadership and due process.

LEIGHTON Holdings subsidiaries Leighton Contractors and John Holland are two of Australia’s major construction contractors, but they are not names normally associated with engineering work on LNG projects.

The chief executive officer of state superannuation fund GESB, Michele Dolin, is to step down next month after eight years at the helm, a period that included an aborted plan to privatise the $13 billion group.

THE resources sector anticipates Enterprise Migration Agreements will enable more than 30 large projects to overcome the labour shortages that threaten their viability.

New figures have shed light on the enormous scale of the emerging oil and gas boom, for both investment and employment.

International conglomerate GE has bought out its Australian partner Transfield Services from their jointly owned business, Perth-based TGE Energy Services.

Two months after overcoming a bruising boardroom battle, window furnishings company Kresta Holdings has selcted internal candidate Andrew Tacey as its new chief executive.

Incoming Woodside Petroleum chief executive Peter Coleman said today he would focus on delivering on the company's established strategy, including work on its three major growth projects Pluto, Browse and Sunrise.

Burrup Fertilisers founder Pankaj Oswal has stepped up his criticism of the sale process of the ammonia producer, and revealed that he has a claim for US$500 million against the company, which is currently in receivership.

THE Fremantle Port Authority is planning to expand its ‘outer harbour’ operations at Cockburn Sound after signing export deals with iron ore miner Mineral Resources and coal miner Griffin Coal.

A handful of key assumptions will define just how much room the state government has to lift spending or cut taxes in next week’s budget.

The backers of the James Price Point gas hub in the Kimberley face real challenges getting support where it is really needed.

RECORD investment in resources projects has shaped the federal government’s 2011-12 budget, which, as expected, has outlined new initiatives to bring skilled workers to regional Australia.

Nexus Energy has appointed engineering firms Fluor Australia and Wood Group to progress its planned development of the Crux liquids project off the Kimberley coast.

Managing wages growth is a critical business issue, and requires a raft of policy settings to be correct.

The emergence of cloud computing and the growth of data centres are the buzz topics in the IT sector, but what do these trends really mean?

DATA centres are a long-established feature of the IT landscape, yet during the past year there has been unprecedented activity in this sector and the promise of more to come.

Dealing with red tape, taxes and regulation are constant sources of frustration for any business, big or small.

TFS Corporation, one of the few surviving companies offering managed investment schemes in Australia, has received a product ruling from the Tax Office for its 2011 Indian sandalwood project.

The value of houses and units in Perth fell again in the March quarter, new data from Australian Property Monitors has found, but the group has predicted a market revival by year's end.

A joint venture between civil contractor NRW Holdings and indigenous contractor Eastern Guruma has been awarded a $160 million contract by Rio Tinto Iron Ore.

What is art, what is business, and who should pay for the state’s cultural infrastructure like sporting stadiums and museums?

The near-terminal managed investment scheme sector took another blow last week when stock exchange-listed Arafura Pearls Holdings was placed into voluntary administration.

Property developer Luke Saraceni and his business partner Hossean Pourzand have struck a funding deal with IMF (Australia) to support their legal action over the Raine Square development.

Health minister Kim Hames today announced details of extra staffing for St John Ambulance, following a review of the agency's performance as the outsourced provider of ambulance services in WA.

Equinox Minerals has recommended shareholders accept a C$7.3 billion (A$7.1 billion) takeover offer from Barrick Gold Corporation, which trumps an earlier offer from China's Minmetals Resources.

Rio Tinto has struck an agreement over its giant Simandou iron ore project in Africa that will see the company pay US$700 million to the government of Guinea and hand 15 per cent of the project to the government at no cost.

A Navitas-led consortium has signed a three-year federal government contract to provide English language courses in six regions in Sydney.