Mark Beyer

Atlas Iron has talked up plans for a four-fold increase in iron ore production between now and 2015, after posting its first annual profit and declaring its first dividend.

Surging profits at its Western Australian iron ore mines have enabled BHP Billiton to beat analyst expectations and deliver Australia's highest-ever annual profit result.

The federal government has signed up former Queensland premier Peter Beattie to champion local manufacturers, and announced funding to agencies that help local firms win work on large projects.

The politics of envy, which reared its ugly head when the resource super profits tax was proposed, has emerged again this week.

FOUR years after the merger of Melbourne-based Programmed Maintenance Services and Perth-based Integrated Group, the company has launched a branding campaign to educate the market about the scope o

THE owner and operator of Western Australia's major rail network anticipates spending about $500 million over the next two years to support a 45 per cent increase in freight volumes.

INDIGENOUS contractors operating in Western Australia have achieved a run of success this month, with Pindari WA signing an agreement with Doric Contractors and several other groups signing new joi

THE organisers of the Commonwealth Business Forum to be held in Perth later this year are still hoping to lock in more heads of government to bolster the event's speaker line-up.

Engineering and construction contractor Monadelphous Group's shares rose nearly 10 per cent today, after the company reported a 14 per cent increase in annual profit and foreshadowed a st

Armed with new research from his own department, State treasurer Christian Porter says the federal government promise that two out of three households will be adequately compensated for the ca

Fortescue Metals Group has reported a strong rise in net profit to just above US$1 billion, while also announcing it will ramp up its capital expenditure this year to an unexpectedly large US$5.6 b

Lawyer and company director Ken Pettit has been appointed chair of the Port Hedland Port Authority board, following the recent resignation of Ian Williams.

Perth-based construction and contracting company Decmil Group has reported a 24 per cent lift in net profit to $23.5 million for the year to June 2011, and outlined a large pipeline of growth

Wesfarmers has reported a strong rise in full-year profit and foreshadowed further operational improvements, though managing director Richard Goyder has conceded the diversified group needs to impr

Global financial markets have settled after last week's dramas but we still need to be cautious about our prospects.

The new dean of the UWA Business School is keen to build on its close industry links.

HANDS up if you can name the Perth software company whose product is installed at 54,000 sites globally and has an estimated 44.6 million users?

The resources industry, and the sub-sea oil and gas sector in particular, is creating opportunities for innovative WA companies.

Engineering and construction groups Forge and Clough have added to their close ties by establishing a joint venture to bid for contracts on major resource and infrastructure projects.

Australia's biggest gold miner has reported a record statutory profit, helped by its acquisition of Lihir Gold and high gold prices, though Newcrest Mining's underlying profit was not as strong.

Drilling services company Imdex has returned to profit in the year to June 2011 and said the outlook for the 2012 financial year was positive.

Diversified industrial services company UGL has reported a solid rise in annual profit and said it is well placed for continued growth in the 2012 financial year, with the only weak spot being its

Plunging financial markets are sure to dent WA's economic prospects, but the positive factors driving strong growth have not suddenly evaporated.

FRESH from completing the acquisition of gas utility WA Gas Networks, Canada's ATCO Group has outlined growth plans for the expansion of its energy infrastructure and power businesses nationally an

HAVING completed 40 acquisitions since founding his business, iiNet managing director Michael Malone has developed some very clear rules for the game.

Engineering company Clough has announced the sale of its marine construction business to Malaysia's SapuraCrest Petroleum Berhad, for gross proceeds of $127 million in cash.

In an update on the trouble-plagued Perth Arena, the state government said today the project faced a “slight” cost blowout, confirmed that AEG Ogden would manage the venue, and unveiled details of

Figures giving the ‘value' of investment in major projects are misleading, given the amount of ‘offshoring' under way.

SANDFIRE Resources has been one of the outstanding success stories in the Western Australian resources sector in recent years, and its story has added to interest in a commodity that traditionally

WHEN WA Business News started its total shareholder return survey nearly a decade ago, the world was just emerging from the dot.com boom.

WA's emerging mining companies delivered spectacular gains last financial year, for the astute investors who picked the right stocks.