Mark Beyer

Record sales and revenue figures seem out of step with all the doom and gloom.

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel is planning to close all of its mining and exploration operations in Western Australia, resulting in the loss of about 330 jobs.

THE business sector has expressed strong support for the state government's push for mergers among local councils across Western Australia.

Perth is being left behind when it comes to major sports facilities.

The owners of the Dampier to Bunbury natural gas pipeline have taken direct control of asset management activities that previously were run by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure subsidiary Westnet Energy.

The outlook for WA is not as gloomy as some are predicting.

THERE'S not much talk of the global economic downturn or falling commodity prices when you listen to companies with an interest in iron ore mining and infrastructure projects in the Mid West region.

The Science and Innovation Council review presents a creative opportunity.

With most major ports located in the middle of populated areas, the government faces some tough decisions on infrastructure.

THE Industry Capability Network of WA has launched a new scheme to help Australian companies win supply contracts with major Asian oil and gas contractors.

INDUSTRIAL services company Cape plc has seized on the renewal of a major maintenance contract with Alcoa as evidence the company is performing well.

UK company Cape plc's acquisition spree in Australia in 2007 has continued to have extraordinary fallout, with three new competitors emerging in the scaffolding and formwork sector in Western Australia.

The importance of building value has been highlighted by the financial crisis.

WE'VE gone beyond the old boom-bust cycle." How many times did we hear that comment over the past year or two? "We're in a new paradigm."

The state government has confirmed that the University of Western Australia will be the headquarters of a new $20 million radio astronomy research centre that is designed to help WA win the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array project.

THE failure of one commercial venture could provide a boost for a new and potentially much larger venture at the University of Western Australia, which is the likely headquarters of a $20 million radio astronomy research centre.

DURING the past two months there has been an unprecedented wave of bad economic news and plunging business confidence; but just how bad is Western Australia's economic outlook? Many people ask rhetorically why there is so much gloom in the local business

Oil and gas producers Apache and Santos have officially deferred development of the $900 million Reindeer gas project, as forshadowed last week in WA Business News, with engineering company Clough likely to be the biggest loser.

MINING entrepreneur Andrew Forrest provides a classic illustration of how share options, which are a key part of many remuneration packages, can be extremely valuable, and quickly become worthless.

THE downturn in Western Australia's mining industry is starting to flow back to the energy sector, with Apache Energy understood to be reviewing its $900 million Reindeer gas project.

THE controversy over the federal government's proposed industrial relations reforms made me think back to the mid 1980s when people like Charles Copeman led a bruising battle to free up Australian workplaces.

WESFARMERS is the bluest of blue-chip Perth companies.

BHP Billiton is the world's biggest mining company so it was fitting it was BHP that decisively marked the end of the five-year global resources boom this week.

I have been reading extensively this month about the deep problems in the US financial system and it has left me with one overriding conclusion.

Murchison Metals has disclosed that the state government is requiring it to include Chinese suppliers in its $1.5 billion Oakajee port and rail infrastructure project.

WHO remembers the final week of the 2008 state election campaign, when then premier Alan Carpenter ran an increasingly desperate and almost bizarre scare campaign? Every waking moment he told voters about the supposed dangers posed by uranium mining, nucl

Today marks the third birthday of the Daily Business Alerts service, which broke new ground in November 2005 when it started providing Western Australia's business community with breaking daily news in what was then the early stages of a long bull run.

THE debate over infrastructure provision in WA has taken many intriguing twists and turns since the election of the Barnett government.

HOW many dollars and how many share options does it take to motivate a chief executive? Judging by recent experience with engineering and contracting companies in the Perth market, it could be anything from $350,000 up to nearly $3 million.

ONE of the recurring criticisms of Western Australia is that the state is little more than a quarry for the rest of the world and that our small, one-dimensional economy drives bright, young talent to cities like Melbourne, London and Sydney.

THERE has been an intense focus in recent weeks on the impact of global financial trends on Western Australia's economic prospects but recent policy decisions have highlighted the equally important impact of government.

THE long-running debate over Australia's energy future heated up again this week, and it's likely to continue running as the economy goes through its ups and downs.