Mark Beyer

Mount Gibson Iron Ltd has delivered a mixed report card for the December quarter, with ore shipments hitting a record level but profit below forecast and expansion projects adversely affected by cost increases and delays.

Alinta's directors have been pilloried in the national press for their handling of the proposed management buy-out and there is concern in Perth that WA's corporate reputation is also suffering.

Perth-based wealth management company St Andrew's Australia has expanded its financial planning business by acquiring Queensland firm Whittaker Macnaught, established by high profile media commentator Noel Whittaker.

The state government has approved $9.5 million in funding so the Port Hedland Port Authority can proceed with dredging work but has deferred a funding decision on the proposed expansion of the port's public berth, likely to cost about $180 million.

Mount Gibson Iron Limited has delivered a mixed report card for the December quarter, with ore shipments hitting a record level but profit below forecast and expansion projects adversely affected by cost increases and delays.

Woodside Petroleum Ltd has announced the appointment of senior executive Mark Chatterji as chief financial officer.

Two weeks after Alinta shocked the market by announcing a management buy-out proposal, the future of the energy infrastructure company has turned into a fully-fledged auction process.

The state government is expected to approve a $180 million upgrade of Port Hedland’s port facilities in the next fortnight, soon after selecting a preferred site for the Pilbara region’s next major iron ore port.

Perth debt collection specialist Keith John has sold his Malaysian business to Credit Corp Group, six months after selling his Australian business to the same purchaser.

The state government is planning a hybrid contracting approach for the design and construction of the $1.1b Fiona Stanley Hospital to try and maximise competition and reduce risk facing the state.

Euroz Securities has for the first time knocked Patersons Securities off its position as the top stockbroking firm in Perth for equity capital raisings.

Engineering company Clough Ltd, which appointed a new chief executive this week following a major restructuring, has re-jigged the planned sale of its property development business.

The past year was a boom time for many businesses and investors, yet ironically it was characterised as much by failed deals and lost opportunities as it was by successful transactions.

South African company Murray & Roberts Ltd has taken firm control of local engineering and construction group Clough Limited by replacing chief executive David Singleton with its own nominee.

Perth-based asset management company PearlStreet Ltd has announced plans for an $8 million initial public offering and listing on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Sundance Resources chairman George Jones has predicted an 8 to 10 per cent increase in iron ore prices in 2008, which would help to attract support for the company's $3.1 billion Mbalam iron ore project in west Africa.

Premier Alan Carpenter has finished the year sounding upbeat, despite all of the ministerial and corruption crises gripping his government. Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall report.

With local government coming under close scrutiny, WA Business News invited some of the leading figures in the sector to discuss key challenges and propose solutions.

The shortage of skilled planners and the lack of long-term strategic planning have been identified as two of the major issues facing the local government sector.

A review of the local government sector has called on the state government to provide $25 million in new funding to help the sector boost its services and capabilities.

The cleaning contract for Perth’s largest office building, Central Park, has changed hands amid competing claims about the role of the union in the sector.

The amalgamation of local councils is a topic of debate that generates a lot of heat, but outside of Geraldton and Northam there is no immediate prospect of real change.

New Iluka Resources Ltd managing director David Robb has quickly made his mark at the mineral sands producer by instituting a new management structure and recruiting a new chief financial officer from his old employer.

Alinta has released a detailed update on its financial and strategic outlook, disclosing that its net profit in the year to December 2006 is expected to be substantially lower than its previous guidance.

An unlikely alliance of conservation and fishing groups has vowed to oppose plans by mining company Straits Resources for a giant salt project on the eastern shore of Exmouth Gulf.

Perth-based energy services company PearlStreet Ltd has bolstered its board and management as it prepares for a likely share market float early next year.

The extraordinary saga surrounding Christmas Island mining company Phosphate Resources Ltd has taken a surprising new twist, with Perth mining executive Mark Caruso failing to secure a board seat.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has estimated that government regulation costs the state’s business sector a total of $2.1 billion, or $26,582 per business.

The state government’s energy reforms have failed to deliver the expected returns, after the government declined to accept any of the tenders for its own electricity purchases.

The sharp rise in land values in Western Australia in the past year has been tipped to produce a bigger than estimated increase in land tax collections.

The massive cost-blow out at BHP Billiton's Ravensthorpe nickel project adds to the long run of technical and financial problems at laterite nickel projects around the world.

The average age of the residents in standard retirement villages in Australia is 79 years, but at National Lifestyle Villages the residents’ average age is 59 years.