Mark Beyer

BankWest has commenced a seach for a new managing director after the incumbent Rodger McArthur advised that he plans to retire later this year.

Most companies pursue acquisitions so they can accelerate their growth and build on their existing business; Neptune Marine was different.

The booming equities market has allowed several mid-cap companies in Perth to go on an acquisition spree.

The centrepiece of the state government’s 2007 budget, handed down last week, was a $433 million tax relief package targeted at first-home buyers, property owners and motor vehicle buyers.

Private businesses are being sold at higher earnings multiples in the current market compared with recent years, according to West Perth firm Mergers & Acquisitions Pty Ltd.

Perth company ThinkSmart Ltd has lodged a prospectus for its long-awaited initial public offering, which will raise $85.6 million and allow existing shareholders led by founder Ned Montarello to substantially reduce their stake in the business.

The WA Liberal Party has engaged former City of Perth town planner Max Hipkins, engineer Peter Bruechle and architect Andrew Storey to help it develop a plan for development of the City of Perth.

The state government has sprung a surprise by selecting a second desalination plant as Western Australia's next major water source, instead of developing the Yaragadee underground aquifer.

Perth-based exploration company United Minerals Corporation Ltd has reached a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro to assess development of a $4-5 billion bauxite mine and alumina refinery in the Kimberley region.

Western Australia's economic growth rate is expected to revert to the long-term average of about 4.6 per cent per year after the boom conditions experienced this year.

The state government has suspended or deferred capital works projects worth $565 million to make room for its preferred projects in areas like health, power and water.

The centrepiece of the state government's 2007 budget is a $433 million tax relief package targeted at first home buyers, property owners and motor vehicle buyers.

Economic Regulation Authority chairman Lyndon Rowe has praised the state government's contentious increase in water tariffs even through the government did not fully accept the ERA's advice.

This year’s $US32 billion ($A40 billion) takeover of US power utility TXU was famous for being the world’s biggest private equity deal, but it has also become renowned for the role of environmental activists.

Plans by listed mining company CI Resources Ltd to revive its fortunes by appointing new directors, including former state development minister Clive Brown, have suffered a major setback after the federal government rejected plans for new mining leases on

Perth inventor and entrepreneur Steven Goh has bounced back from his troubles at online stockbroking firm Sanford Ltd by attracting $US10 million in venture capital funding for his new technology company and emerging from bankruptcy.

The state government has backed away from plans to merge its key science and technology advisory bodies, preferring instead to make only small changes to the structure of its Science and Innovation Council.

Reforms to improve the handling of commercial disputes in Western Australia’s court system have had a very positive impact, Chief Justice Wayne Martin said this week.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd has revised a 2004 iron ore sales agreement with Chinese company Fengli Group Ltd to include a joint marketing agreement for 'excess' production.

Straits Resources Ltd's low-profile chairman David Toms has resigned from the company's board after selling his entire shareholding for $120 million.

The battle for control of energy company Alinta Ltd hotted up again today after Macquarie Bank Ltd and AGL Energy Ltd confirmed they were in negotiations that could lead to a new takeover offer.

Belmont-based industrial services company Paladio Ltd has announced its fourth and by far biggest acquisition in the past year, with plans to buy Karratha construction company Decmil Australia Pty Ltd for $50 million in cash and scrip.

West Perth-based gold miner Gleneagle Gold Ltd has been placed in administration after the company failed to deal with commissioning problems at its Fortnum gold project, which commenced production in July last year.

The federal government has announced plans for a High Court appeal to confirm the powers of the Takeovers Panel, following a surprise Federal Court ruling in a case involving Alinta Ltd that cast doubt on the future of the panel.

Construction company Laing O’Rourke Ltd and the Dampier Port Authority hired two of Perth’s top law firms last year when they became enmeshed in a complex dispute over the building of a new jetty; but that hasn’t helped them achieve an effective outcome.

Seven months after releasing its first prospectus, and in the face of strident criticism from the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, Perth company Integrated Legal Holdings Ltd is pushing ahead with plans for a share market float.

The Geraldton Iron Ore Alliance has sought to win support from the state government by releasing a study that predicts mining projects in the Mid West region will provide a massive boost to economic growth and employment.

Maintaining good working relationships with external lawyers is much more important than introducing alternative billing arrangements when it comes to managing legal costs, according to legal counsel surveyed by WA Business News.

The Takeovers Panel has concluded that its operations should be able to continue effectively despite a Federal Court ruling last month that cast doubt on its future.

Three substantial commercial law firms have been established in Perth in the past year and each has adopted a fundamentally different strategy and business model.

The booming WA economy has prompted many businesses to establish or expand their in-house legal teams, creating new professional opportunities for lawyers and new challenges for law firms selling their wares.

An increased amount of litigation and regulatory action over the disclosure practices of listed companies has become one of the main risks facing company directors.