Mark Beyer

The Maritime Union of Australia has voted to break its affiliation with Unions WA in protest over the McGowan government's plans for a new container port at Cockburn Sound.

Former University of Western Australia chancellor Alex Cohen has been remembered as one of the state's most respected medical figures.

Tianqi Lithium has officially started operations at the first lithium hydroxide refinery built outside China, with the company aiming to achieve practical completion of stage one of the Kwinana plant next month, while works on stage two have been put on hold.

The long-running debate over Brexit is frustrating but there are much larger issues that will shape business and trade opportunities, the lord mayor of the City of London told a Perth business audience today.

Perth residents' median age is up, they share their home with fewer people, but are much more likely to be working and paying off a housing loan than their forebears 70 years ago, a new study has found.

Carnegie Clean Energy, which is seeking to raise up to $11.5 million after going into voluntary administration earlier this year, has issued a supplementary prospectus that tones down some of the key claims it made to investors only six weeks ago.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss lithium challenges, EC&M update, Tim Roberts, Subiaco East redevelopment, legal merger, Fogarty Foundation, new state policies, waste-to-energy, and our special report on power infrastructure.

Rich-lister Tim Roberts has achieved a pyrrhic victory against law firm Clayton Utz, after his aircraft leasing business claimed $US37 million ($A54 million) because of negligent advice.

Construction of Perth's second waste-to-energy plant is scheduled to start later this year after the private consortium behind the East Rockingham project appointed Spanish engineering giant ACCIONA as its main contractor.

HWL Ebsworth Lawyers is set to become the sixth largest law firm in Western Australia after striking a deal to acquire boutique Perth firm Bellanhouse Lawyers.

Galaxy Resources has gained effective control of struggling lithium miner Alita Resources by purchasing a $US28.8 million ($A42 million) secured loan facility.

Business people could face up to 20 years in prison and their company fined up to $10 million under industrial manslaughter laws to be introduced by the state government.

The number of solicitors in Western Australia has fallen by 10 per cent over the past four years compared with growth of 15 per cent across the country as a whole, a survey has found.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss EC&M collapse, Midland Brick sale, BGC results, Metronet developments, CEO changes, Waterbank, Great for the State values and purpose, and our special report on small businesses covers the struggling hospitality sector and rise of coworking spaces.

The number of long-serving chief executives at WA listed companies is shrinking rapidly. We look at recent retirements by several 'veteran' CEOs and a small group of individuals who have lasted more than 10 years.

Business News has updated its listing of WA's biggest mining projects to reflect the downturn in lithium, the dearth of new gold mines and the increasing dominance of iron ore.

Cobham Aviation Services said there was keen interest from potential buyers of the company, as it took delivery of its newest aircraft in Western Australia.

Perth's largest home builder has shone a rare light on its financial performance, with annual accounts for BGC Australia revealing big investment write-downs and large bottom-line losses over two years.

Westpac has reported a further rise in the number of people missing mortgage payments with Western Australia continuing to be the main problem area.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss markets drama, Cockburn harbour recommendation, Infrastructure Australia, shopping centres write down, planning law changes, Altrad, AFG, and our special report on major projects.

Takeover target Automotive Holdings Group will pursue the sale of its refrigerated logistics business after a strategic review found it had overstated revenue in the underperforming unit.

The state government's Westport taskforce has concluded that all container shipping should be moved out of Fremantle to a new land-backed port in Cockburn Sound, to be built at a cost of about $4 billion.

Civmec has announced $120 million of new work, led by a contract to build and instal the primary crushing and ore processing facility at Fortescue Metals Group's Eliwana iron ore mine.

Business leaders from sectors as diverse as education and manufacturing say temporary migration visa policies are holding WA back.

Infrastructure Australia has dramatically scaled down the expected cost of road congestion in Perth, mainly because of lower population growth, but has warned about the impact of continued urban sprawl.

Twelve big companies have pledged to lift their indigenous procurement to 3 per cent of their annual spend, seeking to match targets the federal and state governments have already set for their own agencies.

Altrad Services has become one of the largest contractors in Western Australia after the privately owned French group merged and rebranded its Cape Australia and Hertel businesses.

Trucking company CTI Logistics has foreshadowed a marginal profit for the latest half-year, saying weak economic conditions particularly in Western Australia had resulted in significant reductions in activity and increased margin pressure.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss markets volatility, trade surplus, HealthEngine, Michael Chaney, energy news, EY entrepreneur of the year awards, and our special report on the oil & gas industry.

PODCAST: Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall talk to business leader and company director Mark Barnaba about the economic outlook, the role of central banks and our relationship with China.

Perth's largest insurance broker is preparing to consolidate its staff across two offices following a merger earlier this year, as one of its main competitors readies for a major transition.

PODCAST: Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss the lithium slowdown, house prices, BGC brands, Rita Saffioti, Minderoo, gold and our special report on the arts sector.