Mark Beyer

A new business backed by Quadrant Private Equity and the Perth-based family of Timezone founder Malcolm Steinberg has completed the purchase of Ardent Leisure Group’s bowling and entertainment division.

An ambitious water supply project in Western Australia's South West is set to proceed after gaining federal government backing, with Collie Water chairman Peter Fogarty saying he was well advanced in securing private investors to complete funding.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss $3bn federal infrastructure boost, Perth’s urban sprawl, Burrup gas projects, global LNG production, Westin Hotel opens and mining projects.

Long-running plans by Vikas Rambal’s Perdaman Industries to build a multi-billion dollar urea manufacturing plant in Western Australia have received a fillip, with his group signing a gas supply agreement with Woodside Petroleum.

The bulk of Western Australia's population growth is occurring in Perth's outer suburbs, despite long-running efforts to encourage residential development in established inner suburbs, new data out today shows.

Business News has been tracking WA’s largest private companies for more than 20 years and found most have experienced big changes over that time.

Perth-based data management company Tape Ark has completed a world first for the oil and gas exploration industry by demonstrating real-time seismic data acquisition using cloud storage rather than traditional tapes.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer, Matt Mckenzie, and Tori Wilson discuss Synergy and renewable energy, the Atlas Iron takeover, live sheep exports, Bill Shorten’s Perth visit, a new report on Kwinana, and the debate over training and apprenticeships.

Former IKEA franchise owner Alan Tribe has taken charge at local biotech firm Phylogica, lifting his stake to 20 per cent and becoming chairman on the same day chief executive Stephanie Unwin was replaced by Rohan Hockings.

The value of Western Australia-related equity capital markets deals jumped to $4.2 billion in the March quarter, helped to a large degree by a handful of large transactions.

SPECIAL REPORT: Corporate advisory firm Argonaut had a lead role in two of the most hotly contested takeover battles in WA in recent times.

SPECIAL REPORT: Ten years after completing a company-defining acquisition, remote power operator Pacific Energy has struck another similar deal.

The director general of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Stephen Wood, will be leaving his job next week, after the government said it was not satisfied with his management of the tourism portfolio.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss house price recovery, lithium contract win, automation in WA, remuneration report, GST, indigenous contracting, our feature on corporate finance includes big recent takeovers and the trends in other mergers and acquisitions + a capital raising wrap-up.

A Supreme Court judgement and a stoush with the state government over a new iron ore mine have shone a revealing light on the activities of the Eastern Guruma people and their business interests.

The much-anticipated BDO Board & Executive Remuneration Report 2018, with data from 1,400 listed companies, has now been released and can be purchased via the Business News website.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Applecross towers, Scarborough high-rise, Gary Brown-Neaves, infrastructure priorities, cycling fund raisers, Wayne Martin retires, and our special report on agribusiness.

Advertising agency Marketforce has completed an overhaul of its management team, recruiting Carat Australia’s Perth managing director Adam Marshall as its new chief executive.

Nedlands-based Advanced Share Registry has purchased 51 per cent of Perth start-up Private Company Platform, which is targeting unlisted companies with multiple shareholders, including those pursuing crowd-sourced funding.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Trump’s trade war WA impact, residential property prices, population and labour statistics, World Trade Centre, Pacific Energy, ride sharing and our special report Most Influential.

Auris Minerals chairman Bronwyn Barnes has disclosed that some of the people seeking to oust her had been negotiating a farm-in proposal last year without the knowledge of the company’s board.

Perth-based mining company South32 has implemented new leave provisions that exceed those of most other employers, offering six months’ parental leave on full pay and up to 10 days of paid domestic violence leave.

The private group behind ambitious plans for a $1 billion-plus World Trade Centre development in Perth has prepared updated designs focused on the Megamart site it already owns in Northbridge.

Construction group Pindan said today it planned to make full payments to all sub-contractors by the end of this week, after co-founders George Allingame and David Pringle complete the sale of sever

SPECIAL REPORT: Three major reviews have called for a big shake-up of the state government’s information and communication technology (ICT) strategy.

SPECIAL REPORT: A startup company backed by Perth dealmakers John Poynton and Harry Karelis illustrates the commercial potential of cyber security.

The business sector has cautiously welcomed the federal government's announcement of a new visa scheme aimed at attracting high-paid and highly skilled workers to Australia, with the changes effectively reversing some of the stricter rules announced last year when the 457 visa sub-class was abolished.

PODCAST: In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Coles spinoff plan, tourism challenge, waste to energy, remembering Warwick Kent and Mal Bryce, and our ICT feature focuses on where to for GovNext and cybersecurity.

Investors have welcomed today's news that Wesfarmers plans to spin-off supermarket giant Coles and create a separately listed business that would rank among the 30 biggest on the Australian stock market.

Former banker and company director Warwick Kent, who led the revival of Bankwest after big losses in the early 1990s and through its subsequent privatisation, passed away this week at his home in NSW.

Western Australia’s market share for international students has plunged to 6.6 per cent after the state registered no growth in 2017 despite an extra 71,000 students heading to Australia from overseas.

Advertising agency Marketforce is going through a clean sweep of its leadership, with Paul Coghlan recruited to replace senior creatives Pat Lennox and Ben Green, who are leaving in June to start their own consultancy.