Mark Beyer

The fate of once-thriving Perth business Habitat 1 provides salutary lessons for investors and company directors, especially those who have signed non-compete agreements.

Two years into his job as Sadleirs Logistics chief executive, Ian Kent is preparing the family owned business for increased national growth after overseeing major changes to its local operations.

Perth watch brand Haigh & Hastings has been revived nearly a year after the business was placed in administration, with founder Matt Sears gaining backing from two investors who share his passion.

A new report has challenged the accepted wisdom that Western Australia has a boom-bust economy that rises and falls on the back of the resources sector.

Edith Cowan University is the first beneficiary of the state government’s much-touted innovation strategy, with $800,000 earmarked for a cyber security hub at Joondalup.

Brisbane-based Firstmac Holdings said today it would not extend its cash takeover offer for Goldfields Money, which has recommended shareholders support an alternative scrip-based merger with mortgage aggregator Finsure.

Chinese group CITIC is evaluating its options after the Supreme Court ruled on Friday that it owed Clive Palmer nearly $US150 million in royalties on its Sino Iron project in the Pilbara.

In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss shipbuilding, Landcorp/MRA merger, Margaret River Gourmet Escape, AHG, Sirona Capital and WA dynasties.

Westpac Bank has absorbed the Western Australian business banking operations of its wholly-owned subsidiary St George Bank, adding to a string of changes in the sector.

Perth companies Austal and Civmec are looking forward to working on the construction of 10 navy vessels at Henderson but the amount and type of work they will undertake is unclear after the federal government selected Germany's Luerssen as its preferred designer and builder.

Engineering and construction contractor Monadelphous Group has painted a positive outlook after tough trading conditions in recent years, with the company tipping strong revenue growth in the current financial year.

Treasurer Ben Wyatt has announced details of a new gold royalty increase that is budgeted to raise $332 million over four years while seeking to address the industry concerns that killed off his previous proposal, but the new plan has failed to win support.

ATM operator Stargroup has been placed in the hands of insolvency firm KordaMentha after the loss-making company was unable to complete a restructure of its $9.1 million debt.

SPECIAL REPORT FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: The annual Business News remuneration survey has data and in-depth analysis on hundreds of WA company directors and executives. We identify the top earners, including the people who qualified for large bonuses and equity incentives, in some cases year after year. The survey also reveals a big jump in the number of WA people who earned incomes of $1 million or more last financial year.

Sodexo’s acquisition of Morris Corporation has pushed it up the ranking of big facilities management companies in Western Australia at a time when its competitors have been battling with the slowdown in large projects in the Pilbara.

A new capital markets platform that has backers from accounting firm BDO, law firm Steinepreis Paganin, and property group CrowdfundUP plans to target both traditional capital raising deals and the new field of equity crowdfunding.

Business News has successfully negotiated the strategic shifts and technology revolutions that have reshaped the publishing industry over the past quarter of a century.

Halom Investments has asked the Takeovers Panel to revise MMA Offshore’s planned $97 million capital raising, claiming the deal is designed to entrench the control held by the incumbent board.

In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss Brownes acquisition and Chinese investment, Richard Goyder, Shell exits Woodside, Stockland’s land purchase spree, domgas deal, waste to energy, and CEO remuneration.

Perth company Bombora Wave Power will proceed with construction of its first commercial sized mWave device after securing multi-million dollar backing from international renewable energy consultancy Enzen.

Two companies pursuing ambitious waste-to-energy projects in WA remain positive despite hitting problems with their original engineering partners.

Civil infrastructure work in WA is expected to stabilise at around $6.5 billion a year, underpinning renewed optimism in the sector, the Civil Contractors Federation WA has found.

A newly established company led by a group of Perth oil and gas executives aims to become a major supplier to the domestic gas market after buying the offshore Equus gas fields from US company Hess Corporation.

The private investors in sandalwood business Santanol Group, led by Tony Jack and Bob Bunning, have gained backing from litigation funder IMF Bentham for their fight against private equity group KKR.

Six projects designed to make Perth a smarter city were launched yesterday, and they comprise a very eclectic collection, from a driverless electric bus in South Perth to management of wetlands in Joondalup.

In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss stock market hits highs, renewables privatisation, Perth Stadium, Historic Heart, Perth Festival, and junior miners.

Synergy intends to develop up to 280 megawatts of renewable energy projects in WA by 2020 after the McGowan government approved plans for a private investor to acquire a majority stake in its existing wind farm and solar farm and in two new projects.

Engineering and construction contractor Civmec, which plans to list on the Australian Securities Exchange, has reported a quarterly net profit of $S3.7 million ($A3.5 million) and modest growth in its order book.

The Australian share market is at its highest level in almost 10 years, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closing 1 per cent higher today and the Western Australia-focused BN30 index jumping 1.8 per cent to a new high.

Jemma Green notched up two big achievements last month. Her company, Power Ledger, raised $34 million in Australia’s first ever ‘initial coin offering’, and she was elected deputy lord mayor of the City of Perth.

West Perth-based Phoenix Academy is using this month’s state government trade mission to China to officially open a joint venture college it has established in Shanghai.

In this Business News podcast Mark Beyer and Mark Pownall discuss business failures, Hancock's $1 billion profit, UWA's $450 million deal, Pilbara mine camp merger, taxi levy, and commercial constr