Mark Beyer

Diversified contractor AusGroup has shocked the market with a $69.8 million quarterly loss, admitting it has been forced to write off long-standing contractual claims in order to boost its cash reserves.

OTOC has reported a strong rise in revenue and earnings for the six months to December 2015, helped by its acquisition of three east coast surveying firms and two big contracts in its infrastructure contracting arm.

This week we discuss tough markets, the sports stadium, Woosha, Moody’s downgrade, asset sales, Rio Tinto and mining services.

Two of Perth’s largest architecture and design firms, Hames Sharley and Cameron Chisholm Nicol, have expanded by recruiting the founders and staff of two smaller Perth practices.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has reported an $US866 million ($A1.2 billion) annual loss, and has responded by cutting its future dividends, operating costs and capital spending, though the long-planned Silvergrass mine in the Pilbara is shaping up as one of the company's few big projects to proceed.

There is little immediate prospect of the state government expanding its current $5 billion asset sales program, despite Premier Colin Barnett seeming to flirt with the possibility this week.

Fourteen years after being founded in Perth, equipment hire company Access Group Australia is taking on the big players in the Sydney market.

The owners of egg producer Golden Egg Farms are set to reap a big profit after striking a deal with apartment developer Finbar Group for a $109 million project in Palmyra.

The state government is facing a period of tough negotiations with Perth’s AFL clubs over access to the new Perth Stadium after rejecting a bid by the WA Football Commission to be involved in running the venue.

This week we discuss the state of the markets, further resources shakeouts, home prices, a new hotel for Perth, office vacancies and we look at ports and transport.

The long-running saga of the Windimurra vanadium project has taken a new turn, with listed company Atlantic pitching a low-ball offer to buy the $560 million development from one of its own subsidiaries.

Bayswater company Resource Recovery Solutions has become the largest processor of construction waste in Western Australia after buying out a facility from a major competitor, as the government finalises an incentive scheme designed to lift the state’s poor record in recycling.

Melbourne-based PSC Insurance Group has put a value of $7.7 million on the Western Australian arm of Australian Reliance, after announcing today it was buying the insurance broking group in multiple phases.

SPECIAL REPORT: The planned redevelopment of the Shenton Park hospital site will add to a string of LandCorp projects boosting residential land supply in the western suburbs.

This week we discuss the rich list, mining cutbacks, Elizabeth Quay, trucking, and we look at land development.

Construction is set to start on a boutique property development in Craigie that will deliver independent, accessible accommodation villas to people with disabilities.

The new chief executive of Western Australia’s oldest company, and one of the state’s biggest trucking and logistics operators, believes there are growth opportunities across most parts of the business despite the downturn in mining and resources.

After five consecutive years at the top of Forbes Australia's rich list, mining magnate Gina Rinehart is no longer Australia's wealthiest person.

This week we discuss oil and gas write-downs, City of Perth CEO, hardware, Shenton Park redevelopment, government infrastructure, and we look at how private schools are faring in this economy.

The state government plans to appeal last month’s shock Supreme Court ruling that overturned approval of the Roe 8 highway project, while also announcing it intends to proceed with a new environmental review of the project.

Beach Energy and Santos are the latest Australian oil and gas companies to flag big write-downs, with Beach announcing late today it would cut capital spending and make impairment charges of up to $650 million.

The state government is targeting construction of at least 1,100 new dwellings on the Shenton Park hospital site, with developments ranging from two-storey townhouses to nine-storey apartment buildings.

Western Australia’s highest paid mining contractor is set to lose that title, after NRW Holdings joined most of its peers in cutting the salary of its chief executive by 40 per cent.

Regis Resources’ return to good financial health has been confirmed with the declaration of an interim dividend, with the WA gold miner also today announcing changes to its management team.

SPECIAL REPORT: Livestock exporter Wellard has had a rocky start to life as a listed company after completing Western Australia’s second-largest capital raising of 2015, and the state’s sixth-largest initial public offerings of all time. Wellard’s $299 million IPO was one of the few high points of 2015, when a lack of mining deals led a sharp slide in overall capital raising activity.

SPECIAL REPORT: Funding for WA’s tech sector is much healthier than a recent government-backed report concluded, research by Business News has found.

SPECIAL REPORT: Local firms Azure Capital and Hartleys punched above their weight in 2015 in what was a lucrative year for a handful of top corporate advisers in WA. Click through to see which corporate advisers, lawyers and brokers managed 470 M&A and capital raising deals.

This week Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss apartments, Aurora gas team, Wesfarmers buy, more troubles for iron ore, the Palace Hotel, and the big deals of the past year.

Australian Reliance has become the third major insurance broker in Western Australia to change hands in the space of five months, with newly listed company PSC Insurance Group agreeing to buy the Perth-based group.

Stockbroker Andrew Frazer is planning to keep together his 12-strong team in Perth and Sydney, after current backer GMP Securities announced a major restructuring of its international operations.

Perth-based conglomerate Wesfarmers is poised to make its first major move outside Australasia, offering $A700 million to acquire the Homebase home improvement chain in the UK and revealing plans to develop a new Bunnings-branded business in that market.

Metals X has waived a minimum acceptance condition on its $68 million takeover bid for Aditya Birla Minerals after lifting its holding in the copper miner to 18.24 per cent, less than previously di