Mark Beyer

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

The team behind Western Australian success story Aurora Oil & Gas has quietly completed a $24 million private placement, the first capital raising for their new oil and gas play, three months after acquiring their first assets in Portugal.

This week, Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss markets turmoil, Aldi in Perth, property prices, some interesting new listings, conventions and conferences.

A Perth-based online gaming company that has raised $14.6 million from private investors is pursuing a stockmarket float after reporting spectacular growth in revenue.

Listed sandalwood producer TFS Corporation and China-backed Kimberley Agricultural Investment have been selected as the preferred proponents to develop 5,000 hectares in the Ord River irrigation area.

The proportion of Perth homes sold at a loss hit a three-year high in the September quarter, with owners of CBD apartments the most likely to incur a loss

Shares in Structural Monitoring Systems recorded big gains today after the Claremont-based company announced breakthrough agreements with The Boeing Corporation and the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.

The state government has flagged more asset sales after its mid-year budget update confirmed deepening financial problems, with the annual deficit worse than expected and state debt tipped to reach an unprecedented $39 billion.

WA ministers hold growing influence in the federal government under Malcolm Turnbull.

Experienced investors such as Gavin Rezos and Tony Grist have shone brightly as the technology sector has attracted growing interest.

SPECIAL REPORT: One of the few positives in a tough year for business was the gold sector, and at the forefront was Northern Star Resources, under the leadership of Bill Beament.

The planned sale of Fremantle Ports is getting more complex amid uncertainty on the Perth Freight Link and the outer harbour development.

Strathearn Insurance Brokers has become the second big player in the sector to change hands this year, after US-based Arthur J Gallagher acquired the Perth firm for an estimated $60 million.

This week we discuss US interest rates, housing prices, privatisations, Roe 8 and find out our choice of Person of the Year?

Perth conservationist Harry Butler has been praised for his work as a community educator and a partner with industry, after passing away on Friday following a lengthy illness.

This week we discuss the continuing weakness in commodity markets, and the local impacts from that, and the legal fallout from post-boom disputes, innovation and startups, Perron Group and residential home building.

Recent annual meetings have failed to resolve long-running divisions at two of WA's most important Aboriginal corporations.

Woodside Petroleum and its joint venture partners have given the go-ahead to a $2 billion subsea development at the North West Shelf Project off the Pilbara coast.

The liquidators of failed engineering contractor Forge Group have gained financial backing to pursue a claim worth about $200 million against Forge's former major shareholder.

Stan Perron's vast private business group has reported a solid lift in revenue and profit, with strong returns from land development projects and international equities offsetting write-downs on the Central Park office tower and its iron ore royalties.

Iluka Resources has terminated its long-running takeover discussions with Ireland-based Kenmare Resources, after being advised that Kenmare's major shareholder would not support the planned acquisition.

SPECIAL REPORT: Newly appointed chief executives in Western Australia are mostly receiving lower salaries than their predecessors, but retaining plenty of upside through incentive schemes, a survey of nearly 40 new CEO pay packages has found.

SPECIAL REPORT: The 2015 CEO salary survey has some surprising names near the top of the list while some of the state's best chief executives are unexpectedly low down.