Mark Beyer

The wave of backdoor listings on the ASX has delivered nearly $90 million of extra capital to the tech sector in Western Australia, but the trend hasn’t all been positive, research by Business News has found.

Wesfarmers has acquired a 13.7 per cent shareholding in Quadrant Energy, less than three weeks after the oil and gas producer was established as an independent company.

The independent directors of Energy Resources of Australia have quit after a disagreement with major shareholder Rio Tinto over the future of its Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory.

Narembeen is typical of many small Wheatbelt towns confronting challenges with an array of business and community development initiatives.

The Wheatbelt region faces significant growth challenges, but it’s home to a surprising mix of old and new businesses. Click through to see more on our business in the Wheatbelt feature.

The Wirlu-murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation has continued to benefit from being one of Fortescue Metals Group’s preferred indigenous partners, having joined with Thiess to win an $85 million contract in the Pilbara.

Having built acQuire Technology Solutions into an international success, Bill Withers is starting a venture to help others learn from the experiences of his employee-owned business.

With the takeovers of iiNet and Amcom Telecommunications heading into the final stretch, the investment bankers and other advisers that worked on these deals will be looking forward to a very handy pay day of more than $40 million.

The government has announced the introduction of a simplified international student visa framework, which involves reducing the number of visa sub-classes from eight to two, to boost Australia's international education sector.

THE launch this month of independent oil and gas producer Quadrant Energy has underlined the big role private equity investors play in Western Australia, owning more than a dozen major businesses a

One of WA’s largest Aboriginal corporations has been sharply divided as it seeks to deal with the impact of plunging iron ore revenue.

Five national businesses have been awarded contracts to continue the roll-out of the National Broadband Network, with project company nbn saying the new performance-based contracts are a marked departure from past practice.

Macquarie Capital’s Kate Vidgen has been named as the inaugural chair of newly formed oil and gas company Quadrant Energy, which will have six directors representing its three owners – Macquarie, Brookfield Asset Management and Angela Bennett’s AMB Holdings.

There has been a significant re-ranking of insolvency firms in WA, with some relatively new brands winning market share from the big players.

With apprenticeship completion rates below 30 per cent in some industries, the business sector is continuing to push for reforms to vocational education and training.

A looming shortage of skilled technicians in the oil and gas industry is the latest opportunity local business Blue Tongue is planning to tackle.

Everyone wants the vocational education and training system to be simpler and more responsive to the market’s needs; can Liza Harvey and Jim Walker deliver? Click through to see more on our Apprentices and Training feature.

Adelaide-based York Civil has won its fourth substantial project in Western Australia since opening its Perth office in 2012, after teaming up with an Italian contractor new to the WA market to win

Australia has lost one of the most colourful and controversial figures in the nation's corporate and sporting history with the death of Alan Bond after open heart surgery.

WA needs more artistic and cultural attractions that are unique to the state, and less bureaucracy, to achieve its potential as a tourism destination, industry players have told Business News.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has retained her place as Australia's wealthiest person in the BRW rich list, but her wealth will take a hit of up to $5 billion after her eldest daughter was awarded control of a family trust following a long-running legal battle.

Helping small business is turning into a bigger business for a handful of service providers selected to run the state government’s SME advisory network, which is about to go through a large and, in places, contentious restructure.

Three Perth industrial businesses, including Fero Group and Hofmann Engineering, are set to invest more than $40 million in new manufacturing facilities after securing federal government grants.

National engineering group UGL and WA-based bulk fuel distributor Great Southern Fuel Supplies have struck agreements with BP to operate and maintain some of the petroleum giant's facilities.

The popularity of Busselton as a residential base for FIFO workers has contributed to solid growth in house prices in the South West city, which is now a more expensive place to buy a home than Karratha, where property values continue to plummet.

A federal government move to set itself targets for indigenous procurement has met with a disappointed response from established contractors, with one critic labelling it as ‘smoke and mirrors’.

Andrew and Nicola Forrest are recognised as two of Western Australia’s most prominent philanthropists, but recent developments in Canberra show their influence on social policy continues to spread.

Social impact bonds could deliver more money and market discipline to the not-for-profit sector.

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest says Brazilian iron ore giant Vale is a responsible producer, on the same day that Roy Hill Holdings chief executive Barry Fitzgerald warned about the impact of Vale’s rapid expansion.

Woodside Petroleum has provided some telling insights into how it plans to achieve $800 million in productivity gains by the end of next year; as well as chopping 600 jobs, it has slashed the number of vendors supplying its Australian business from 3,000 to 800.

Just days after it strongly criticised plans for a new medical school at Curtin University, the Australian Medical Association is again at odds with the state government, this time over a restructuring of Healthway.

The war of words over a proposed parliamentary inquiry into the iron ore industry escalated today, with BHP Billiton saying it would send a "terrible signal" to Australia's trading partners, while the main supporter of an inquiry claimed he had been misrepresented.