Mark Beyer

The March quarter was a quiet period for M&A transactions in WA, although the deals that were announced attracted their fair share of controversy. Click through to see details on 78 WA deals worth $2.4 billion.

Woodside Petroleum has completed the purchase of Apache Corporation’s interests in the Wheatstone and Balnaves projects, as speculation continues over the ownership of Apache’s remaining Australian assets.

Patent attorney and software developer Thomas Haines has struck a deal with Sydney company IPH to sell his data analysis businesses for $8 million, but plans to continue running the operation from Perth.

One of the state’s largest Aboriginal contractors is seeking to establish a joint venture with the Republic of Guinea, to work on Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore mines and its planned Simandou mine.

Emeco Holdings has postponed the $75 million purchase of truck rental business Rentco, as it seeks to address criticism of the deal from some of its biggest shareholders.

US energy giant Chevron is narrowing its Australian focus onto its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas projects, by selling its $5 billion stake in Caltex Australia and exiting an onshore gas project wh

Greater scrutiny by corporate regulators of backdoor listings on the ASX is not slowing the flow of new transactions, with six Western Australian companies announcing transformational deals in the past fortnight.

Intense competition among the state’s three major brick manufacturers means prices are lower now than they were six years ago, despite record levels of building activity.

Perth entrepreneur Zhenya Tsvetnenko has announced plans for a backdoor listing of his online advertising business Mpire Media, two months after an earlier, more generous deal was terminated.

KPMG has secured backing from more than a dozen major businesses for its Energise technology accelerator, which will provide financial and in-kind support to eight startup businesses servicing the energy and resources sector.

Windward Resources has taken advantage of a recent spike in its share price to raise $6 million to fund exploration at its Fraser Range nickel-copper projects.

Blue chip mineral sands miner Iluka Resources and small biotech Sun Biomedical are as different as chalk and cheese; but what they share, apart from a Perth base, is a willingness to invest in Western Australia’s emerging technology ‘accelerator’ programs.

Multinational oil and gas service providers have set up in WA for the long haul, as the state searches for the best way to enhance its competitive advantage.

The energy and education sectors are going through a paradigm shift and businesses must adapt if they want to survive, let alone prosper, some of WA’s most successful entrepreneurs told Business News.

Founder and minority shareholder of iiNet, Michael Malone, has emerged as another critic of the $1.4 billion agreed takeover of his former company, as chairman Michael Smith sought to defend the deal with rival TPG Telecom.

Perth franchise group Quick Colour Print has gone into liquidation, adding to a string of Western Australian business collapses this month, including two substantial construction contractors and a

Global technology company Cisco has announced plans to invest $US15 million over five years in an ‘internet of everything’ innovation centre in Australia, with locations at Curtin University in Bentley and in Sydney.

The corporate watchdog is threatening to come down hard on payday lenders as a report shows the industry remains rife with questionable lending practices.

BHP Billiton is promoting its spin-off company South32 as a diversified business with high quality assets, sufficient cash flow to support healthy dividends and a strong balance sheet able to fund new investments.

The state’s peak business group believes the MAX light rail project and the Perth Airport rail link are prime examples of poor infrastructure planning in Western Australia, as it repeated calls for an independent advisory body to guide decision-making.

Mining and civil contractor Brierty has become just the sixth organisation nationally and the first in its industry to obtain the top ‘Elevate’ ranking for its Reconciliation Action Plan.

Salaries for newly-appointed chief executives at WA-listed companies were down by 20 per cent from the levels prevailing last year, research by Business News has found. Click through to see salary packages for 77 WA chief executives.

This year’s First Amongst Equals winner is a passionate medical specialist, but he’s also a visionary entrepreneur who has a lot in common with successful business leaders.

OZ Minerals has sold its 19.2 per cent shareholding in copper miner Sandfire Resources in a transaction worth $125 million.

Four Perth tech stocks are set to join the All Ordinaries Index, highlighting the tentative emergence of new industries.

Sydney-based TPG Telecom and its competitor iiNet scored a rare double today after announcing a friendly takeover offer, with shares in both the bidder and its Subiaco-based target rising strongly as investors welcomed the combination as a logical strategic fit.

Phil Byrne has resigned as managing director of Nido Petroleum, after presiding over two transactions that transformed the Philippines-focused oil producer.

The companies that run Melbourne’s trams and the Gold Coast’s privately owned light rail service are set to enter the Western Australian market after buying one of Perth’s major bus operators.

Asset sales, cost cutting and restructuring are under way across WA, creating opportunities for professional services firms. Click through to see details of more than 30 privatisation deals in WA, from 1961 to the present day.

Carna Group has been placed into administration after revealing it is fighting the owners of the Griffin coal mine for payment for work done prior to walking off the Collie mine last year.

Fitzroy Resources is set for big changes after winning backing from prominent Perth investors Tony Grist and Rod Jones.

PKF Lawler has shot into the ranks of Western Australia’s top 10 accounting firms after merging with Subiaco-based Barringtons.