Mark Pownall

Western Australia continues to dominate motor vehicle sales growth among the states, with year-to-date sales to the end of October up more than 10 per cent to 9,591 when compared to the same period in 2005.

Western Australia quietly lost yet another cooperative in recent weeks, with the decision by automotive parts distributor Capricorn Society to become an unlisted public company.

An increase in the number of air travellers has helped keep Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd flying high this year, but property deals have provided the thrust for the Perth Airport owner to record a bumper net profit of $17.3 million, triple the pr

Just in case anyone mistakes my cynicism last week about daylight saving suddenly having emerged on the political agenda, it was the process, not the outcome, I was commenting on.

More air travellers have helped keep Westralia Airports Corporation Pty Ltd flying high this year but property deals have provided the thrust for the Perth Airport owner to record a bumper net profit of $17.3 million, triple the previous year's result.

The wine business has bruised more than a few entrepreneurs in recent years but it certainly didn’t dissuade the Rathbone family from stepping across the Nullarbor to claim their own piece of Margaret River.

Daylight saving is an issue that I welcome back onto the agenda, even if I am deeply suspicious about how it has suddenly woken from its coma after more than a decade on drip-feed.

Amcom Telecommunications Ltd has signalled its desire to be a major player in a likely consolidation of the junior telco sector, securing a further $30 million from major shareholder Futuris Corporation Ltd.

One of Western Australia's biggest advertising accounts, the $5 million-a-year Water Corporation, has changed hands, with 303 winning the account off The Brand Agency.

A meeting last year of old business partners looking for an asset that would benefit from some new oil and gas technology was the spark for a new corporate finance consortium that emerged behind two deals last week.

Fremantle is fast emerging as the brewing capital of WA, with a brace of beer-linked market activity including this week’s move by Perth-based Empire Beer Group Ltd to fund two developments in the port precinct through a $10 million float plan.

There’s an air of mystery around the giant Gorgon project at moment.

Observant readers might have noted that my regular column was absent last week.

Island-based resorts are something of a Queensland specialty in Australia, but one West Perth-based group is hoping to be at a key player in developing this sector in this state.

In keeping with WA Business News’ mission to help business grow, the newspaper is delighted to introduce another international columnist to complement our locally focused news and features.

There is a significant debate at the moment about whether we should reserve natural gas for domestic use.

West Perth wine producer Palandri Ltd has suspended trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investments Market, citing issues with internal group transactions and warning that interest costs may hit net proft.

Perth seems an unlikely place for the development of tools to manage a globally ubiquitous product such as Microsoft Outlook, but by some coincidence two local firms have based their time management solutions around this common software.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh highlighted the role of collaboration and communication in achieving business success in his address to a recent WA Business News Success and Leadership function.

The internet may have revolutionised information access, but email has gone one step further in the way it has broken down traditional hierarchies, offering almost unfettered access to all.

Email has changed the way we communicate at work and in our personal lives, but the technology has also given rise to problems, particularly in the office. WA Business News looks at the issues to be overcome and how WA businesses are going about it.

This week’s cover story was a bit of a personal one for me.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh delivered a thought provoking presentation this morning with a central theme around business success being built on collaboration and communication.

It’s on again. WA Business News and its partners are seeking WA’s fastest-growing, private companies for the annual Rising Stars awards.

The need to deregulate shopping hours and liquor licensing have been placed at the top of a long list of Western Australia’s failings when it comes to providing a competitive environment for commerce, according to the state’s peak business body.

It’s easy to be relaxed about change when it doesn’t really affect you.

One of the big questions going around is whether Western Australia is heading for yet another one of its cyclical busts or if, just maybe, the state is going to snub its nose at history.

Perth-based RSG Global Consulting Pty Ltd has been acquired by ASX-listed Coffey International Ltd in a deal worth almost $16 million which continues the rationalisation of mining services in Western Australia.

The federal government’s announcement that the next tranche of Telstra is to be sold is good news.

The Brand Agency has scotched rumours of a buyout by big stakeholder, STW Group Ltd.

It is no doubt an exciting time for Western Australian exporters, with the state exporting $47.35 billion worth of commodities and goods in the year ending June 30, reflecting growth of 21.9 per cent from the previous corresponding period.

Conservative thinker and self-described true market liberal, Dr Mike Nahan has returned to live in Perth with plans to get involved in Western Australian policy at what he believes is a critical time in the state’s development.