Staff Reporters

The Australian Mines and Metals Association has welcomed the appointment of Leigh Johns as the new Commissioner of the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Pindan managing director George Allingame has been appointed chair of the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health.

Aurora Biofuels, Green Rock Energy and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are set to share in $8 million in state government funding for new low emission energy projects.

Prominent geologist Mark Creasy has purchased 600 million unlisted options in gold explorer Sirius Resources from Apex Minerals.

Sales of new homes have fallen for the fourth month in a row, prompting a peak housing construction organisation to warn of the risk to the industry if interest rates are pushed up too soon.

Atlantic has appointed Michael Marriott as the chief executive officer of its wholly owned subsidiary Midwest Vanadium.

Shares in Crescent Gold have closed slightly higher after the company announced a large increase in its gold reserves at its Laverton project.

Junior oil and gas explorer Apollo Gas has agreed to a $145 million takeover offer by coal seam gas project developer and Arrow Energy-spin off Dart Energy.

An issues paper on the minerals resource rent tax is expected to be released soon ahead of the first meeting of the federal government's Policy Transition Group in Perth in nine days time.

Perth-based gold explorer Burey Gold has announced plans for a $6 million share placement and hopes to use the funds raised to carry out exploration across the company's mineral properties in West Africa.

Perth-based Central Petroleum has conditionally raised $19.35 million through a placement and an underwritten share purchase plan.

Gold explorer Alchemy Resources has intersected wide intervals of gold mineralisation during an eight-hole RC drilling program at its Magnus Copper-Gold project in the Murchison.

Perth broker State One's online trading service, Amscot Discount Stockbroking has won two awards at the AFR Smart Investor Blue Ribbon awards.

Treasurer Wayne Swan said Australia was on track to deliver a budget surplus in 2012-13, showing that Australia's budget is in far better condition than those of comparable nations.

Kerry O'Brien, host of ABC's 7.30 Report, has announced he will leave the program to take on a new role at the national broadcaster.

Former Fremantle Dockers ruckman Justin Longmuir has joined the coaching staff of cross-town rivals West Coast Eagles.

Jim Thomson from Kalgoorlie-based Outback Energy Supply has received the "People's Choice" award for 2010 for the invention "Outback Power Pack" on the Grand Final episode of the ABC New Inventors program.

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, said it had cleared the first US regulatory hurdle in its bid for Canadian company Potash Corp of Saskatchewan.

Dynasty Metals Australia has secured a strategic tenement in the Mt Newman iron ore district.

Rio Tinto will invest $US230 million ($242.63 million) to increase capacity at its Dampier Port facility by five million tonnes per annum, taking it to 230 Mt/a by the first quarter of 2012.

BHP Billiton has approved the development of the $US1.5 billion ($A1.57 billion) Macedon gas field off the coast of Exmouth in Western Australia.

Robert Branchi will retire from the board of Automotive Holdings Group (AHG) on 19 November, 2010, to be replaced by former Macquarie Bank executive David Griffiths.

Leighton Contractors has won an $800 million contract to deliver civil and construction works for the Gorgon LNG project.

Canadian company Salares Lithium and Perth-based Talison Litium have completed the plan of arrangement for the merger of the companies.

West Perth-based Beadell Resources has agreed to sell the iron ore royalty for it Amapa project in Brazil to Anglo Pacific for $31.25 million.

Higher gas prices and increased competition in WA, combined with land supply constraints nationally have eroded the performance of brick and tile manufacturer Brickworks.

A report by former deputy premier Hendy Cowan on the future of Muresk education institution has recommended the facility is expanded to include TAFE.

Talga Gold has started drilling at its flagship high grade Talga Talga project east of Port Hedland.

Paynes Find Gold has opened its $8 million initial public offering ahead of commencing a targeted drilling program in an effort to fast track the company's mine development and production.

Two West Australian farmers from vastly different parts of the state have taken out the top honours at the inaugural Australian Farmer of the Year Awards.

Lithium producer Galaxy Resources has announced its project loan facility has been fully drawn.

Signature Metals hopes to raise $13.4 million through a rights issue and a placement to accelerate the exploration and development of its Konongo Gold Project in Ghana.