Tayler Neale

Shares in Galileo Mining, which is backed by Mark Creasy and Chris Ellison, have closed up strongly on their first day of trading after the company raised $15 million via an initial public offering.

New Century Resources has awarded a mining services contract to an indigenous joint venture as part of what the company claims to be an Australian-first agreement with traditional owners.

Two local gold miners have announced equity investments in junior explorers today, with Resolute Mining investing $22.5 million in Canadian company Orca Gold while Westgold Resources has taken a 15 per cent stake in Musgrave Minerals.

Independence Group has agreed to sell its Jaguar base metals operation near Leonora for $73.2 million to diversified investment company Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has approved development of its Eliwana mine and rail project in the Pilbara, which has an estimated $US1.28 billion ($1.7 billion) capital cost.

Iron ore maganates Gina Rinehart and Andrew Forrest remain in the top 10 of the nation’s wealthiest people, according to the 2018 AFR Rich List, which included 20 Western Australians out of 200 people listed this year.

A new class action has been launched today against embattled sandalwood producer Quintis, along with its former managing director Frank Wilson and the company’s auditor EY.

Wesfarmers has sold its struggling Homebase business for a nominal sum, with managing director Rob Scott confirming the UK hardware company has cost the conglomerate about $1.3 billion.

Perth-based Cash Converters International has made a $650,000 settlement payment in relation to concerns over its debt collection practices, as the company transitions the process to a specialist third party.

Caravel Minerals has announced the resignation of its entire board today, while the outgoing directors have agreed to withdraw legal proceedings against incoming director Alasdair Cooke.

Perth company Fleetcare will more than double the number of vehicles it provides to the state government after securing a new sole supplier contract, after previously sharing the work with ASX-listed SG Fleet Group.

BGC Contracting has announced personnel cuts within its Perth head office as part of a restructure that will also move its mining chief operating officer to Brisbane as the company shifts its focus to the east coast.

The Perth property market has recorded an increase in the price of new land sold and strong growth in land under construction in the March quarter, however annual data in a new report out today shows the market still has a long way to fully recover.

Esperance-based FGS Contracting and a company director have been fined more than $300,000 over the serious injuries sustained by one of the company's workers in 2016.

Former Business News 40under40 winner Sally Capp has been elected as Melbourne’s lord mayor, joining a growing list of past winners who have gone on to bigger things since claiming the award.

Rio Tinto’s autonomous train program at its iron ore operations is one step closer to full implementation after it received approval from the National Rail Safety Regulator.

Bibra Lake-based Minetec has been awarded a $9.5 million contract to supply BHP’s Olympic Dam mine in South Australia with an underground fleet management system, while the tech firm’s parent company, Codan, has posted a profit upgrade.

The state government has announced a partnership with Qantas that will provide discounted airfares for flights to Broome in an effort to boost regional tourism.

Despite adding 8,300 jobs in April, Western Australia has retained the highest unemployment rate in the country, according to latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Kidman Resources has signed a three-year offtake agreement with Tesla for the supply of lithium hydroxide, less than two weeks after announcing Kwinana as the site for a new lithium refinery.

There has been a big increase this year in the number of ASX-listed companies, primarily junior explorers in WA, forced to retract announcements.

The $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund has finalised its second deal, providing nearly $30 million to a barramundi farm in the Northern Territory, two weeks after chair Sharon Warburton stepped down.

Shell Australia chair Zoe Yujnovich told today’s APPEA conference the oil and gas industry needed to be more active in defending its record, as protesters came together outside the Adelaide conference.

Shares in Automotive Holdings Group slumped today after the company flagged challenging market conditions and a drop in retail margins due to regulatory changes.

Austal has announced a $US30 million ($40 million) expansion of its commercial shipbuilding operations across three sites, including a $6 million upgrade at Henderson, days after the company was left out of the contract to build Australia’s new offshore patrol vessels.

Seven Group Holdings has upgraded its full-year earnings guidance, after the company said it was performing above expectations due to strength in the mining industry and east coast infrastructure a

Dale Alcock’s ABN Group has recruited former Arrium managing director Andrew Roberts as its chief executive, while announcing Bankwest as its new banking partner, after nearly 40 years with ANZ.

Shares in Sipa Resources soared today after the company announced a joint venture agreement with mining giant Rio Tinto at the junior explorer’s Kitgum-Pader base metals project in northern Uganda.

Iron ore-focused NSL Consolidated has tapped investors for $10 million to fund an expansion of its Kurnool wet beneficiation plant in India.

Carnarvon Petroleum has boosted its coffers with a $16 million capital raising to fund drilling at its Buffalo oil field in the North West Shelf, while also announcing a share purchase plan to raise up to $4 million.

The McGowan government says it will set up a taskforce to investigate establishing a pilot training academy in Western Australia, after Qantas today launched a formal request for proposals from state governments across the country.

Artemis Resources has announced plans to sell its stake in Canadian joint venture partner Novo Resources for $20.7 million, with the proceeds set to be spent on exploration at the company’s conglomerate gold assets in the Pilbara.