Tom Zaunmayr joined Business News in 2023 as a senior journalist, covering state politics, resources (iron ore), Aboriginal affairs, regional development and agriculture.
He spent the past decade covering news in regional WA where he developed a passion for local and state politics, regional development, small business, Aboriginal affairs, human interest and anything Pilbara related.
Mr Zaunmayr spent five years in Karratha during one of the biggest periods of transition for the Pilbara town before moving to Kalgoorlie during COVID to take on a role as deputy editor of WA's only daily regional newspaper.
From there, he moved back above the 26th parallel as Seven West Media's Northern Papers editor based in Broome, and did a stint as editor of the National Indigenous Times.
The Yindjibarndi Nation has criticised the WA government for siding with Fortescue in a long-running compensation fight which was decided in the native title party's favour this week.
The backers of Australia's largest proposed green energy hubs are planning on plugging up to 9.4 gigawatts of data centre capacity into the project and are promising to do so at a low cost.
The boss of a Pilbara native title group has hailed a landmark compensation verdict as a win for Indigenous rights, while expressing disappointment at other elements of the judgement.
A power offtake deal signed by iron ore miner Rio Tinto will underpin construction of Australia's first Indigenous-backed large renewable energy project in the Pilbara.
A Pilbara native title group wants Rio Tinto to commit to a date to cease water abstraction from a waterway and launch a probe into damage to the system.
A long-running feud between Fortescue and the Yindjibarndi people will reach its close next week, with the miner or state government potentially on the hook for billions of dollars in compensation for damaging country without consent.
A plant to test the viability of processing Western Australian iron ore using cleaner furnace technology has been submitted to the state's environmental watchdog.
Fortescue is laying the groundwork for a major green iron plant in the Pilbara backed by hydrogen to be produced by as much as 6 gigawatts of renewable energy.
The descendant of a Pilbara Strike leader has laid down a challenge for miners to lift royalty payments and help native title holders build their own mines.
Mark Pownall, Tom Zaunmayr and Claire Tyrrell discuss the big events of the week in WA business and politics, spanning gas tax speculation, renewable energy, lithium's contradictions, Perth house prices, and more.
Australia's window to build a green iron industry is at risk as China and Middle East muscle into the burgeoning sector, according to a national clean energy thinktank.
A deal struck between a junior mining firm and Victorian company could see iron ore smelting take place at a former Mineral Resources mine in the Pilbara this year.
A Singaporean real estate investment trust has splashed $28 million on a Port Hedland apartment block one week after entering the Pilbara with its first acquisition in Karratha.
Mark Pownall, Jack McGinn, Tom Zaunmayr and Claire Tyrrell discuss Woodside's AGM, BHP-China impasse ending, exploration costs reprieve, Fortescue's green power play and more.