Financial Services

Rio Tinto shareholders have shown their displeasure with the miner, casting a strong protest vote against the re-election of director Rod Eddington and the company's remuneration report.

GRD's engineering subsidiary GRD Minproc has been awarded a design contract for Felix Resources' $400 million Moorlarben coal project in New South Wales.

Perth-based oil and gas explorer Buru Energy has unveiled a $41 million takeover bid by a company linked to its chairman, which has proposed to fund the offer out of Buru's cash reserves.

Engineering firm RCR Tomlinson has forecast a full-year fiscal 2009 net profit of up to $13 million as profit expectations are hit by delayed or cancelled projects.

Coles to be main act at Wesfarmers’ briefing; Forrest, China in talks over Pilbara push; Bank move on B&B holders; Inflation data in the March quarter eases the RBA; Qantas flies with Etihad deal

Balcatta-based Repcol has announced plans to invest nearly $20 million in mining services company Resource Equipment Rentals and sell its debt collection business for $350,000.

The state opposition has called for $4 million from the royalties for regions fund to be committed to the $171 million Ravensthorpe biomass energy project, which could create hundreds of jobs in the region.

The state's supply of land for home development is expected to smooth out after the government said it will reintroduce a land tax concession in next month's state budget.

Shares in Bonaparte Diamonds have risen as a second suitor, Queensland company Union Resources, enters the takeover battle.

Iluka Resources expects to pocket $77 million from the sale of its controlling stake in Queensland company Consolidated Rutile after Unimin Australia launched a $150 million takeover bid.

Shares in Anvil Mining have slipped in morning trade as the copper miner enters an underwriting deal for its $C30 million ($A34 million) capital raising.

Property taxes remain one of the biggest revenue earners for government, with the state and local governments in Western Australia raking in more than $4 billion from property taxes last financial year.

The listed entity of Costarella Design Ltd is preparing to change its activity and name after acquiring Asian Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation Ltd.

China's GDP growth has slowed to its lowest rate in almost 10 years, growing 6.1 per cent in the year to March, in further bad news for Australia's economy.

Copper miner Anvil Mining has called a trading halt while its stockbrokers seek to obtain subscriptions for a C$30 million (A$34 million) capital raising.

WA junior Emmerson Resources has entered into a landmark $28 million binding agreement with Ivanhoe Australia to fast track the discovery of potentially world-class deposits within its fully-owned tenements at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.

WITH the waiting list for public housing now at 20,000, the state government is seeking community agencies, industry groups and not-for-profit organisations to help alleviate the acute shortage of affordable housing in Western Australia.

How are political and business decisions made to achieve short-term goals of any real benefit to society?

WESTERN Australia hopes to snare a larger portion of funding in round two of the federal government's National Rental Affordability Scheme after receiving 401 homes in round one, which was announced in March.

Peter Hickson has catered to all types of people in his 40 years in the industry.

In the second part of our series on big ideas for WA, we feature FORM’s Lynda Dorrington,a passionate advocate for change.

MARKET sentiment surrounding nickel appears to be on the rise translating to higher shares prices for Western Australia's nickel miners, but it's too early to call a turnaround for the base metal.

THE gold mining industry continues to be a bright spot in Western Australia with the announcement this week of a new project and a new takeover battle.

THE state government is progressing with its plan to relocate social housing stock from high-end Perth suburbs into lower-cost suburbs In October, Treasurer Troy Buswell announced a review into Homeswest housing in wealthier suburbs, ordering the Departme

Perth planners could learn a lot from our neighbours to the north, in Singapore.

FOR more than 30 years, Habitat for Humanity has operated internationally as a non-denominational Christian community organisation with a charter to build simple, affordable and sustainable entry-level housing in partnership with low-income families.

Some hard questions still need to be answered on Chinese investment in Australia.

Governments are seeking new, innovative approaches to social housing after almost a decade of stagnation.

A PERTH charity has demonstrated it's not how much you have that counts, it's what you do with it.

THE state government has ramped up initiatives to soften the impact of job cuts in regional areas as a result of the global economic meltdown.

POLISHING his crystal ball Briefcase believes that, after such a strong bear market rally on the local and global stock markets, some pullback is likely.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA has dramatically revised down its forecasts for the state on the back of the global financial crisis, tipping the economy to contract by one per cent in the 2010 financial year.