News

The state’s organic wine market may be small but its product is in strong demand, according to local wine producers, with Blind Corner among a handful of growers planning to expand local operations and export activity.

Chinese group Citic has decided to appeal a ruling from the Supreme Court of Western Australia ordering the company to pay Clive Palmer nearly $US150 million in royalties on its Sino Iron project in the Pilbara.

The share market has posted its largest daily fall since mid-November, with the mining, energy and healthcare sectors the worst performers.

Fortescue Metals shipped less iron ore in the December quarter as it continued to lower production costs.

Building approvals in Western Australia have dropped to the lowest levels in 16 years, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, while a new housing affordability survey has labelled the Perth housing market ‘severely unaffordable’.

Perth has been selected to host 11 matches during the International Cricket Council World T20 tournament in 2020, in line with the country’s other major cities.

Local explorer De Grey Mining will proceed with a $15 million acquisition of the Indee gold project, located near Port Hedland, from private company Northwest Nonferrous Mining Australia.

Bert Giancristofaro will play to the strengths of the Jus Burgers brand after taking ownership of the business last year, with his immediate priority being store refits and fine-tuning the customer experience.

Uranium explorer Vimy Resources has released a positive definitive feasibility study for its Mulga Rock project, located east of Kalgoorlie, but the report is based on the assumption of a near tripling in the current uranium spot price by 2021.

The rise of robo investment advice will prompt those with long memories to recall what happened last time computer algorithms were used to manage investments.

Gold miners Perseus Mining, Ramelius Resources and Evolution Mining have all released positive quarterly reports today, with Ramelius upgrading its full-year guidance and Evolution confident of reaching its target comfortably.

Australian shares have opened lower dragged down by falls in energy and mining stocks and after Wall Street backed off from record levels they reached last week.

Telstra chief banks on tech-led revival

Shares in AWE jumped 16.5 per cent today after Japanese group Mitsui & Co became the third bidder for the oil and gas producer, which is the operator and half owner of the Waitsia gas field north of Perth.

Shares in medical dermatology company Botanix Pharmaceuticals, led by Perth-based chairman Graham Griffiths and executive director Matt Callahan, have jumped more than 20 per cent today after the company announced successful results from an acne patient study.

The Australian share market has closed higher after a strong lead from US stocks and with more investors looking to the share market as a potentially better alternative to property.

Perth-based Atlas Iron has repaid $20 million of debt to reduce its term loan to less than $85 million, while also continuing to pursue diversification opportunities in copper and lithium.

The end of the mining construction boom continues to cause economic pain for Western Australia but strong employment growth paints a very positive future, according to Treasurer Ben Wyatt.

The Supreme Court of Western Australia has more than doubled the penalty handed down to South Australian trucking company Cleveland Freightlines following an appeal by WorkSafe.

Commonwealth Bank has turned down the chance to signal a fresh start at the scandal-hit lender, instead promoting insider Matt Comyn to "rebuild trust" as its new chief executive.

The business community and unions may both support reducing the gender pay gap, but their divergent approaches to a solution present a stark choice for policy makers, if submissions to a review of industrial relations laws are any guide.

The increasing uptake of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies in the resources sector has led Core Skills to launch a pilot program designed for mining and energy employees.

The Australian share market is trading higher following a strong lead from Wall Street.

Pluto gas to supply WA soon

AWE has urged shareholders to take no action on a takeover offer from the state-run energy giant China Energy Reserve and Chemical Group, which remains unchanged from its initial bid of 73 cents per share, after it lodged its bidder's statement.

GR Engineering Services says it will continue to pursue legal action against Eastern Goldfields in relation to a contract for refurbishment at the miner’s Davyhurst operation, despite the Supreme Court yesterday referring the matter to arbitration.

The Australian share market has finished marginally in the red with only a resilient mining sector keeping a soft market out of deeper losses.

A group of shareholders in life sciences company eSense-Lab has requisitioned a general meeting to remove three directors, including chief executive Haim Cohen, while also seeking to appoint MMJ Phytotech managing director Andreas Gedeon and Otsana Capital founder Faldi Ismail to the board.

Gold miner Northern Star Resources expects to meet its full-year sales target despite a fall in December quarter gold sales.

Engineering and construction group Valmec has secured new contracts in the gas and infrastructure sectors worth $7 million, including work for APA Group at its Yamarna gas pipeline facility.

David Jones' South African owner Woolworths will take a $713 million write-down on the value of the department store chain as Australia's tough retail market bites harder into the business.

The Quintis story is another example of the failure of tax-driven plantation schemes to deliver for investors.