Special Reports

Social Ventures Australia has secured backing from three philanthropic foundations established by prominent businesspeople in Perth for the first venture in a new innovative local fund.

SPECIAL REPORT: There’s no doubt the boom has come to an end, but plenty of opportunities and projects remain in play.

SPECIAL REPORT: The people who lead Western Australia’s universities agree the sector faces enormous change, with emerging technology and potential new entrants among the biggest challenges.

SPECIAL REPORT: The opening last month of a WA-backed college in China, and the visit this week by a high-powered WA delegation to Indonesia, highlight the state’s renewed focus on the multi-billion dollar international education market.

Training and employment schemes targeting indigenous workers are slowly gaining traction.

SPECIAL REPORT: WA’s big construction companies are going through a transition phase, following the end of a major building boom.

SPECIAL REPORT: The state government is pursuing major reforms to the training sector, at a time when national data on traineeships and apprenticeships tells a surprising story for WA.

SPECIAL REPORT: The number of hostile takeover bids confronting Australian companies may be relatively low, but disruption from sources such as activist groups and shareholder class actions is a growing challenge for directors.

SPECIAL REPORT: Tox Free Solutions has completed nearly 20 takeovers on its way to becoming a national player in the waste management sector.

SPECIAL REPORT: A flurry of deals over the past fortnight, including four acquisitions by international companies expanding in Western Australia and the year's largest capital raising, has added life to a flat corporate finance market. 

Special Report: The head of Japanese company Inpex’s Australian operations says Australia remains a very attractive investment destination, and has suggested the company’s Ichthys project could be expanded when conditions are right.

SPECIAL REPORT: Western Australia’s next major greenfields liquefied natural gas project could be a decade away after Woodside last month decided against further progressing its Browse floating LNG facility.

SPECIAL REPORT: Business News CEO and online entrepreneur, Charlie Gunningham, analyses the social media influence of the political and business elite. 

SPECIAL REPORT: In order to fully understand where political power lies in Western Australia, it’s necessary to recognise the role of low-profile powerbrokers such as Carolyn Smith and Nick Goiran.

SPECIAL REPORT: The number of women serving on company boards is slowly one the rise, but it’s still rare to see a female take the chair, judging by Business News’s analysis of Western Australian company directors.

SPECIAL REPORT: There has been a major shift in business influence in WA amid waning international investment and, with two elections on the way, there is a prospect of even bigger changes in political influence. Click through to see our listing of WA's most infliential leaders in politics and business.

John van Bockxmeer has been named a 40under40 finalist for his commitment to creating healthier WA communities. He has also been recognised with the Inspiring Possibilities award. 

Esther Oh wants to deepen Australia’s economic relationship with our nearest neighbours.

Jade Lewis’s program to help female offenders gain employment, overcome stigma and resist temptation is now being expanded into a social enterprise.

Anthony Janssen has had a relatively short but eventful business career, with some stumbles on his way to building the successful Margaret River Hospitality Group.

Creating an apartments juggernaut has been all about good timing and sticking to a strategy for the head of the 2016 40under40 cohort.

SPECIAL REPORT: The ubiquitous influence of the internet in modern business has brought an uptick in investment in Perth’s data storage capacity, and into new high-speed subsea cables.

SPECIAL REPORT: Garden products manufacturer Richgro has marked its centenary by completing a major capital project that adds a new dimension to the business.

SPECIAL REPORT: Having faced intense competition for much of the past decade, an innovative manufacturing plant backed by timber industry veteran Denis Cullity is starting to deliver good returns.

SPECIAL REPORT: Swimming pool manufacturer Aquatic Leisure Technologies is pursuing increased interstate and overseas sales from its new factory at Jandakot.

SPECIAL REPORT: How does a tech startup in Northbridge backed by a mining consultancy in West Perth manage to secure work on the world’s largest privately funded infrastructure project, in Nicaragua? Business News profiles how CSA Global, Lycopodium, OTOC and PwC have chased diversification strategies.

Special report: A subsidiary of global banking giant Goldman Sachs is backing a local private equity player to develop a freight hub near Bullsbrook, in anticipation of increased freight movements connected with the state government’s Northlink WA project.

Special Report: Falling commodity prices have led some mining contractors to circle the wagons, but others are cautiously targeting opportunities.

SPECIAL REPORT: Amid controversy surrounding Roe 8 and the privatisation of Fremantle Port, a shift to an outer harbour in Cockburn Sound is a question of when, not if, according to proponents.

SPECIAL REPORT: The planned redevelopment of the Shenton Park hospital site will add to a string of LandCorp projects boosting residential land supply in the western suburbs.

SPECIAL REPORT: Slowing population growth and a stalling economy are producing significant headwinds in the residential land sector.

A faltering economy and an increase in the number of people leaving the state compared with arrivals has failed to halt growth in enrolments at both local Catholic and other private schools, and public schools.