Latest Headlines

Perth’s residential property market has come off the boil, with the Real Estate Institute of WA reporting patchy sales in the March quarter, while property analysts RP Data-Rismark said the city’s

Harvey Fresh has been acquired by Italian dairy giant Parmalat in a deal which values the Western Australian milk and fruit juice company at about $117 million.

The share market has made a better than expected start to the week, with gains in most sectors.

Having secured funding for her Roy Hill mine, Gina Rinehart’s fortunes will soon rely on something she can’t control – the iron ore price.

US stocks have surged on the back of a rebound in technology stocks, helped by Janet Yellen's assurance the Federal Reserve will continue to support the economy.

The Australian dollar has bounced after Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen made dovish remarks about the US economy's recovery.

Oil prices fell as dealers booked profits after strong gains last week fuelled by positive US economic data and tensions over Ukraine.

Former trucking boss Craig Mitchell has enlisted the help of prominent company directors and advisory firm Azure Capital to build a fast-growing network of quality service roadhouses across Western Australia.

Perth-based rail maintenance services business Gemco Rail has been awarded two contracts worth $5 million for the maintenance of trains on Perth's metropolitan railway network.

Gender is a perennial issue because progress comes in fits and starts.

SPECIAL REPORT: A complementary skill set and vast experience put CCI’s leadership team on the right track.

SPECIAL REPORT: CCI has a new president and chief executive, both with a long involvement in the lobby group’s policies.

Hotel group Hilton Worldwide has announced it will open two of its DoubleTree by Hilton branded hotels in Perth and Fremantle, with a third property in Northbridge also on the agenda.

The share market has posted gains after a positive lead from global markets and more encouraging local economic data.

Empire Oil & Gas has appointed an independent chief executive to lead the business following a board overhaul last year which claimed the scalps of each of its former directors.

Shares in West Perth-based gold miner Millennium Minerals have soared after the company reported a maiden net profit following its first year of commercial production.

New home sales in Western Australia improved during February but economists expect sales growth to moderate throughout the rest of the year.

Billionaire Kerry Stokes' Seven Group Holdings has lodged a takeover bid for debt laden oil and gas company Nexus Energy, in a deal that values Nexus at $26.6 million.

The share market has made a better than expected start to the week, with gains in most sectors.

Treasurer Joe Hockey has warned no individual or business will escape the pain of the government's first budget, as both major parties blitzed Western Australia ahead of Saturday's Senate election re-run.

Inflation has continued to rise, signalling the beginning of the end for the record low cash rate.

Better-than-expected numbers on US consumer incomes and spending has given Wall Street shares a boost, as investors shrugged off sabre-rattling over Ukraine.

Gold prices have ended marginally lower, as a pair of economic reports give conflicting indications about the state of the US recovery.

The Australian dollar has drifted lower ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia's April board meeting.

The Australian dollar has edged closer to 93 US cents and could soon hit a near-six month high of 95 US cents, traders say.

The number of hotel rooms in Perth is set to grow by at least 1,400 over the next three years after three major developments were confirmed this week.

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has struck an historic deal with his state and territory counterparts that could see billions of dollars of new infrastructure built across the nation.

Regis Resources has unveiled a restructure of its management team just weeks after reporting a slump in half-year profit and experiencing major flooding at its Duketon gold operations.

BGC has unveiled details of its second major hotel project in Perth, which will add a further 224 rooms to the city's growing hotel development pipeline.

In this week’s edition of Business News Background, news editor Mark Beyer and head of content Mark Pownall discuss with host James Lush the major stories of the week, including new hotel developments in Perth, slowing population growth, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s new leadership team and Perth’s master entrepreneurs.

The share market has closed higher as stronger commodity prices boosted the resources sector, while the major banks also rose.

WA’s population growth rate has slowed, but the state and the country as a whole is still growing fast and in ways that have profound implications.