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THE number of new stock market floats in Western Australia rose sharply last year but the growth was impressive only in comparison with the levels that prevailed in 2008 and 2009.

Long-standing commercial and industrial construction company Sizer Builders was placed into the hands of receivers and voluntary administrators last month after trading unprofitably.

THE Peet Yanchep Land syndicate has settled the $62 million purchase of its development site after Peet Limited bought the majority of syndicate shares.

WESTERN Australia’s commercial construction sector is reaping the benefits of the state government’s commitment to the upgrade of the state’s medical infrastructure and facilities.

WESTERN Australia is widely perceived as a state of opportunity, where mineral wealth offers almost unlimited potential for a range of business sectors.

Iconic Northbridge Italian eatery Sorrento Restaurant is moving with the times. Emily Morgan reports.

If Eric Ripper were to be replaced as Labor leader, would he stick around in parliament?

Aspiring Labor Party leader Ben Wyatt mapped out his political priorities in his maiden speech.

Every era has buildings that come to define the period.

Receivers for troubled office development Raine Square say project financiers gave the developer, Westgem Investments, ample opportunity to meet its debt obligations, but Westgem chief Luke Saraceni says Bankwest would not discuss refinancing options.

The director of beleaguered office development Raine Square has labelled its receivership unnecessary, saying the project still has "strong financial metrics".

Pilbara-focused iron ore junior FerrAus has appointed former GRD chief executive Cliff Lawrenson as chief executive officer and managing director, subject to shareholder approval.

Burrup Fertilisers' creditors meeting tomorrow will be without its star attraction, after Pankaj and Radhika Oswal said they would not return, and added that Perth may not be part of their future plans.

The rumblings around Opposition leader Eric Ripper continue to get louder, with the party's youth division calling for a fresh face to lead Labor.

The Satterley Property Group and 17 of the state's leading builders are set to combine resources in a partnering arrangement to deliver more affordable housing.

A one-time labour recruitment company chaired by Lyndon Rowe is being used by Wizard Home Loans founder Mark Bouris for a back-door listing of his new venture on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Atlas Iron will take control of all Giralia Resources shares in an exclusive off-market takeover bid announced today, valuing the junior miner at $828 million.

OFFICE leasing is the CBD has become increasingly competitive as growing firms absorb record levels of office space, and owners of older buildings mobilise plans to reposition their stock to compete with a raft of new offerings to the market.

Building products manufacturer Wesbeam posted an improved result in financial year 2009-10, but remains short of being profitable, according to its latest accounts.

A PROMINENT Perth-based lawyer has questioned the need for local governments to remain involved in town planning, after Planning Minister John Day last week moved to smooth the way for mid-rise development on Cottesloe’s beachfront.

HOW would you respond if faced with the prospect of losing access to half your business’s potential market?

CONSIDERING one in 150 children are on the autism spectrum, there are plenty of parents in Western Australia experiencing the challenges that come with the condition.

The newest venture from WA food doyenne Kate Lamont offers a quiet hideaway in the heart of Perth’s CBD. Natalie Gerritsen reports.

Warnings on the negative effects of ever-increasing taxation have been ignored by our nation’s politicians.

Australia and China are developing investment opportunities in Africa.

After two years in power and a major ministerial reshuffle, it’s time for Colin Barnett’s government to deliver.

Politics and business are closely linked, but sometimes the connection can get too close for comfort.

Government interference in the taxi industry doesn’t seem to be helping things.

Labor’s hoping to open a few cracks in the government’s defences and zero in on problem areas for the premier and his team.

It remains to be seen if the nation’s mining leaders retain their high-visibility profiles on the next stage.

THE specialist group set up to negotiate with miners the fine print of the revamped mining tax probably has just one job – to keep the industry from again uniting behind a major political campaign like it did for six weeks in the middle of this year.

The mining tax and the accompanying political shenanigans were not the only events of 2010, even though it might have felt like that for many business leaders in Western Australia.