It’s hard to ignore the public companies that have defined corporate success in WA for many years. 

Big names such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside and South32 dominate the skyline along St Georges Terrace, reflecting the role these major operators play in the state’s economy.
 
But between those listed giants sits another layer of WA’s economy: one that is far less visible but no less influential. 

Behind office doors and across industrial estates, privately owned businesses have quietly built much of the state’s wealth.  

They span mining, agriculture, retail, construction and healthcare, among others, often operating at scale but just outside the scrutiny faced by public companies. 
For many of these groups, that anonymity is part of the advantage.  

Without the disclosure requirements of a public exchange, they can negotiate contracts, protect their margins and move faster than their listed peers. 
As a result, their financial performance is rarely seen, but their impact is no less significant.  

Private companies employ thousands of Western Australians, underpin our biggest supply chains and generate billions of dollars in revenue each year.
 
They are the contractors that keep the Pilbara running, the producers feeding export markets, the builders shaping our suburbs and the service providers supporting a growing (and ageing) population. 

We believe there is value in revealing the state’s largest private businesses to give readers a better sense of the forces driving the private sector. 

This list lifts the lid on that hidden economy, providing a rare snapshot of the scale, diversity and influence of WA’s largest private businesses.