The role of the banks in Australia's small business sector is crucial and will remain so. No single topic generated more discussion at the recent WA Business News SME forum than the big banks, their service, or lack of it, relationships with them and thei

Small business accounts for 97 per cent of all businesses in Western Australia, but an estimated 40 per cent do not have a strategic business plan.

The Western Australian government has called on its federal counterpart to beef up its Trade Practices Act (TPA) to help protect small business against predatory pricing by big business.

The inability to attract and retain good staff, and the combination of rapidly escalating commercial rents and a shortage of warehouse and office space, are hurting small business in Western Australia.

Perth company Cool Energy is looking to apply its ground-breaking technology to strip prohibitive greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) from natural gas streams, to a number of onshore gas fields in Australia and other parts of the world.