Dan Wilkie

STATE government disincentives to the disposal of waste in landfill have met with an unfavourable response from local governments, which say they were not consulted in the policy's development and that they will not benefit from its introduction.

A WESTERN Australian not-for-profit organisation has proved the old saying that one man's trash is another man's treasure, by recycling waste materials from mine sites and donating the proceeds to charity.

Rapid changes in the uptake of technology are presenting waste issues for our disposable society.

ONE of Western Australia's biggest real estate groups has launched a new index to track market trends because it says median house prices do not accurately reflect Perth's property market.

THE first $1 million is always the hardest to earn, or so the saying goes.

The secret to successfully managing an expanding privately owned business is to act like it's public, according to John Georgiou.

A CITY-BASED accountant will soon swap his calculator for a steering wheel and launch a four-wheel drive assault on an unsuspecting outback.

THE Residential Development Council of Australia has forecast the need for 17,000 homes per year for the next five years, warning of further house price rises if that demand was not met.

WESTERN Australia's construction sector has been boosted with the awarding of $342 million in contracts to builders across the state as part of the federal government's infrastructure funding program.

AGED-CARE providers have a simple objective - to provide care to those in the community who need it most.

A MAJOR barrier to expansion in Perth's retail sector has been lifted with the release of the state government's draft 'activity centres policy', according to the peak industry council.

PREMIER Colin Barnett has announced changes to the planning process that will establish the Department of Planning as the lead agency in major redevelopment projects, including the Perth waterfront and Northbridge Link.

INTERNATIONAL industry groups have commended a Duncraig-based publishing firm's efforts to simplify the production of high school yearbooks.

THE University of Western Australia has vowed to press ahead with its contentious development of bushland at Shenton Park, despite suffering another setback last week.

PUBLIC buildings won most of the gongs at last week's Australian Institute of Architects (WA) awards, but it was a masterful apartment development in Cottesloe that scored the top award.

THE State Administrative Tribunal has upheld the right of commercial landlords to veto the sale of retail leases if they object to the prospective purchaser.

PERTH-BASED engineering and construction firm Decmil has been awarded the largest work-order in its history, to build a construction village for Chevron's Gorgon LNG project.

COMMERCE Minister Troy Buswell will introduce legislation into parliament the government says will create a more equitable retail environment.

PERTH could soon have a new tourism and entertainment precinct at Belmont Park after Planning Minister John Day tabled a rezoning amendment in parliament last week.

The state government has released a new planning framework that abolishes limits on the size of shopping centres and cuts the target for urban infill from Labor's "unrealistic" goal.

WESTERN Australian architects and builders are set to cash in on the federal government's latest building industry stimulus package.

The uranium industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, but one local player is making its mark.

THE decision by Planning Minister John Day to approve a major residential development south of Moore River has sparked outcry among opponents and applause from property developers.

A PERTH company has developed materials conveying technology it says could mark the end of large haul and dump trucks in mining, and revolutionise the bulk materials handling industry at ports.

HENDERSON-BASED shipbuilder Strategic Marine this month launched a new vessel it says sets new design and construction standards for crew boats in the oil and gas industry.

Major resources projects in WA have insulated the local steel fabrication industry from the global financial crisis.

With the uranium sector on the cusp of major growth in WA, junior exploration firms have been told to join forces or risk missing the boat.

REAL estate agent Geoff Baldwin, fresh from completing the purchase of the RE/MAX franchise rights for Western Australia, believes the industry's traditional business model is finished.

A CONTROVERSIAL southern suburbs waste processing plant has been gutted by fire just days after submitting a $2 million odour prevention plan to the Department of Environment and Conservation.

THE national property market is continuing to recover off the back of an increase in new home sales, but Western Australia is lagging behind the rest of the nation, according to new industry data.

A WESTERN Australian biotechnology firm has signed an agreement it says will establish it as a world leader in medical research.

THE not-for-profit sector has long been one of the key employers of disabled people in Western Australia.