Mark Pownall

TERRY Budge has already passed the halfway mark in his seven-year contract as the head of BankWest, outliving the average Australian chief executive's tenure in the process.

ALL of us have at some time or another felt that we live in a State that rivals paradise, here in WA. Interestingly it is not just us who feel that way.

BARELY a year has gone since Tony Barton stormed back into WA's investment scene with his new company's purchase of a half share in stockbroker DJ Carmichael & Co.

SOUTH Australian winemaker Normans Wines is likely target of a $200 million plus acquisition drive by three Margaret River wineries.

ALL of us have at some time or another felt that we live in a State that rivals paradise, here in WA. Interestingly it is not just us who feel that way.

ANY workplace agreement which is registered from this week will be valid for only six months after new workplace legislation comes into force.

INNOVATION remains a key theme in WA business circles this week with a series of key initiatives led by the WA Government and some of our most prestigious research organisations.

MEGA mergers like that proposed between Australia's BHP and South African-based Billiton are real food for thought.

THE biggest story in Australia's corporate history occurred this week with the announced merger of Australian mining giant BHP with London's Billiton plc.

MARGARET River winemaker Xanadu is set to hit the acquisition trail in a stock market listing planned for as early as next week after raising about $8 million in new equity.

A WA wine industry proposal to exempt producers' first 1 million litres from the wine equalisation tax has been adopted at a national level as the producers prepare to use their electoral clout to wind back GST-driven exise increases.

MASS consumption of fast food is a New World phenomenon.People in traditional societies - such as Europe - tended to eat at a more leisurely pace.

WINE company Evans & Tate hopes to emulate stock market giants Wesfarmers and Westfield Holdings with its plan to spin off property assets into a separately listed vehicle.

STAGGERING offers for young lawyers who have been working for less time than they spent at university should be seen as a portent of things to come.

THE cash box left after the failure of WA's first wine company listing is fighting an east coast bidder from the industry, which appears to be after a $5 million kitty left after the sale of three vineyards last year.

FEW people will argue that innovation is the key to surviving in increasingly global markets.

AMP has put the horrors of the GIO takeover behind them, last week announcing an unexpected $1.5 billion turnaround in net profit.

LESS than a third of WA's listed companies produced a return considered adequate during 2000, with most of them failing to beat the All Ordinaries Index and prob-ably leaving investors wondering why they didn't leave their money in the bank.

A SURPRISE management change at AlintaGas is looming as the first tremor in WA's electricity sector as it braces for seismic change under the new Labor Government's plan to fully open the retail energy market.

Meet the inaugural members of the Business News – Business Panel.

ERG is considered WA's standout innovation success by Perth's business elite, capturing the business world's attention by becoming a global leader in smart card and transit ticketing systems.

SOME people are still offering the romance of a little vineyard in Margaret River, albeit in a commercial package which would be a credit to any investment banker's innovation.

WA'S highly regarded wine industry is consolidating into the hands of fewer, bigger players as commercial reality relegates romance to the marketing speel found on the back of a bottle.

THE worst kept secret in WA's liquor industry was finally broken this week when Woolworths confirmed it had acquired the Patrick Stephen-son's 45-store Liberty Liquors chain for a reputed $60 million.

GIMMICKS have long been an important sales aid, but for the tradition-steeped wine industry they are a relatively new concept – creeping in as producers jostle for consumer attention.

BIG changes to tax laws have failed to change peoples' tax planning habits, with many leaving decisions on investment in tax effective schemes until at least the second half of the year.

THEY say a week is a long time in politics and recent events certainly support that theory.

SPOOKED by an unhappy electorate, the past week has seen a major turnaround in the Federal Government's thinking.

In his first interview since being ousted as the chief of Western Metals last November, Rod Webster tells Business News he is ready for another challenge. Mark Pownall reports

PETER Beattie's Lab-or government in Queens-land has just confirmed any fears the Federal Coalition government might have leading up to federal elections later this year.

IT has come to Business News attention that some company executives are prepared to mislead the press if and when it suits them.

A PERTH architect has found a novel way to tackle construction problems around the sensitive Kings Park escarpment – the building will “walk” its way up.