Noel Dyson

WA PETROL station owners say rules preventing them from selling liquor are at odds with the National Competition Policy.

COUNCIL has balked at leasing its Perth Concert Hall for five years because it is not sure the prospective lessee actually exists.

Crustaceans are abundant in the oceans off the WA coast, and live happily in the state's rivers and dams. But when the owners of a traditional wheat and sheep farming property started marketing yabbies, it raised a few eyebrows.

COUNCIL has forgone $2 million to keep the public open space at Arden Street in East Perth.

THE omission of a safety net clause for contracts spanning 1 July 2000 in the GST legislation could cost WA small businesses nearly $6 million says the Institute of Chartered Accountants Small Business Committee's Ian Costley.

TRAINING to improve safety on offshore gas and oil rigs is crucial to the industry's prosperity, says Employment and Training Minister Graham Kierath.

A PLAN to build a three storey office and apartment building at 1010 to 1018 Wellington Street in West Perth has been refused, despite an eleventh hour bid by Councillor Tess Stroud.

A PROGRAM designed to reduce car use and make better use of other means of transport has been introduced in South Perth. The TravelSmart program is a marketing campaign promoting the use of alternative transport.

THE contract to construct and primerseal 51.1 kilometres of the Mt Magnet to Sandstone Road has been awarded to BGC Contracting.

RETAIL industry employers have been praised for the way they are establishing career paths.

SINGAPORE, Australia's largest Asian market, has set itself the goal of becoming Asia's finance and information technology and telecommunications hub.

A SOFTWARE package three years in development has won Combinatorics the prize in this year's Asia-Pacific Information Technology and Telecommuni-cations Awards mining category.

WA'S agribusiness future lies in taking part wholly in the Indo-nesian food industry, not just exporting, according to a report from Murdoch University's Asia Research Centre.

It is official. Running a business is bad for your health – and for your marriage.

A WA Government-formed committee, complete with statutory powers, could be helping to decided the planning of the Perth CBD.

AS PETROL sale margins fall petrol station owners are turning their stations into mini supermarkets.

SEX and gambling have drawn two mining companies into .com ventures.

A PLAN to build a seven storey, six-apartment building at 60 Mount Street, West Perth has been approved by council, despite a negative recommendation from council staff.

CREATING tools that allow people to build websites anywhere at anytime has paid off for Perth company Harvest Road.The company recently won the commerce and business category in the inaugural WA Information Technology and Telecommun-ications awards.

MORE than 41,000 virtual tourists have visited the WA Tourism Commission's new website from countries in-cluding Germany, Switzer-land and the US since its debut two months ago.

QUALITY assurance is a must, south west food producers are being told.The South West Development Corpor-ation undertook The Clean and Safe Foods Export Study with the Agriculture WA. The results of the study found that quality assurance was needed.

COST cutting is keeping Austra-lian and UK-listed mining giant Rio Tinto robust despite a strong downturn in commodity prices.

A NEW information kit has been launched outlining options and guidelines for employers wanting to establish family-friendly workplaces.

WA CAN learn much about building high tech and venture capital industries from the successes of Israel, says Israel consul – economic affairs Gil Erez.

IN AN Australian first, small business owners should soon be able to receive business training over the Internet.In fact, their online study could possibly start them on the way to a degree.

SMALL business needs to learn how the GST will affect them – fast, says Small Business Development Corporation director enterprise development Bruce McFarlane.

MEDIATORS and conciliators are reducing the pressure on WA's court system, according to Lawyers Engaged in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

COUNCILLORS have voted to give themselves $10,000 extra allowance on top of the $6,000 they receive for attending meetings.

SMALL training and advisory company Living With Business has won the Emerging Business category in the national Micro Business Awards.

MEAT producers can rest easy after the acquisition of the Metro Meats abattoirs at Katanning and Linley Valley by the producer-owned WA Meat Marketing Cooperative.

THE way to success for secretaries is through increased information technology training, says RecruitmentSolutions WA chief executive Bunty Paramor.

A $2.3 million development planned for the vacant site at 1292 Hay Street has been approved by the Perth City Council.At its 8 June meeting, councillors voted to overturn a staff recommendation that the application be refused.