Government

Minara paints grim picture as it seeks $210m; PM's investor rescue plan gets the thumbs down; WA seeks federal backing for port; Watchdog clears Stokes' Seven for a 'hypothetical' tilt at WAN; Shareholders shirty as pub group misses forecast

ONE of Perth's best known restaurateurs Albasio La Pegna is to take over premises formerly occupied by the iconic Bellissimo Cafe which he founded almost two decades ago on Bay View Terrace in Claremont.

RAPID Crushing & Screening Contractors' response to an emergency call earlier this year provided founder Neil Irvine with a good indication of just how far his company had come during the past 30 years.

POLITICS wouldn't be the same without ideological differences, even within the governing party.

LAST week, as global stock markets performed a swan dive in a grindingly painful bear market, Briefcase became increasingly angry at the market's bad behaviour.

SOMETIMES the leader is made for a crisis, and sometimes the crisis makes the leader.

MALAYSIA is becoming a destination of choice for Western Australia's goods and services, especially agriculture, and with significant development of the country's southern region in the pipeline, future export prospects are getting brighter.

IN 1929, the Australian share market peaked and subsequently fell 41 per cent, heralding the Great Depression.

IN an economic meltdown should we be reassured that so many economists are at the helm?

THE inner court of Colin Barnett is a small and select group, according to those that watch government closely.

THE global financial crisis continues to take its toll on the construction industry, with more than half of the state's builders indicating they will be reducing subcontractor numbers in the next 12 months.

WINNING an award can be a good way to get a business known and increase of customers; but White Salt owners Tim and Claire Leech say it's also a great staff retention tool.

STRATEGY, psychology, risk assessment - the card game of bridge sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the political career of David Wawn.

WESTERN Australian businesses and recruiters have expressed concerns over possible cuts to Australia's migration intake, calling for a state-based approach to immigration quotas.

TOP executive salaries in Australia's 100 largest listed companies increased three times the average adult wage from 2001 to 2007 and more than five times greater than the consumer price index, according to a recent national survey.

THERE has to be some advantage in being the only chink in otherwise wall-to-wall Labor governments across Australia.

THE buoyant economic conditions that prompted the recent wave of new retail developments in the Perth CBD are starting to turn, and while inquiries from retailers remain strong, a downturn in retail spending may dampen demand.

THE time taken to pay trade creditors has increased substantially across the country, blowing out 7.

WHILE much of the focus on the new state government's advisers has been on the newcomers from Canberra, most of the key players are locals, many with experience from the previous Liberal government of

IF media attention and headlines are anything to go by, then Brendon Grylls is very much the most influential of the new ministry surrounding Premier Colin Barnett.

THERE has been an intense focus in recent weeks on the impact of global financial trends on Western Australia's economic prospects but recent policy decisions have highlighted the equally important impact of government.

WABN: What is the best piece of advice you can give someone to motivate a team? PK: "You need to provide a team with a sense of purpose and a collective vision.

IN with the new and out with the old.That is how outsiders expect the world of lobbying works when a government changes.

The state opposition has called the Liberal government insensitive after Premier Colin Barnett confirmed he was considering scrapping plans to name the new Northbridge theatre after actor Heath Ledger.

Premier Colin Barnett is on a rebuilding rampage, today suggesting the $500 million Perth museum, slated for a new home at the East Perth Power Station, be reconstructed at its current Northbridge home.

North West Tourism has urged Jetstar Airlines to keep Broome on its radar as a possible second Western Australian hub for flights to Asia.

RBA races to rescue of plunging dollar; Japan shares hit 26-year low; More funds put in deep freeze; Tougher lobster laws to lift prices; Miners cut costs as metals plummet

Peter Shergold, John Langoulant and Cathy Nance have been named in the state government's economic audit group that will review the operation and financial performance of the public sector.

Premier Colin Barnett has outlined the state government's top infrastructure priorities in a submission to the federal government's Infrastructure Australia fund.

A handful of Perth companies, Macmahon Holdings Ltd, Monadelphous Group Ltd and Nomad Building Solutions Ltd, have had their recommendations changed by analysts at brokerage Hartleys.

The state's largest credit society, Police & Nurses Credit Society, has pledged it will pass on in full any rate cut made by the Reserve Bank of Australia at its upcoming November meeting.

Alcoa's Kwinana refinery was awarded the minerals processing plant of the year at the annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards last week.