Special Reports

Western Australian companies have enjoyed considerable success of late in securing funding to drive the development of innovative products, processes and services.

After the hassle of lining up to check-in for an international flight and the ever-more-tiresome airport security procedures, a comfortable place to sit and relax before boarding is practically a necessity.

There is no shortage of options and pathways for innovative individuals and businesses seeking government financial backing and support for their activities.

It has been a long and very expensive road to production for the new technology HIsmelt iron plant at Kwinana, just south of Perth.

One of former premier Geoff Gallop's legacies will be his 2002 ‘InnovateWA' policy, aimed at reversing the decline in the state's research and development effort.

Innovation and technology go hand in hand and the outlook for those in Western Australia's information and computer technology sector is rosy, according to John Krokosz, general manager of recruitment specialist Candle ICT Perth.

Innovation is seen as the driver of Western Australia's long-term growth and prosperity, but questions remain about the best way to achieve outcomes to benefit all players, private and public, in an increasingly competitive environment.

Getting out of the city on the weekend to breathe the fresh country air, take in the wide open spaces, experience the charm of a natural environment and to enjoy good old country hospitality is a perfect way to recharge the batteries.

The crucial importance of research and industry-specific education to sustain Australia's, and particularly Western Australia's, booming resources sector has never been more vital.

Qantas' stunning $20 billion order for up to 115 Boeing 787s has the potential to revolutionise travel to and from Western Australia by the end of this decade.

Innovative technology is one thing, but financial backing and business know how are the critical components in taking a concept from idea phase to successful end product.

This year, Western Australia will move closer to becoming a world leader in genetic research, underpinning its potential to become an international powerhouse in the wider field of medical research.

Six months after leaving Ernst & Young to start a boutique accounting practice with partner and career mentor Frank Cooper, Michelle Saunders last week found herself as the sole director of Cooper Partners, with Mr Cooper having been lured back into a big

Participation rates for women at work may be at a highest-ever 45 per cent, and 56 per cent of university graduates may be female, but such figures can lead to false assumptions when it comes to women in the corporate world.

If not for a decision by The West Australian to not take any female cadets in the year she chose to apply for work, Anne Tregonning may have ended up as a journalist.

The juxtaposition of a high-powered career woman and a shopping centre may at first appear ill conceived. But shopping's not the reason Ellen Botha spends most of her days at Westfield Whitford City.

The 2005 Telstra WA Business Women's Awards showcased the top echelon of female leaders, with Tracey Hodgkins named Telstra Western Australian Business Woman of 2005.

The female managing director is a rare breed in Perth, particularly in the resources industry, but Eve Howell is perfectly at ease with her role as regional vice-president and MD at Apache Energy Limited, a US-based company with a market capitalisation of

Michele Dolin didn't take what many would consider to be a conventional pathway to a career in finance.

Women have been well represented in all of WA Business News's annual 40under40 Awards, and the class of 2005 was no different.

‘Everyone makes money in a boom' and ‘every deal is a winner' are statements that ought to be consigned to that list of other great lies, such as the ‘cheque is in the mail' – a point that close observers of the deals of 2005 will have noted.

Big mining projects, hotly contested takeovers, new floats and trade sales feature in WA Business News' review of the top deals of 2005.

Private equity investors participated in some of the largest and most notable transactions in Western Australia in 2005, including the rescue of biotech company Chemeq and the acquisition of EG Green Group.

Three high-profile transactions launched during 2005 ran into unexpected difficulties, providing telling reminders that even the best-laid plans can run off course.

The late Lang Hancock was usually described as a mining magnate but the great frustration in his life was that he never developed his own mine.

The boom conditions in Western Australia's iron ore industry have underpinned a rapid increase in capital raisings by current and aspiring iron ore miners.

Western Australian companies raised a record $3 billion in new equity issues in 2005, underpinning a second boom year for local broking firms Patersons Securities and Euroz Securities.

Renowned corporate head kicker and Consolidated Minerals boss Michael Kiernan has positioned ConsMins for some healthy profits over the next few years, but it has been at a cost. Mark Mentiplay reports.

Perth is a unique location in the resources world, arguably the only place outside the major financial capital of London that can lay claim to being a global centre that straddles both the mining and oil and gas sectors.

These days we often hear about our ‘ageing population', but this demographic shift is about so much more than simply a baby boom.

After a rapid turnaround in the commercial property sector during the past year, property commentators are forecasting a bumper five years ahead, with the market riding on the back of the bounding resources economy.

There are no signs the wave of growth being ridden by the state's information and communication technology sector is going to peak any time soon, but the sector still faces some formidable challenges in the years before 2010.