A MANDATORY renewable energy target of 20 per cent would add up to $300 million a year to the cost of producing aluminium in Australia, according the country's leading producer.
IT took less than 18 months for the state government's shared equity scheme - a lifeline for the first homebuyer market - to exhaust its three-year, $300 million budget.
WESTERN Australia's long-term outlook remains bright, despite the upheaval on global financial markets, with labour shortages continuing to be one of the biggest challenges.
URBAN infill was a key policy of the Carpenter government, outlined in the 'Network City' plan for a series of transit-oriented, high-density developments in Perth.
THE downturn in Western Australia's housing market has had a huge impact on the state's real estate industry, with businesses consolidating their operations and a number of sales consultants leaving the sector.
PERTH is clearly an uneasy home for entrepreneur Tony Sage.
Though he's spent the bulk of his adult life here or working elsewhere for Perth-based companies, it appears Mr Sage has not always been accepted in the Western Australian capital.
A WAR for talent is being waged on a global scale. Businesses are battling to capture the minds and hearts of talented individuals, not just for the jobs of today, but also for the jobs of the future.
THE CBD will face a power shortfall in 2010 unless Western Power installs $100 million worth of new electrical infrastructure to cater for the increased demand on the grid from new office and apartment buildings.
SUSTAINABILITY and affordability are beginning to drive innovation in the use of building materials in Western Australia's housing industry, with more developers using imported and lightweight products.
Calling the bottom of the market is fraught with danger for real estate agents and developers, but many in the industry are hopeful that the tide is beginning to turn.
PERTH'S insolvency world is undergoing a restructuring of its own ahead of an expected rush of new business in the wake of the credit crunch and global banking crisis.
DESPITE tightening global credit markets, property analysts remain optimistic that the residential sector in Western Australia is headed for a growth phase in the near future.
LITIGATION funder IMF Australia believes the worst of the sub-prime crisis impact in Western Australia is yet to come, with "a simmering pile" of non sub-prime collateralised debt obligations potentially adding to investors' woes.
CHIDLOW-BASED property developer Greenedge Projects Pty Ltd is seeking to raise $12 million through an ASX-listing for its sustainable development vehicle, Greenedge Ethical Investments Ltd.
The Western Australian Trade Enquiry Service is operated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) with the support of the WA Government's Department of Industry and Resources.
THE gas crisis caused by a pipeline rupture at Varanus Island has left a bitter legacy for many Western Australian businesses, which have been scathing of the former state government's reaction.
Major independent Western Australian winemaker Stella Bella has raised rural property rights as a key issue in a battle with the Augusta-Margaret River Shire over a diversion road that could cut through one of its vineyards.
WESTERN Australia's iron ore miners have called on the newly elected state government to deliver on an election promise to provide a more efficient approvals process for new mine and exploration licences.
THE formal swearing-in this week of the Barnett ministry marks the start of what should be an exciting period of government in Western Australia, though there will be no shortage of tough challenges.
THERE are many things likely to change following the recent state election, not just as a result of a new government but also due to the circumstances in which it took power.
ROCHEBARON, Le Caviste de Scey, Occelli Crutin, Serve & Bell St Maure Caprifeuille, Mauri Taleggio, Queso San Simon - surely for even the most dedicated foodie at least one of those names doesn't ring a bell.
Perth-based agricultural investment manager Great Southern Ltd may go back to the drawing board on its $438 million restructuring plans after the market meltdown slashed its share price.
Perth company Complete Site Services, a subsidiary of the Complete Group, has been awarded a $65 million contract to supply and install a 801-man camp for Fortescue Metal Group's Christmas Creek project, about 100km north of Newman.
Australia is experiencing the biggest migration boom in its history, contributing to the fastest rate of population growth the country has experienced in almost 19 years, expanding by 1.61 per cent.
US oil company Chevron has selected three preferred sites in Western Australia for its planned Wheatstone liquefied natural gas project, with a decision expected mid next year.
