Latest Headlines

THE banking industry is looking to business lending to take up the slack following an expected drop in housing lending.Business lending increased by just 4.3 per cent in the year to September 2002, according to the Reserve Bank.This compares with 19..

A COMPANY that rose from the ashes of the failed Geraldton Building Company has won nearly $1.6 million in WA Government contracts in the year since the collapse of Mid West’s biggest construction firm.The company, Geraldton Building Services and Cab...

THE Federal Government is locked in negotiations to acquire land and mining rights on Christmas Island for the construction of a new $219 million detention centre.Phosphate Resources Ltd declined to comment on the discussions, however it is likely th...

THE issues of Aboriginal rock art and Native Title threaten to derail development plans on the Burrup Peninsula, according to Woodside general manager of external affairs, Erica Smyth.Throw in a divided local community and a series of disagreements b...

THE $480 million WA Local Government Superannuation Plan has made two $2 million direct private equity investments into companies spurned from the University of WA laboratories.The money brings the total level of investment by the fund in private equ...

THE lure of opening a popular new cafe or restaurant continues to attract many aspiring business operators.And despite the two-year-old ‘tech wreck’ on the stock market, computing and the Internet are also growth areas for new business operators.The..

PERTH-BASED agricultural and electronic display technology provider Computronics has launched an initial public offering in a bid to expand its export operations.The company is aiming to raise $3.5 million to develop European and North American marke...

A SHORTER working week, better training, safer workplaces, job security, paid maternity leave and a more family-friendly approach to work issues are the key priorities of the union movement.UnionsWA secretary Stephanie Mayman said workers had moved a...

A CONSOLIDATION of charter services to offshore oil and gas operations has led to more than $20 million in savings for the companies involved.Five years ago, five helicopters, perhaps half full, would take off from Karratha in the morning and head ou...

THE closure of Broome International Airport for runway repairs this week and next is expected to boost regional tourism from next year, but for many it represents ‘second best’ option.The renovated runways will be able to accommodate larger aircraft ...

BROOME Aviation marketing coordinator Bill Hutton described the past year for the industry as “very tough” and “absolutely marginal”, but Broome Aviation had fared better than some, he said.Broome Aviation had suffered an 11 per cent drop in revenue,...

THE squeeze is being applied on the Australian Taxation Office following a Federal Court decision in favour of two investors in a managed investment scheme.Justice Stone found, on appeal, that taxpayers were entitled to their full claimed deductions...

WA business icon Clough Limited is officially a public company but retains the character of a family company, according to broking analysts.This harsh assessment follows Clough’s shock profit warning earlier this week, which analysts believe reveals ...

BUSSELTON-BORN chef Russell Blaikie has travelled the world to become a master of his craft and now, as co-partner of Must Wine Bar, he is intent on becoming a master of his own food business.From the kitchen of London’s Dorchester Hotel, working und...

A BREAK-UP of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been canvassed by Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources Ian Mac-farlane, who advocates the separation of regulation and consumer protection powers.Mr Macfarlane was s...

ONE of the world’s most sophisticated deepwater drilling ships is positioned off the North West Shelf at the beginning of a nine-month stay in Australian waters.ExxonMobil has brought the Glomar Jack Ryan to the NWS to drill the appraisal well Jansz-...

A PARTNERSHIP between Barking Gecko Theatre Company and the Insurance Commission of Western Australia has delivered an important message about the perils of dangerous driving to young people all over the State.This innovative sponsorship arrangement ...

A SMALL business category has been included in the State Arts Sponsorship Awards this year in recognition of the hard work and support small businesses provide the arts community.Animation Works caught the judges’ attention this year for its sponsors...

THE main focus of workplace surveillance is employee use of Internet and email facilities, according to studies carried out over the past year.The American Management Association’s 2001 Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance Survey found that the moni...

GUERILLA marketing – the technique that promised to give small businesses a way to win the promotions battle with their bigger competitors – does not appear to be living up to the hype.Indeed, many marketing experts say guerilla marketing is just ano...

COMMUNITY radio station Groove 101.7FM has been granted a permanent, full-time licence.The 18-week-old youth station currently operates from 3pm to 3am, sharing its frequency with senior’s station Capital Community Radio.Groove founder and station m..

LOCAL medical technology company Medic Vision will launch a television series on Access 31 to showcase the good news stories in the Perth medical sector.The series will focus on medical research and treatment in WA including the work at the Lions Eye...

WORKING out the best ways to spend the training budget is an increasingly important decision for a business’s management.While well-trained staff can make or break a business, training can be a significant cost for many organisations. Human resources...

THE ultimate luxury is to be able to look back on a full and creative working life with no regrets. To reflect with a sense of having made a difference and with the energised anticipation of being able to spend more disposable time on the things that ...

MOVES by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection to abolish dummy bidding at auctions in WA will decimate the market, according to players in the local property sector.FPDSavills man...

THE State Government’s new Planning Appeals legislation promises to deliver massive reductions in the turnaround time for planning appeals in WA.The new two-tiered system, which is expected to consider up to 1,000 appeals a year, will process minor a...

WHILE the development of Train 4 on the Burrup Peninsula in WA’s North West is drawing on local operators, the project is also using suppliers from around the globe.Last week the joint venture manager, Woodside Energy Ltd, awarded a $40 million cont...

Potential WA biodiesel producer Australian Renewable Fuels last week called for increased Government commitment to alternative transport fuels issues.While biodiesel production and use in Europe and North America has been growing steadily over the pa...

Catering to remote sites can test even the best organised food operators, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

BOX deli is the latest bar and restaurant to open in the CBD. The word ‘deli’ may not conjure up the image of a long, chic bar with a small restaurant sporting designer food, tables, and a funky backdrop (who said polka dots were out?), but that’s wha...

The adage ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire’ rings true at David Pike’s place over summer as he barbecues up a storm.

A SWOT analysis is a ‘tried and true’ business planning tool, but business advisers believe many organisations fail to use this tool properly.The process of preparing a SWOT analysis is relatively straightforward. The hard part is the next step. How ...