Special Report: A year of booms and bust-ups

Political corruption scandals, the continuing China boom and corporate takeovers have been the dominant themes of 2007.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

The resources industry was yet again the driving force behind Western Australia’s tearaway economy, but one commodity in particular stole the show.

Farmers in some parts of Western Australia may be still reeling from a poor season in 2006-07, but others are looking towards recovery as the 2007-08 harvest nears completion.

Mining services companies dominated the major business awards programs in Western Australia in 2007, which was a fitting reflection of the economic drivers during the year.

Female business executives came to the fore in 2007, winning recognition in some of Australia’s most prominent business awards.

So what is the secret? Western Australia is meant to be at the cultural fringe, dominated by mining and other sectors that lack the sophistication necessary to appreciate the arts.

After a year of enormous highs and equally dramatic lows across Western Australia’s property industry, landlords will be counting more blessings than most this Christmas.

Family-owned furniture company, Burgtec Australasia, has added another accolade to its swag of award wins in recent years, taking out this year’s Western Australian best of the best furniture award for its WA Parliament refurbishment project.

The corporate sector’s focus on sustainable business practices has been reflected in the attention paid to environmental management, occupational health and safety and corporate governance awards.