Latest Headlines

2003 marked the start of a new era for players in the Perth radio market. Julie-anne Sprague reports on the often bitter battle for supremacy.

Western Australia has a strong basis for a vibrant IT industry, but more needs to be done to ensure its viability and growth. Alison Birrane reports on a sometimes-turbulent year for the ICT sector.

OCKERBY Real Estate, one of Western Australia's largest residential real estate firms, is switching its banking business from BankWest to Challenge Bank.

THE State Government has confirmed that three types of stamp duty will be abolished on January 1.

OSBORNE Park-based finance broker Connaught Capital has become Centrepoint Finance after linking up with the national commercial finance group of the same name.

While David Pike is yet to take up a long-standing invitation to visit senior winemaker Nicole Esdaile and the team at Capel Vale, this week he tastes through his back catalogue and looks at some of the work they've been doing.

COULD the Oriel Café Brasserie be on the move?

A PUZZLING feature of 2003 was the fact that, despite the Liberals being in disarray, and with a weak and unpopular leader, Gallop-led Labor sometimes found itself trailing the conservatives in the polls.

HEALTHCARE equipment company Medical Corporation Australasia, through its 81.2 per cent subsidiary ObjectiVision, has signed a distribution agreement for the US and Canada with He

Western Australia's exports of processed food have doubled in value over the past decade and are now worth more than $1 billion. Mark Beyer reports on a WA success story.

NEWLY appointed Adcorp general manager David Morrison intends to achieve significant growth in the group's annual billings next year, a strategy that will involve acquisitions and development of the group's core advertising activities.

IT'S something a breath of fresh air when all the talk around town is focused on the likelihood of a pre-election tax cut.

KAILIS & France Foods has gone to extraordinary lengths to build its food export business, recently investing $15 million to upgrade its Osborne Park factories to meet the exacting demands of its export customers.

PB Foods, the parent of dairy manufacturer Peters & Brownes, has agreed to invest $7 million to expand production of super premium ice cream for the Japanese market.

INTERNET and email monitoring software developer WebSpy Ltd will utilise its existing sales infrastructure to launch the products of a new partner company into the tough US and European markets.

CHANNEL Nine Perth is closing the ratings gap on arch rival Channel Seven Perth, setting the scene for another hotly contested ratings battle in 2004.

Design is an important component in the success or otherwise of a retail outlet, as Tracey Cook reports.

COMMERCIAL leasing agents are expecting a positive start to the New Year after what has been a patchy and lacklustre performance for most of 2003.

THE master plan for what's claimed to be one of Australia's largest industrial redevelopment projects was released for public comment last week.

THE latest round of changes to State Government taxes could lead to a significant shift in the way businesses are bought and sold.

MYAREE company Tasman Oil Tools changed its bank last year – a move that makes it an exception among small and medium sized companies.

THE Federal Government has warned there is just four months until the end of the transition to the Financial Services Reform Act.

An aptitude for learning has been an advantage for Natasha Court, the sommelier at the award-winning Must Winebar, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

With the demand for community services increasing and the amount of money flowing into the sector not growing at the same rate, businesses and charities are coming together to find a third way of satisfying those needs. Noel Dyson reports.

David Pike wraps up the GWE auction.

LOCAL nanotechnology developer Advanced Powder Technologies has started a multi-million-dollar equity raising with plans for Australian Stock Exchange listing firmly on the agenda.

SIX months ago a contact close to the Liberals' parliamentary leadership group told State Scene that Colin Barnett's number cruncher, Darling Range MLA John Day, was deeply concerned about losing party endorsement.

THE looming concern about property prices, particularly investment-based apartments, is starting to focus attention on the perceived culprits – real estate investment spruikers.

INTERNET Service Provider iiNet is planning to build its own network as part of a strategy to capture an increasing share of the broadband market.

MILNE AgriGroup subsidiary Mt Barker Free Range Chicken will launch its first branding campaign next month as part of a significant retail growth strategy.

A NEW fundraising vehicle is giving charities access to home loan commissions totalling $100 million a month.

WITH 100 scientists on its payroll, a large headquarters in Nedlands and an operating revenue for 2002 of more than $7 million, the Lions Eye Institute doesn't appear to be a typical not-for-profit organisation.