Dan Wilkie

THE Urban Development Institute of Australia hopes the state government's funding of a study of Carnaby's black cockatoos is the first step towards a more streamlined planning and approvals process.

PART of the third stage of the contentious Pretty Pool development at Port Hedland has been stalled by the environmental watchdog, which ruled it threatened a nesting site for flatback turtles.

ONE of Western Australia's biggest real estate groups has launched a new index to track market trends because it says median house prices do not accurately reflect Perth's property market.

A WESTERN Australian not-for-profit organisation has proved the old saying that one man's trash is another man's treasure, by recycling waste materials from mine sites and donating the proceeds to charity.

THE peak body representing regional councils has called on the state government to clarify its long-term strategic vision for waste management.

Rapid changes in the uptake of technology are presenting waste issues for our disposable society.

STATE government disincentives to the disposal of waste in landfill have met with an unfavourable response from local governments, which say they were not consulted in the policy's development and that they will not benefit from its introduction.

WITNESSING the plethora of electronic products being sent to his local tip inspired the founder of a Western Australian IT recycling firm to try and make a difference.

A CITY-BASED accountant will soon swap his calculator for a steering wheel and launch a four-wheel drive assault on an unsuspecting outback.

THE first $1 million is always the hardest to earn, or so the saying goes.

WESTERN Australia's construction sector has been boosted with the awarding of $342 million in contracts to builders across the state as part of the federal government's infrastructure funding program.

The secret to successfully managing an expanding privately owned business is to act like it’s public, according to John Georgiou.

THE Residential Development Council of Australia has forecast the need for 17,000 homes per year for the next five years, warning of further house price rises if that demand was not met.

A MAJOR barrier to expansion in Perth's retail sector has been lifted with the release of the state government's draft 'activity centres policy', according to the peak industry council.

INTERNATIONAL industry groups have commended a Duncraig-based publishing firm's efforts to simplify the production of high school yearbooks.

PREMIER Colin Barnett has announced changes to the planning process that will establish the Department of Planning as the lead agency in major redevelopment projects, including the Perth waterfront and Northbridge Link.

AGED-CARE providers have a simple objective - to provide care to those in the community who need it most.

THE University of Western Australia has vowed to press ahead with its contentious development of bushland at Shenton Park, despite suffering another setback last week.

PERTH could soon have a new tourism and entertainment precinct at Belmont Park after Planning Minister John Day tabled a rezoning amendment in parliament last week.

COMMERCE Minister Troy Buswell will introduce legislation into parliament the government says will create a more equitable retail environment.

PUBLIC buildings won most of the gongs at last week's Australian Institute of Architects (WA) awards, but it was a masterful apartment development in Cottesloe that scored the top award.

PERTH-BASED engineering and construction firm Decmil has been awarded the largest work-order in its history, to build a construction village for Chevron's Gorgon LNG project.

THE State Administrative Tribunal has upheld the right of commercial landlords to veto the sale of retail leases if they object to the prospective purchaser.

The state government has released a new planning framework that abolishes limits on the size of shopping centres and cuts the target for urban infill from Labor's "unrealistic" goal.

WESTERN Australian architects and builders are set to cash in on the federal government's latest building industry stimulus package.

A PERTH company has developed materials conveying technology it says could mark the end of large haul and dump trucks in mining, and revolutionise the bulk materials handling industry at ports.

The uranium industry is a notoriously tough nut to crack, but one local player is making its mark.

THE decision by Planning Minister John Day to approve a major residential development south of Moore River has sparked outcry among opponents and applause from property developers.

Major resources projects in WA have insulated the local steel fabrication industry from the global financial crisis.

With the uranium sector on the cusp of major growth in WA, junior exploration firms have been told to join forces or risk missing the boat.

HENDERSON-BASED shipbuilder Strategic Marine this month launched a new vessel it says sets new design and construction standards for crew boats in the oil and gas industry.

REAL estate agent Geoff Baldwin, fresh from completing the purchase of the RE/MAX franchise rights for Western Australia, believes the industry's traditional business model is finished.