Gary Kleyn

THE future of the banking industry lies with the lucrative business banking market – not small retail customers – says newly appointed National Australia Bank Australian Financial Services CEO Mike Pratt.

A PRODUCT ruling does not a good investment make. This is the warning from both the Australian Taxation Office and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

SMALL business enterprises are facing intimidatory tactics by major companies to whom they supply goods and services according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.

A NEW land syndicate will be formed in the next few weeks by real estate agents and developers Peet & Company Limited that aims to raise about $2.8 million.

WA'S first independent electricity retailer has taken a major step for the newly deregulated power industry.

VANADIUM processing has become the latest industry to arrive in WA with the opening of the Windimurra vanadium project near Mt Magnet which also introduced new process technology to Australia.

A NUMBER of initiatives are outlined in the State budget in relation to the South West Development Commission.

UNIVERSITY of WA spinoff company Advanced Power Technology has signed a $12 million 50:50 joint venture agreement with Samsung Corning.

A FURTHER nine residential lots have been placed on the market at Mt Henry estate, Salter Point as part of Stage 4B.

HOUSE sales appear to be on the decline, falling almost 16 per cent during the March quarter compared to the previous quarter according to the latest housing report by the Real Estate Institute of WA.

Only 19 per cent of rural high school students who complete high school go on to higher education, yet 30 per cent of city students do so.

PERTH-based conference and meeting organisers were offered the choice of a smorgasbord of venues at the inaugural South West Showcase.

WORK on the western end of Victoria Quay in Fremantle will start within weeks following the release of the masterplan recently.

A business loan with twenty-five years to repay is being offered for the first time in Australia.

Email may not be the best way to correspond with other businesses – that, is if you want a quick response.

PERTH-based Talbora, trading as Phone Shop, is offering refunds to customers who bought novelty telephones that do not comply with Australian Communications Authority Standards.

THE South West will receive a major boost under the budget, according to Minister Assisting the Treasurer Graham Kierath.

A $9 million tree planting program in WA is underway to combat salinity and other environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect.

THE INCREASING number of banking services available in the retail environment are helping busy business people save time.

INVESTOR appetite for technology stocks and a buoyant economy were the primary driver behind a 138 per cent increase in initial public offerings in 1999 according to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

AMP remains the number one funds manager in term of market share according to the March quarter ASSIRT Market Share Report.

EAST Perth will continue to enjoy strong price growth as long as more commercial and shopping facilities are incorporated into the area, says Hegney Property Valuations managing director Gavin Hegney.

BOTH the Federal and State Government's seem to be taking the cautious approach to economic forecasting so that any surprises emulating from the tax changes will be positive not negative.

WA'S business leaders have been urged to support the Society of St Vincent De Paul's inaugural business appeal.

MSA Security has been lauded in the 2000 Australian Achiever Awards for the security industry.

QUALITY industrial property will be the sector with the most to gain if electronic commerce does eventually make inroads into retailing in Australia according to the May Property Market Review by Macquarie Bank.

COUNCILLOR Laurence Goodman recently put forward a motion calling for the WA Government to make public details of tender submissions received for the Perth convention and exhibition centre.

THE Institute of Chartered Account-ants in Australia is urging banks to help small-to-medium enterprises meet the requirements of GST Pay-As-You-Go and offer direct offset arrangements to facilitate better cash flow management.

THE opening of the new Graham Farmer Freeway will have a major impact on the Perth property market says Hegney Property Valuations managing director Gavin Hegney.

AT SOME stage in the near future, the shivers will degenerate to nervousness and then to chaos on the share and bond markets.

MANY investment schemes advertised as tax reducing are destined to fail, warns the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

THE plan for the next thirty years of industry in the greater Bunbury area has been released by the WA Government.