Mark Pownall

WA’S major media company, WA Newspapers Holdings, is set to announce the appointment of a new managing director before the end of the year, ending more than 12 months of speculation.

PATIENCE is the catchcry of those in the technology game as they seek to soothe their disgruntled investors.Two good examples came to my attention this week.

THIS week’s Evans & Tate annual meeting opened with a sticky question for executive chairman Franklin Tate.

RESEARCH by the Geraldton Fisher-men’s Cooperative may go a long way to solving a problem for lobster fishermen, which costs the industry up to an estimated $3 million a year.

THE 2001-2002 lobster season kicked off last week amid a renewed battle for market share in the northern region, which is dominated by the Geraldton Fishermen’s Cooperative.

THE rock lobster industry is bracing for one of the toughest seasons in memory, as a predicted low catch coincides with difficulties in the global market.But most involved are surprisingly upbeat about the situation.

LIQUOR retailer Patrick Stephenson continues to profit from his Liberty Liquors venture, close to a year after selling the business to national supermarket giant Woolworths.

GLOBAL IT group Iona Technologies is closing its Perth office to consolidate its Australian operations in Sydney.Two staff will be left working from home in Perth when the CBD office shuts shortly, leaving up to 15 people out of work.

THE right government for the wrong reasons – that’s my summation of last Saturday’s election result.The Howard Government deserved another term.

EDUCATION has been touted by Labor as a key election issue, and quite rightly so.Unfortunately, it has played second fiddle to the immigration debate that has dominated this campaign, the issue likely to win Saturday’s poll for John Howard.

THERE have been sweeping changes in the power structure at prestigious sports venue Royal Kings Park Tennis Club, with newcomers holding a majority of official positions following Monday night’s annual meeting.

THERE has been a lot of talk lately of the bonuses, pay rises and special payments on retirement to company directors.

ALWAYS take the road less travelled is my rule.That’s why I went to Canberra last week when most of the population, or so it seemed, had left.

THE Gallop Government’s backflip on the premium property tax was a refreshing victory for common sense.

IT’S a bit of a recurrent theme (some might say nightmare), but this column again ventures into that most fruitful of subjects – tax.

IT’S little wonder energy markets around the world have created headaches for governments .As markets go they are about as complicated as you can get.

WORD has it that some months ago, a high-powered team of executives from Western Power was invited to the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry to explain their view of the world of energy.

THIS year has been one of the toughest in memory for market investors scrambling to make headway after the tech wreck of April 2000.

THE WA Wine Industry Association’s efforts to woo drinkers from outside the State has resulted in an ambitious program of development both overseas and across the Nullarbor.

WITH attention focusing on the development of a “branch office economy”, who would rate the likelihood of a Perth-based diversified industrial being a standout performer in terms of long-term TSR performance at a national level?

THE more I look at the land tax proposal from the WA Labor party, the more I cringe at the issues that arise from it.

SHAREMARKET investors who stuck with WA’s blue chips will be feeling chuffed – the top companies have proved three times as likely to beat key benchmarks as their locally-listed peers.

WA wine executives Geoff Cook and Denis Horgan are among high-powered industry delegates meeting in Canberra to push tax reform ahead of the forthcoming federal election.

LEEUWIN Estate’s scenic Margaret River setting could become the location for a high profile sports event to match the reputation it has earned in the arts through hosting its annual concert.

EVENTS of the past week or so have highlighted our vulnerability in so many ways.While the events unfolded in New York and Washington, many of us watching felt relieved that we lived so far away from such dangers.

AS the toll from the corporate pile-up mounts, Australia’s chief financial regulator has been prompted to farm out its work around the nation, leaving the high profile One.Tel investigation in the hands of Perth-based Stephen Howell.

THE drama surrounding Ansett Airlines is something that should have been predictible.Australia has a poor record of sustaining more than two airlines servicing the national market.Remember the fiascos of Compass I and II.

A SURGE in vineyard developments during the past three years is having a flow-on effect in liquor regulation with a growing number of applications for wine producer’s licences.

THE worst kept secret is out.And, surprise, surprise, a Labor Government is raising taxes.

ACCOUNTING giant Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu has established a specialist team in its WA operation to focus on the wine industry.

THE hype surrounding the Masters of Business Administration long ago reached its cresendo.

A SUBIACO wine storage company has gone into the personal investment business, offering wine portfolios for those who want to expand their investment horizons.