Mark Pownall

AFTER several years of drought, farmers in the northern Wheatbelt had a bumper season in 2008, with a 7 million tonne crop expected this season.

CHILD health researcher Fiona Stanley is a big fan of the concept of what she calls a "philanthropic hub" in Western Australia that would help donors refine their decision-making process and direct them to the worthiest causes that best fit thei

AT the start of the decade, Annie and Brettney Fogarty embarked on a journey to improve education.

WHILE philanthropists' money is always welcome, there are those for whom an increasing reliance on the private sector is a concern.

THE decision by three non-executive directors - chairman Peter Mansell, Jenny Seabrook and Mel Ward - to quit the board of Western Australia's biggest publisher should not be a surprise.

CHANNEL Seven Perth boss Chris Wharton is one of those characters who seems to thrive in the world of media management and, as the sector turns on its head, he could well be best positioned to take advantage of the industry's upheaval.

CORPORATE giving has evolved rapidly in Western Australia, with companies increasingly likely to provide money for good causes.

RON Manners remembers getting his first glimpse of what free-market thinking was all about as a youngster in Kalgoorlie, unpacking parts and machinery that arrived from the US.

WESTERN Australians don't give like their east coast counterparts.

I'M no economist but I really do have to question the wisdom of the federal government's $10 billion injection into the economy.

JUST a decade ago, philanthropy was nearly invisible in Western Australia.

WHEN Andrew Forrest does things he doesn't do them by halves.Having stormed the world of iron ore, shaking up the BHP Billiton-Rio Tinto Pilbara duopoly and briefly becoming Australia's richest man, he focused his sights on one of Australia's most intract

HOW much is too much when it comes to executive remuneration, especially bonuses and termination payments? This is the vexing question that's challenging the investment community more than ever before, as the market slide makes it a widespread issue rathe

ENVIRONMENTAL performance bonds may be emerging as the latest source of angst for junior explorers and local miners, as tougher banking regimes and rising costs create a new hurdle to business in the minerals sector.

THE state government has made a series of new appointments as it settles into power but the big question mark for industry is who will head three new important departments announced by Colin Barnett.

IT'S a sign of extraordinary times when even one of Western Australia's most solid institutions, the City of Perth, can find itself on the receiving end of a qualified audit.

FISHING and pearling group MG Kailis Holdings Pty Ltd slipped into the red in the past financial year after a combination of poor economic factors and isolated catchery issues hit the Fremantle-based company.

PREMIER Colin Barnett is known to be fond of big, regional projects that offer sweeping vision and the prospect of unlocking value for future generations.

MAJOR local superannuation fund -Westscheme has brought forward valuations of unlisted assets as the global financial crisis buffets investments across the spectrum.

IT may only be a temporary reprieve but global events have conspired to assist the Department of Education and Training in its bid to fill its teaching needs for 2009.

REDEPLOYMENT has become the new buzzword in Western Australian human resources circles, most notably in the engineering services sector, which involves a number of the state's largest employers.

ONCE the most energetic and successful married couple in global mining, Phil and Viv Snowden have re-emerged after 18 months with plans to take on a new industry - wine.

THE global financial crisis may be pushing down energy prices, but there are concerns that this could ultimately hurt local power users more than benefit them.

AT first glance it's hard to imagine there's much similarity between running warehouse hardware stores and private hospitals.

PERRON Group's shopping centre and office ownership has helped it comfortably absorb more than $100 million from downward revaluations of its equity investments.

TRANSPARENCY is a fascinating concept and last week I encountered two vastly different examples of its application, or more accurately, its absence.

Privately owned investment company Perron Group’s shopping centres and offices have helped it comfortably absorb more than $100 million from downward revaluations of its equity investments.

Outgoing Wesfarmers chairman, Trevor Eastwood has lashed out at the power of proxy advisers after the company's remuneration report received a majority of negative proxy votes prior to today's AGM.

State Energy Minister Peter Collier has ruled out purchasing the Western Australian assets of troubled utility investor Babcock and Brown Power, namely those in the Alinta group that the ailing investment banking group bought two years ago.

IF the economic slowdown has some in the Western Australian engineering sector looking over their shoulders, Maunsell AECOM is claiming not to be one of them.

SHORT-TERMISM has something of an Orwellian ring to it, so I reckon it's appropriate to blame it for undermining the free-market economy.

THE Riverside Theatre auditorium at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre is a vast and imposing space when it is all-but empty.