Mark Pownall

I SPENT some time in the country at the weekend and was once again reminded of the fickle nature of farming.Looking out over the green fields of York it was hard to believe there is yet another crisis in our rural sector.

SMALL wineries may be missing out on a big chunk of revenue that could help them survive in this increasingly competitive sector.

LAST week WA Business News previewed the forthcoming electricity task force, which is set to hand down its final recommendations in the coming weeks.

MIXED signals are coming from business about the state of the WA economy.While generally all the indicators show robustness, anecdotal evidence – the stuff that really counts – is mixed.

THE WA Government has overhauled its low-cost housing assistance program, Keystart, shifting its distribution to mortgage brokers in a move that could substantially increase its loan book and profitability.

REMEMBER the drama surrounding the premium property tax?It was only a year ago that Treasurer Eric Ripper sought to tax owners of valuable residential properties to raise about $12 million.

BBC Hardware might have beaten its rivals into the Australian warehouse game but Bunnings boss Joe Boros believes that was the only time a competitor has had the edge.

WA’S universities may have been pitching for offshore business for decades, but have been criticised for procedures that keep tabs on revenue or enrolments from international students associated with new ventures.

I WAS interested to learn that the financial failings of companies associated with WA’s biggest vineyard development have attracted more than a passing interest from the State’s self-appointed corporate watchdog, Denise Brailey.

THE hiatus between rock lobster fishing seasons is traditionally more than just a time to hang up the wellies or give the boat a fresh lick of paint.

A MILD winter is not the only threat to revenues at WA’s major energy utilities.

THE ‘most influential’ list in last week’s WA Business News has attracted a few remarks, as we thought it would.

AS the US corporate markets go up in flames, it is worth speculating how we can benefit from this and where we need to protect ourselves.Firstly, from a global perspective, this apparent catastrophe actually brings some good news.

THE drama surrounding last week’s ousting of Skywest chief executive Bill Meeke and his fellow director Miles Cattle was the culmination of months of infighting in what both sides seem to agree was a dysfunctional board.

Nine months after the terrorist attacks that shook the world, several Western Australians working in the US share their thoughts on the impact of those events.

THE subject of heritage is a sensitive one, particularly in the business community, where property developers have significant clout.

DAVID DeLoub made a three-year commitment to New York when he decided to accept an internal offer from Alcoa to join the company’s core corporate finance and financial risk management team.

AS the US equities market convulses from the shock news of company collapses and massive reporting breaches, few people are as close to the action as former Perth accountant Tim Andrew.

TIMING, they say, is everything.Lisa Johnston knows that. She was head hunted from her London-based recruitment position to join Michael Page International in New York early last year.

WHILE wine makers in WA have reported an increasingly competitive domestic domain, many of the biggest operators are finding interstate growth through acquisition and strong success in a diverse range of offshore markets.

PERTH facilitator Roberta Mead is taking part in the New York citizen’s summit, Listening to the City, on July 20.

PAUL Ezekiel is a rare breed among the Perth types living in New York.

WITH just five months in New York under his belt, former army officer and Duntroon graduate Stirling Fielding has already found a big difference in the way he works as a senior associate in the US treasury division of Lehman Bros.

ALLAN Fels and his Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have been copping quite a pasting in recent times for their tough attitude and, most importantly, their exploitation of the media.Terrible isn’t it.

A COLLAPSED telco, auditors under fire, leading executives being subpoenaed, an integral part of the national transport infrastructure seeking a financial lifeline from the government to stay afloat … Does all this sound familiar?

THE long-running saga of the Mauds Landing resort near Coral Bay is an example of the way tourism development, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas, should not be undertaken.

TO the business community, unions are a perennial problem – not because most bosses are anti-worker, but because many unions don’t allow the flexibility to operate in the current work environment.

With Geoff Gallop preparing to celebrate 500 days in power, WA Business News took the opportunity to talk to the premier about the issues that dominate the business agenda in this State.

AUSTRALIAN Wine Holdings has announced its second purchase in a week, but claims the moves are little more than testing the systems before a much bigger acquisition, possibly around the $7 million mark.

PREMIER Gallop has confirmed his discussions with James Packer over the future of the Burswood Casino, but remained tight-lipped about the potential outcome.

THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has come under sustained attack in recent months as the big guns take aim at what they see as bureaucracy gone mad.

THE Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is poised to coax one of Australia’s most senior corporate lawyers back to WA with the appointment of Fiona Low as director of legal services.