Staff Reporters

Sniff carefully as you walk past the stock exchange Ð there is an unmistakable odour in the air. ItÕs the smell of burning money and rotting companies.

THE WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry has heavily criticised the $15 a week federal award pay rise recently granted by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

PERTH-based Aquarius Platinum Limited is set to become a significant player globally.

MASSIVE changes will continue in the automotive industry in the next few years, says Coventry Group Limited CEO and chairman Barry Watson.

Middle East public and private investment in infrastructure and industrial commercial and residential development is booming in the flip side to oil price rises.

SOME employers are saving millions of dollars with the return of women who have been on maternity leave into the paid workforce, according to case studies from the Affirmative Action Agency.

The volatility in the stock market, especially the Nasdaq, is a classic indicator of the transitionary nature of the times.

Exco Resources NL has completed a scoping study for two prospects but will need to add further mineral resource tonnage to justify a stand-alone development.

MCDONALD’S creator Ray Croc and dinner in a posh London fish and chip shop was all the inspiration Fish Feast managing director Frank Coniglio needed to set up his own franchise.

WHILE tax officials applaud the product ruling system as protecting small investors, others say the system is nothing but an attempt at revenue saving.

LOCAL industries servicing the mining sector will be big winners following recent announcements of mining projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

With its main focus on the Timor Sea, Norwest Energy NL has landed itself plumb in the best hydrocarbon address in the region.

SMALL business operators’ understanding of the GST has improved substantially in the past six months, according to the Small Business Development Commission’s May 2000 Small Business Opinion Survey.

THE Government’s proposed provisions for superannuation funds will undermine the superannuation system, according to the Institute for Chartered Accountants in Australia.

WA is well on the way to becoming a leading exporter in renewable energy technology, according to Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill.

Expectation is running high in the Hardman Resources NL camp on a favourable outcome of the Colombo#1 well currently undergoing gas testing in Italy.

If you doubt that the smell in the air is cash burning, take your nose to New York.

WELL-KNOWN Australian medical supplier Gradipore is poised to enter an international market valued at US$10 billion after developing a platform it believes will revolutionise the industry.

HOLLYWOOD productions are trickling into Perth thanks to local company RookPark Pty Ltd.

FRENCH champagne producer Comte de Lantage will expand its marketing operations throughout Australia following its success in the WA market.

A THINK-tank mentality is a must for e-business solution providers that want to be truly visionary, says Xpedior regional manager (WA) Hamish Jolly.

AUSTRALIA’S unemployment rate should fall to about 6.1 per cent by the last quarter of 2001, according to the latest Western Australian Quarterly Bulletin of Economic Trends, which is published jointly by Curtin University of Technology and the University

RECENTLY, the French Govern-ment, in an attempt to reduce high unemployment, introduced a compulsory thirty-five hour work week.

Aurora Gold Limited has unveiled a strong March quarterly performance on a number of fronts in spite of illegal squatters hampering output on some of its mines in Indonesia.

DOMAIN name owners should be aware their precious asset could be up for grabs if re-registration notifications are ignored.

Henderson-based WaveMaster International launched Australia’s largest exported aluminium monohull ferry to Europe recently, one week ahead of schedule.

INVESTORS should concentrate on making a profit rather than minimising tax, says Newman Partners partner Glenn Trinick.

A DELEGATION of more than twenty WA-based companies led by Attorney General Peter Foss recently attended a major investment and export development conference in the US.

A glimmer of light is emerging at the end of WA’s exploration tunnel, following the first major downturn in more than ten years.

DESPITE fears over the cost of compliance to small operators, the introduction of the GST will have minimal impact on the growth of the franchising industry.

CHANGES to the old tax effective investment prepayment system as a result of Ralph II is the most significant factor affecting the majority of this year’s blue gum projects, says Norgard Clohessy Equity managing director Ken Richards.

ANNOUNCING State Government service fees and charges is usually a relatively simple exercise around Budget time each year.