AUSTRALIAN south sea pearl producer Arafura Pearls Holdings is preparing for its watershed 100,000 pearl harvest this year, having raised $20 million over the past four years through its managed investment scheme program.
THE Federal Court decision in favour of non-forestry MIS in an Australian Tax Office test case last December has substantially shortened the usual time allowed for project managers to put their annual programs together.
CONSULTING engineers have joined the Western Australian business community in calling on the state government to implement a long-term strategic infrastructure plan.
CONSULTING engineers across Perth are calling on state and local governments to urgently improve the approvals process for the development of projects throughout Western Australia, amid soaring costs to business.
DESPITE the belt-tightening currently being experienced across all industries, including the engineering sector, designers and developers say sustainable design remains key.
LOCAL engineering firms were bombarded with calls from underprepared local councils at the end of last year seeking assistance in applying for the federal government's infrastructure handouts.
THE struggles being experienced by tourism operators in some parts of Western Australia seem to have missed the north-west, for time being at least, with businesses in Exmouth and Broome positive about the year ahead.
Developers of tourism accommodation are adopting a range of responses to the financial crisis, with some going full steam ahead while others are taking a more cautious approach.
A DISASTER or a strong recovery - that's Martin Place Securities managing director Barry Dawes's each-way bet for what's likely to pan out in equity markets in 2009.
A YEAR ago it would have been unthinkable for a major Australian bank to buy BankWest, the only significant regional player in the powerhouse growth state of Western Australia.
DEBT is a theme across all the top deals of 2008, something that hasn't featured previously because such matters were considered relatively boring in a market awash with cheap credit.
A TALE of two halves is the most apt description of capital raisings last year, with the fall-off in the latter part of the year meaning investors are likely to be more selective in 2009.
LISTED East Perth internet service provider iiNet was already number three in Australia when it bought local rival Westnet for $81 million, but the deal made it the dominant force in Western Australia and strengthened its national market share.
NEXT year may be the year of the insolvency practitioner but the sector was certainly gearing up for business in 2008 as the older hands of the sector recognised the signs of a stumbling bull market.
AN already strained rock lobster industry took another hit late this year as new Fisheries Minister Norman Moore introduced strict limitations to an already tightly controlled field.
IT seems one of the final sanctuaries from that ubiquitous modern-day technological wonder, the mobile phone, is about to be breached as airlines operating within Australia consider allowing the full-blown use of in-flight connectivity.
MALCOLM and Pauline Tew joke that they have the perfect combination of brains and brawn, combining 50 years of experience in international tourism and hospitality between them.
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
THE collection tins will come out during the lead-up to Christmas with almost every charity, benevolent institution and not-for-profit organisation asking the haves to donate to the have-nots.
THE Christie's broker who sold an 1863 double magnum of Chateau Lafitte to Howard Park founder Jeff Burch and his friend was horrified to find out they drank it.
THE tourism industry was underwhelmed last month when Geoff Carmody described his report on the impact of the global financial crisis on the sector as one of the most downbeat since his first analysis in 1984.
