Western Australia is poised to become the world’s biggest producer of sandalwood early next decade, on the back of diminishing global native supplies and growing demand from India and China.
Great Southern Ltd founder John Young remains as private and modest in retirement as he was during his 20-year reign as head of Australia’s most successful agribusiness investment company.
Managed investment schemes have played a major role in the development of the olive industry in the Moore River region, which is fast becoming known as a premier location for the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
The non-forestry MIS sector is confident of a positive outcome from the Australian Tax Offices test case that would vindicate its view that investors in such schemes are carrying on a business.
Australian agribusiness stocks have performed solidly both in the short and longer term, with the Australian Agribusiness Group’s index of agricultural stocks showing strong returns over the past five years compared with the All Ordinaries index.
When Bronwyn Barnes met WA Business News, the stock market was in free fall and she seemed quite relieved to get away from the carnage that was taking place on the screens.
There’s progress and there’s progress.
The opportunities for women in business have grown significantly during the past 30 years, aided by laws, societal changes and individuals who broke through barriers.
Narelle Finch is not the first woman to sit on the board of the Western Australian Cricket Association, but she has achieved an extraordinary amount not only as a female in sport, but also as one who acknowledges she knows little about the games she works
It’s hard to see any common ground between geology and communication, yet these two fields do share something – they both feature prominently in the career backgrounds of women now atop the corporate tree in Western Australian listed companies.
With gold production in Western Australia near five-year lows, the outlook for future production is reliant on new mines coming on stream successfully and mine expansions coming to fruition.
Technology companies typically emerge from universities and other research institutions, but one WA success story that evolved away from the limelight was ThinkSmart.
Finding the right people to manage Western Australia’s technology companies is like finding a needle in a haystack, according to Titan Bioventures managing director and Phylogica non-executive director Harry Karelis.
While Western Australia’s mining stocks and their investors enjoy a bull run, emerging technology companies with new ideas are finding it harder to attract investor attention.
The performance of WA's industrial property market during the past 12 months has more than matched the commercial sector, with record sales and rents being generated, although prices are tipped to level out as more supply comes on to the market in 2008.
Patersons Securities posted a record $1.26 billion dollars in capital raisings last year, up more than 50 per cent on the previous year and a result that has returned the Perth-based stockbroker to the top position for equity capital raisings during 2007.
Family-owned furniture company, Burgtec Australasia, has added another accolade to its swag of award wins in recent years, taking out this year’s Western Australian best of the best furniture award for its WA Parliament refurbishment project.
Farmers in some parts of Western Australia may be still reeling from a poor season in 2006-07, but others are looking towards recovery as the 2007-08 harvest nears completion.
The head of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Water Research, Jorg Imberger, is one of the state’s best known scientists, so when he starts talking, smart people stop to listen.
The Sheraton Perth Hotel has unveiled 50 new hotel rooms as part of a yet-to-be completed $20 million renovation, the first major five-star development in Perth for a number of years.
The environmental approvals process remains problematic for industry in Western Australia, with the increasing regulatory standards likely to present a growing challenge for the state’s miners.
Although still primarily a niche market segment, indigenous tourism has grown in popularity of late, particularly among international visitors seeking a more unique Australian cultural experience.
Motor scooters seem to provide a credible alternative to a lot of the transport issues facing modern cities and motorists – they’re cheap to run, they’re more environmentally friendly than cars, and they take up less space on our crowded roads.
The mining industry may be responsible for just 12 per cent of the state’s total water consumption, but mining companies are increasingly recognising the importance of water resource management in their operations.
Hotel group Accor is gearing up for a multi-million dollar refurbishment program of its Western Australian hotels, in addition to the opening of its new $12 million Broome hotel complex.
With Australia set to introduce a national emissions trading scheme (NETS) by 2010, Western Australian businesses are urging the federal government not to rush the design of the scheme and risk disadvantaging the state’s economy.
