Mark Beyer

FAR-REACHING changes to the structure of Perth’s three major teaching hospitals are likely to be among the major reforms arising from the work of the State Government’s health refor

PLANNED revisions to Australian Stock Exchange listing rules are likely to change capital raising activity and may also affect takeover tactics, a recent seminar in Perth has been told.

WESTERN Australian law firms will have the option of converting from a partnership to a company structure following passage of State Government legislation.

AUSTRALIAN of the Year Fiona Stanley has called for a greater focus on community health programs to prevent illness, particularly among young people.

AMA State president Brent Donovan has declared himself a supporter of reform but it seems he’s no fan of the ideas floated by the State Government’s health reform committee.

WA Business News’ health forum elicited a wide range of views on whether healthcare should be considered a business.

RAMS Home Loans Group and Wizard Home Loans have added to the rapid growth in mortgage brokers, opening shopfront branches across suburban Perth.

IT’S an age-old saying that prevention is better than cure – yet it seems that one obvious place where this adage has not been applied is our struggling health system.

Health reform is one of the major financial and political issues facing the State Government. WA Business News brought together a group of key players last week to discuss the reform challenge. Mark Beyer reports.

THE Treasury department’s role in the health reform process has been questioned by the medical lobby.

THE State Government has copped a lot of flack for recent decisions on country hospitals and, judging by the comments of the WA Business News health panel, we can expect even less e

IF there were an award for the company that provides the best disclosure on executive remuneration, Tap Oil would be a clear winner.

THE business lobby has roundly criticised the Liberal Party’s decision this week to oppose the full break up of Western Power.

AN estimated 75 Western Australian businesses are being forced to change their superannuation manager after US finance giant Mellon decided to focus on its big clients.

FINANCIAL planning group Associated Planners has taken an industry lead by refusing to accept ‘soft-dollar’ benefits from fund managers.

EIGHT Western Australian companies paid their chief executives $1 million or more last financial year, WA Business News’ annual salary survey has found.

Million-dollar salaries are becoming more common in WA. Mark Beyer takes a close look at WA’s top 50 chief executives to find out who earned their keep.

BUSINESS software company MYOB has partnered with credit management firm D&B to launch a range of account management tools for small and medium sized businesses.

UK company GTL Resources is seeking to raise $US105 million ($A150 million) from Australian investors to support its planned methanol project on the Burrup Peninsula.

ACCOUNTING bodies have called on the Australian Tax Office to be more lenient with small and mid sized businesses that breach their GST obligations.

THREE Western Australian companies have been given a five-star rating in a national survey of corporate governance practices.

FLEETWOOD is expanding its manufacturing operations in Perth and Melbourne to cope with record demand for its caravans and park homes.

BUSINESS borrowers should review their cash flow projections to assess the impact of higher interest rates, accountants and finance brokers have recommended.

A DECADE ago Australia had 15 major grain handling and marketing organisations.

MULTIPLEX’S core construction business in Australia and New Zealand suffered a net loss of $2.8 million in 2003, the company’s prospectus has revealed.

THE State Government could be forced to keep the controversial Brookdale waste treatment plant open next year because alternative facilities will not be completed on time.

COMMERCIAL lawyer Neal Fearis believes the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has tightened its scrutiny of schemes of arrangement during the past year.

MULTIPLEX has recently completed its board of directors by recruiting a former adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating.

The listing of Multiplex looms as one of the largest deals in WA this year. Mark Beyer takes a closer look at the mechanics of the listing.

A MAJORITY of chief financial officers is yet to identify the impact of the planned introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Australia, according to a new survey.

ONE year after leaving Westpac Banking Corporation, Tony Howarth has returned to the finance sector as chairman of Home Building Society.

THE receiver of struggling nickel producer Bulong Nickel has commenced closing down its Goldfields plant, despite flickering hopes of a sale.