Mark Beyer

OVER the past two years, Western Australian companies have been awarded contracts worth more than $1.7 billion on big mining and resource processing projects.

THE Western Australian Government is finalising a new buy local scheme in partnership with independent supermarkets and WA food producers. The scheme, to be branded Buy WA First, is scheduled to be launched in early May.

BURRUP Fertilisers has pledged its commitment to maximising local content on its $630 million ammonia project, amid rumours that the company has failed to prepare adequately for local participation.

IF there was an award for companies achieving high local content on Western Australian projects, BHP Billiton would take line honours, while Woodside would be a con

COMPANIES hoping to win big contracts from the Western Australian Government are now required to prepare Australian Industry Participation (AIP) plans.

BUSINESSES have been warned to start preparing for new payment and reporting rules for superannuation.

The State Government announced its long awaited water strategy this week. Mark Beyer spoke to the new chairman of the Water Corporation, who will be a key driver of the strategy.

THE $437 million railcar contract for the planned Mandurah railway highlights the wide gap between rhetoric and reality that sometimes muddies the local content deb

THE centrepiece of the new local content incentive scheme, which formally commenced on January 1, is Australian Industry Participation (AIP) plans.

A new scheme to maximise local content on major projects formally took effect on January 1. Mark Beyer takes a close look at how major Western Australian projects are performing.

In the third of a six-part series on business lending, Mark Beyer looks at the equipment finance market. THE equipment finance market has witnessed substantial change over the past couple of years, led by the growing popularity of chattel mortgages.

FOR most businesses in WA, banking is conducted through the State's big five – BankWest and the four national banks, ANZ, Commonwealth, National and Westpac.

“RIGHTLY or wrongly, you have to congratulate the guy for having a vision and prosecuting it very competitively. Not many people can do that.”

AUSTRALIAN businesses are renowned for being unhappy with their banks but not doing much about it.

PERTH Glory chairman Nick Tana has agreed to personally guarantee a multi-million dollar loan by the Town of Vincent as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the $11.5 million redevelopment of Perth Oval.

MORTGAGE originators are targeting business lending for future growth following their success in the housing loans market. From a standing start in the mid 1990s, mort-gage originators now arrange about 30 per cent of all housing loans.

AN innovative fish handling system developed by Perth company McRobert Aquaculture System (MAS) is attracting growing interest around the world.

FIFTY-SEVEN financial institutions currently provide approximately 720 different debt finance products for small business, according to research group Cannex.

THE ageing of Australia's population has been widely predicted. Less well understood is the commercial and social impact of this change.

TWO new assignments this month have highlighted Argonaut Capital's rapid emergence as a prominent player in the corporate finance market.

The Australian economy is constantly changing, with new industries emerging to replace the old. Mark Beyer looks at the forces driving change and identifies sectors with high growth prospects.

THERE is one country that will stand apart from all others in the international tourism market over the coming decade.

OPPORTUNITY through adversity could well be the catchcry of WA's tree farming industry.

There was a changing of the guard at Perth's largest stockbroking firm this week. Mark Beyer spoke to the main players at Hartleys. TIM Moore and his detractors are still world's apart.

PROVIDING seed funding, encouraging better collaboration between universities and industry, and promoting WA as a R&D hub are vital if WA is to make it into the big league.

ORBITAL Engine Corporation has achieved two major breakthroughs this month, removing dark clouds hanging over the company's future.

TWO separate studies released over the past month have highlighted the risk of insolvency among Australian companies. The studies formed markedly different views on the degree of risk, however, leaving investors and business people with an awkward

STOCKBROKER Euroz Securities is moving to new premises to accommodate recent and planned growth in the business. A major recent initiative was the establishment of a dedicated corporate finance department, headed by new recruits Karl Paganin and Doug

LEAGUE tables always generate plenty of debate, both for the rankings they produce and the methodology employed to construct them. The contentious nature of league tables is illustrated by the fact that four different broking firms could claim to be the

WA Business News' inaugural survey of Western Australian equity capital markets has highlighted the dominance of a handful of stockbroking firms. Mark Beyer looks at the market in 2002 and its prospects for 2003.

INVESTORS and business people trying to assess the credit quality of other companies can assess a range of financial and non-financial indicators. John Carello, the reconstruction and advisory services partner at accounting firm PKF, said warning signs

A small warehouse office in King Street in the city is an unlikely base for an international cosmetics company. Mark Beyer reports on the remarkable success of Becca.