Staff Reporters

SMALL business placed the frequency and complexity of tax changes at the top of its priorities for the next Federal Government, according to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

RETAIL trade is steadily growing according to September quarter figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, but Perth newcomer David Jones is taking nothing for granted, doubling the number of specials in its Perth Christmas catalogue.

THIRTEEN was anything but unlucky on Tuesday at Flemington. Ethereal, horse 13, won this year's Melbourne Cup, crossing the line just ahead of Give The Slip after a flying gallop down the home straight.

THE introduction of an ethical ‘fund of funds' by master fund manager AM Corporation marks another step forward in the emergence of Australia's ethical investing industry.

A DEVELOPMENT opportunity has surfaced in Mandurah, with a 52,800sqm site up for tender through Knight Frank.

INDUSTRIAL relations seems more than a glossy front cover political issue in Australia.

MORTGAGE originators are among a group of professionals that looks to have escaped the provisions of the Financial Services Reform Act.

TELSTRA has become one of the big issues for the two major parties as they try to gain the upper hand in the election campaign.

THE dot.com crash that affected markets, employees and customers the world over hasn't dissuaded some businesses from launching an online presence.

INTERNATIONAL terrorism has proved a bit of a ratings winner in the cut-throat world of talkback radio.

THE freeway snaking its way down from Joondalup to Perth is not the longest haul on earth, at least not as far as life-changing journeys go.

PERTH-BASED nickel laterite group NiWest Limited has secured a number of option agreements to explore for nickel in the Eastern Goldfields.

AUSTRALIAN Cancer Technology Limited has made another board appointment, Katherine Wood-thorpe.

MARKET sentiment has been less than kind to recent WA exploration floats.

BUSINESS News has officially launched its 40 under 40 program.The program aims to find the next tranche of WA business and com-munity leaders.

ARRADALE-1 is due to be spudded this week, continuing a spate of renewed activity in the Northern Perth Basin this year.

A FINE film by writer and director of the academy award winning Cinema Paradiso, Giuseppe Tornatore, will open the Italian Film Festival at Cinema Paradiso tonight.

PERTH'S CBD and even a southern suburb have become caught up in the global anthrax scares. Several office buildings, including the Telstra building on Stirling Street, were evacuated after receiving mail suspected of containing the bacterial agent.

COMPANIES that move from being good to great do not do so by accident.

STRONG petroleum prices and a depreciating Australian dollar brought about a 40 per cent increase in sales revenue despite a modest fall in the quantity sold last year.

PLENTY of experts have publicly analysed the uncertain economic times of past weeks, including PricewaterhouseCoopers senior economist (USA) David Gulley at the recent APPEA ACE Forum, and investors are being more than cautious.

WHILE you and I might find sitting in a room filled with jars of severed heads and limbs a little on the morbid side, Gail Divine finds it fascinating.

THE Government's proposed changes to industrial relations laws will result in higher dining costs, poorer service, and perhaps restaurant closures on Sundays and public holidays, according to industry sources.

WA Business News is embracing a program to find and bring recognition to the next generation of the State's business leaders.

NEARLY 55,000 Western Australians suffered from workplace-related injuries or illnesses in the year ending September 2000, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

BOMBS continue to fall on Afghanistan as the United States and Britain prepare to up the ante in the war on terrorism before sending in ground troops to flush out Osama bin Laden.

THE “war on terrorism” became a reality this week when United States and British forces launched military strikes on Afghanistan.

PROBABLY the most common question asked of me as a corporate adviser is: How do we write a good strategic plan?

BACKPACKING may be considered by some to be poor person's travel option, but that doesn't mean it does not generate a significant income for the tourism and travel market.

A FINAL decision on the planned joint venture between the WA Trotting Association and the WA Turf Club will be delayed for at least a further six weeks as the WATA awaits a valuation and heritage report on the Gloucester Park property.

ANSETT planes returned to the sky as Australians prepared to settle in for a weekend of football grand finals. However, Ansett Mk II, as it is now being called, limited its first services to Sydney to Melbourne flights.

THE restaurant trade's night of nights was held last month to celebrate excellence within the industry and to recognise the importance restaurants play in the Western Australian tourism economy.