Staff Reporters

LIKE silver service, Perth’s French cuisine restaurants are an endangered species that could be counted on one hand. Certainly many chefs enhance their innovative dishes with haute cuisine influences but restaurants dedicated to it are few and far between

GROSS Domestic Product (GDP) is widely used to measure national economic progress and well-being.

ANOTHER base metal project, now in the throes of being developed for an estimated $42 million, will join the ranks of its nickel producing peers in WA.

TRADE Minister Mark Vaile has announced a $400 million “gold rush” in new business and investment for Australia from the Olympic Games.

THE Australian Film Finance Corporation used good judgement in its financial practices, a review into its cash reserve has found.

AFTER 35 years in WA, Jack Bendat and his wife went south in search of a farm. In the green undulating hills around Mt Barker at a place where the Hay River flows, they found a winery and vineyard that once was a farm.

Q MULTIMEDIUM’S first series of Q Sport AFL Disqs has won the PC User Magazine Best Multimedia Product award for 2000.

THE great gratuity debate continues in WA, a region thankfully relatively free of compulsory tipping.To my way of thinking, it’s a demand which completely defeats the purpose of rewards for service.

EVEN after years of use and misuse, one of the most popular marketing phrases is “free”. Optus will have to provide thousands of its customers with an extra year of unlimited free local calls after being found guilty of deceptive advertising last week.

AUSTRALIA’S minerals and energy sector’s export earnings increased by $5 billion to a record $43.8 billion in 1999-2000, according to the latest issue of Australian Mineral Statistics.

THE World Economic Forum in Melbourne, where I spent a few quiet days last week, delivered some strong messages on future policy directions.

MARKETORCE has been reappointed to handle one of the State’s most lucrative advertising accounts.

TANAMI Gold NL has consolidated its position as a major land-holder and explorer in the highly prospective Tanami-Arunta Province stretching from WA into the Northern Territory by acquiring the regional joint venture interests of Glengarry Resources NL.

Mining portal a hitWA’S newest mining industry portal has been launched at www.miningetrade.com.au Mining E-Trade’s Ron Highchurch said it was the State’s most in-depth web site to date.

Jane Brook has returned to the winemaking days of the past by employing concrete open fermenters to make a huge Swan Valley shiraz from vines planted in 1945.

THE implementation of Kronos labour management software gives most businesses a return on investment within the first 12 months, says Diamond Management managing director Neil McCormack.

A SUPERBLY crafted Margaret River cabernet sauvignon/merlot from Moss Brothers is due for release soon.

THE issue of safety is a world-wide concern, as we saw last week when the Minesafe International 2000 Conference was held in Perth.

INTERNET advertising specialist Elink Media Limited has appointed WA businessman and Business News corporate consultant as non-executive chairman of its board of directors.

PERTH-BASED oil producer Amadeus Petroleum NL — a relatively small operator in the United States oil patch — has chalked up a near million dollar net profit in the current financial year and considerably reduce its debt.

THE FORMATION of a screen industry precinct, a new training and incentive scheme and a substantial incentive package are three major proposals of the Premier’s newly launched Screen Industry Taskforce Report.

MORE and more I notice little signs around restaurant and café checkouts begging patrons not to ask for separate bills and I’m sympathetic towards the restaurateurs’ plight.

A SURGE in complaints to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission about share trading software has prompted an ASIC surveillance and enforcement program and caused the Commission to issue a consumer alert.

MOORINGS Café on the Barrack St Jetty offers splendid views of the Swan River.

COMPARING pre- and post-GST prices showed that between May and July the overall average price change was +1.8 per cent for commonly purchased goods and services.

FREMANTLE’S cosy Essex Restaurant has arguably the finest seafood in that city and would rate among the best in the State. A big statement perhaps, but these accolades are well deserved.

SINCE its establishment in 1990, the TVW Telethon Institute for child Health research has built up an enviable international reputation for its work.

THE following company personnel changes have been notified to the WA office of the Australian Stock Exchange:John Traicos has been appointed as Company Secretary of Perilya Mines NL, replacing Julie Wolsley.

KIMBERLEY Diamond Company NL has unveiled the most significant results to date from its Blina project in Western Australia, with the first bulk sample treated during its 2000 field program so far yielding a parcel of 44 diamonds weighing 21.31 carats.

SERVICE should never interfere with a diner’s pleasure and one of the finite skills involved in the art of waiting is timing. The service staff have a delicate but business-like function to attend to and it goes way beyond simply serving food.

AUSTRALIAN winter crop production is forecast to fall by more than 4 per cent to 33.62 million tonnes in 2000-01, ABARE’s acting executive director Vivek Tulpule said when releasing the September issue of the Australian Crop Report this week.

A KUNUNURRA-based IT business is up for sale by tender.Owners Mark and Wendy Graubner are looking for a change in direction 10 years after establishing their business.