THE failure of one commercial venture could provide a boost for a new and potentially much larger venture at the University of Western Australia, which is the likely headquarters of a $20 million radio astronomy research centre.
DURING the past two months there has been an unprecedented wave of bad economic news and plunging business confidence; but just how bad is Western Australia's economic outlook? Many people ask rhetorically why there is so much gloom in the local business
ABOUT 236,000 square metres of extra retail space is due to come online in Perth over the next four years, according to a retail report by the Property Council of Australia (WA), with just less than half the extra space coming from new centres.
THE National Australia Bank’s Business Planning Survey has revealed an alarming level of complacency amongst the state’s small business owners when it comes to planning for the future, with 87 per cen
THE tourism industry was underwhelmed last month when Geoff Carmody described his report on the impact of the global financial crisis on the sector as one of the most downbeat since his first analysis in 1984.
ACCESS Economics co-founder Geoff Carmody’s assessment of the impact of the global economic crisis on the state’s tourism industry made for some pretty sobering reading.
Rio Tinto plans to cut 14,000 jobs, slash its 2009 capital spending from $9 billion to $4 billion and increase asset sales in order to reduce its $38.9 billion debt by a further $10 billion by the end of next year.
Premier Colin Barnett says he cannot guarantee reliable power supply for Western Australia for the next three years, as he delivers his "school report" into his first 79 days in office.
The federal government will provide $10 million over four years to support the expansion of Clontarf Academies to improve the education, life skills and employment prospects of 700 Indigenous young men in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Construction of a new $420 million NewGen Neerabup gas-fired power station has begun, with the 330 megawatt plant to provide additional capacity to the South West Interconnected System starting from next summer.
Australian small and medium enterprises say they are burdened by the complexity of regulation, according to a global study of tax professionals by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
The global economic crisis has prompted the competition watchdog to give approval to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia's $2.1 billion acquisition of BankWest and St Andrew's Australia from troubled UK-based parent HBOS plc.
Bulk commodities iron ore and coal have largely driven Australia's export earnings to a record $42.6 billion for the September quarter, just before prices took a dive.
RBA signals caution on big rate cuts; Westpac taps market for $2.5bn; Rudd trims emissions target to 10pc; Sino Iron on track, insists Citic Pacific; Macquarie warns profit will fall as deals wither
The University of Western Australia and the Committee for Perth have teamed up to appoint two international experts to lead a project benchmarking the liveability of Perth and its global connectedness.
Despite the increasing rate of job losses around the globe, Australian finance and accounting professionals remain optimistic about job prospects, as found in a 14-country survey by international recruiter Robert Half.
The challenges of late 2008 look set to carry over into the new year with business chiefs anticipating further erosion of profits and sales as credit market conditions, a volatile Australian dollar and inflationary pressures impact prospects for 2009.
Job fears grow, but unions want more; Non-bank lenders hurting; Miners tear into ETS proposal; BHP, Rio face $2bn iron threat; Qantas plays down BA merger
Subiaco-based Chrome Corporation is seeking to have its self-imposed trading halt lifted following an announcement from the company about the sale of its 74 per cent interest in a South African chrome project for $41 million.
Economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel says the Australian economy will not fall into recession, despite the dismal growth in real GDP in the September quarter.
Tax board targets GST red tape; Oil price plunge alarms OPEC; Iron contracts in jeopardy; Spanish airline a barrier to Qantas merger; Garnaut warns - don't go alone
Como-based Aquila Resources says it is seeking potential co-developers for a port at Anketell Point, which has been selected as the preferred port site for the $4.1 billion West Pilbara iron ore project.
Gas reserve 'puts off explorers'; Call for Canberra to steer energy projects; Banks will take control of B&B; Senate resists Rudd's $26bn building plan; Rio dives 11pc on growing debt fears
Business confidence in Western Australia has hit record lows as the global economic uncertainty starts to impact owners, two separate surveys have found.
Almost one third of Western Australians will buy a property before 2009 is over despite the current financial conditions prompting many people to revisit their financial plans, a survey has found.
Perth-based Pacific Energy will pay $77 million in cash and scrip to acquire Kalgoorlie Power Systems, which owns a suite of power stations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Western Australia has suffered the nation's biggest drop in confidence among small and medium enterprises, according to the Sensis Business Index for November.
Engineering and infrastructure firm GRD will be hit by a significant one-off charge after agreeing to sell its loss-making Australian waste treatment facility in a bid to boost its financial position.
Recession looms as growth drops close to zero; Listed WA companies drop $17bn; Hostile opposition to Qantas changes; Rudd plots bankroll plan; Varanus gas explosion rocks national accounts
TWO separate reports on the state's housing sector have painted another soft year as rate cuts and stimulus packages fail to resurrect the weakening industry.
