Property

THE size of Western Australia's legal practices has fluctuated only mildly during the past 12 months despite the sector's changing dynamics as a result of the economic slowdown.

THE property industry has called on the government to offer further tax relief to stimulate the market, despite forecasts of a decline in property tax revenue as a result of the housing market downturn.

AFTER causing a stir in the 1990s with his ANREPS business, real estate veteran Tony Wiles is aiming to shake up the industry again with a new venture, online auction site geewhizauctions.

Two major Perth CBD commercial sales in recent weeks have given early indications of where values could be headed, after months without a major commercial office sale.

Osborne Park-based Cell Aquaculture has entered a joint venture deal to establish a $20 million land-based seafood production facility in South Africa.

Property taxes remain one of the biggest revenue earners for government, with the state and local governments in Western Australia raking in more than $4 billion from property taxes last financial year.

Stockland has secured Shell Development Australia, a subsidiary of global energy company Royal Dutch Shell, as a major tenant at its new 2 Victoria Avenue office building in Perth.

QUESTIONS are being raised within the housing industry about the federal government's ability to meet its commitment to supply 3,000 new social housing dwellings in Western Australia through its housing stimulus package.

FOR more than 30 years, Habitat for Humanity has operated internationally as a non-denominational Christian community organisation with a charter to build simple, affordable and sustainable entry-level housing in partnership with low-income families.

RETAILERS have taken the whip hand in negotiations for tenancies, with rental growth expected to stabilise and even drop in some precincts.

THE state government is progressing with its plan to relocate social housing stock from high-end Perth suburbs into lower-cost suburbs In October, Treasurer Troy Buswell announced a review into Homeswest housing in wealthier suburbs, ordering the Departme

WESTERN Australia hopes to snare a larger portion of funding in round two of the federal government's National Rental Affordability Scheme after receiving 401 homes in round one, which was announced in March.

THE state's second largest residential builder has called on the federal government to extend the boost to the first homeowners grant until the end of the year and extend the grant to second and third homeowners to stimulate the industry.

Shares in Carnegie Corporation jumped after the wave power hopeful signed a $250 million project financing deal with banking giant Investec.

An estimated $2 billion will be invested by the private sector into the Northbridge Link as the state Planning Minister John Day marks the start of the final planning stage for the 13.5 hectare site.

The state government has appointed former Court Government Minister Monty House as the new chair of the LandCorp board and also appointed five other new members.

MORE than 300 new accommodation rooms will have opened in Broome in time for the start of this year's peak season, with a number of new developments coming online over the next three months.

Developers take control as construction costs become more competitive.

EXPANDING from one office to three in the past two years has helped cement Northbridge-based town planners Greg Rowe and Associates as one of the largest firms of its kind in the state.

HENDERSON-BASED shipbuilder Austal this month secured $220 million worth of contracts, one for the construction of the largest catamaran ferry in the company's history.

One of the state's largest suppliers of commercial cleaning services, Arrix, has agreed to join national facilities manager Spotless Group.

Western Australia has topped a survey of businesses intending to pursue acquisitions in the next three years as the global downturn lowers the price of competitors.

The first phase of the state and federal governments' plan to boost social housing stock in WA is set to start with 286 houses, valued at $70 million, to be built by mid next year.

LandCorp and Stockland have together received a national award for the South Beach Estate, the only Western Australian winner at the Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards.

The state government has appointed Gary Prattley as the new chair of the Western Australian Planning Commission.

A shortage of industrial land throughout Perth has both national and international companies considering a relocation to Balcatta as an industrial site is sold for more than $7 million.

The state government has claimed Cabinet confidentiality in its refusal to release the State Infrastructure Strategy despite the opposition's claims it will cause business confidence to continue to drop.

Less than a week after securing a deal to build the largest catamaran ferry in the company's history, Austal has secured a second ferry contract valued at $106 million.

A PROPOSAL by the City of Wanneroo could provide a solution to the growing concerns of developers over requirements to preserve habitats of the endangered Carnaby's Black Cockatoo.

Perth property values have bucked the slight upward national trend, with the median value of houses dipping 1 per cent in the three months to the end of February.

Four Western Australian housing providers have gained approval to build more than 400 new affordable rental homes for low and middle income families under the first round of the National Affordable Rental Scheme.

The occupancy rate in Perth's major hotels reached 82.4 per cent during 2008, ranking Perth at the top of a global survey of hotel occupancy rates.