Special Reports

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.

THE Minim Cove development and the East Perth Gasworks stand out as the State’s highest profile contamination locations of recent times – due to their massive clean-up costs and high level of public awareness.

A decade in the planning and a dozen drafts later, the Contaminated Sites Bill 2002 has put the State’s landowners on notice, as Gary Kleyn reports.

PROJECT managers could soon be able to lay their hands on a comprehensive list of project services providers. Former project manager Horst Kambeck is putting together the

A MALAGA-BASED manufacturer has recently signed a deal with Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki to supply the Japanese market with special beach cleaning technology.

IF you think individual businesses will find it hard under the new Contaminated Sites legislation, spare a thought for the WA Government.

THE opening of a new four-level, 9850 square metre manufacturing plant and imminent appointment of a new chief executive at the Gold Corporation mark an exciting new phase for the Perth Mint.

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.

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.

THE next serve of snapper you buy may never have been in the ocean.

FEDERAL Government pressures and proposed new access laws could bring a multi-billion dollar boost to WA’s renewable energy industry.

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

A RAPID growth in the number of one and two-person households will be one of the defining trends of the next decade, according to the WA Planning Commission.

MORE than 25 different species are farmed in aquaculture enterprises in WA, according to the WA Fishing Industry Council.

CONSIDER It Done Personal Concierge Service – the name of this Subiaco business says it all.

NANOTECHNOLOGY developed by UWA researchers as part of a ‘Centres of Excellence’ program is poised to revolutionise the sunscreen market and is set to attack the cosmetics, microelectronics, baby care and homeware industries.

WA’S poor performance in the latest Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program funding is a reflection of the State’s inability to compete for Commonwealth funding, according to academics spoken to by WA Business News. The CRC is the nation’s major coll

COOL Energy is running hot. The company, which was formed three months ago, is enjoying the fruits of LNG research breakthroughs by Curtin University Professor Robert Amin.

A RECENTLY formed WA company is making significant strides in its quest to find a treatment to arrest Alzheimer’s disease. UWA research offshoot Alzhyme Pty Ltd has a patent pending on its research and has secured investment to further its research.

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.

Dr Tan said the best scientific results were achieved when there was cross fertilisation.

A PERTH company is developing a treatment that may provide a breakthrough for sufferers of tinnitus.

CORPORATE finance executives have nominated Croesus Mining’s purchase of Central Norseman Gold as WA’s top deal for 2002. The $65 million Croesus-Great Central deal gained high praise from nearly every corporate finance executive surveyed by WA Business

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.

AN increase in institutional ownership of major commercial and retail properties in Perth led to a rise in the number of sales completed in 2002 without an agent’s involvement.

PHARMACEUTICAL developer Chemeq and gold miner Abelle were two prominent companies that managed to raise fresh equity last year without using broking firms. Chemeq raised a total of $18 million in fresh equity while Abelle completed a successful $10m

SEVEN WA companies paid more than $1 million to their top executive in their latest financial year. The big payers are heavily biased towards WA’s largest companies, ranked by market capitalisation.

Executive remuneration is one of the most contentious issues in Australian business. Mark Beyer looks behind the raw numbers to find the ‘best value’ executives.