Special Reports

Lending to business almost dried up during the GFC, but the banks, big and small, are starting to talk to their clients again.

WHEN billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey launched a bid to get GST imposed on online purchases less than $1,000, he unwittingly provided a major publicity boost for internet shopping in Australia.&nb

WHEN the water-cooler talk turns to shopping, there are two big topics that no-one ever seems to tire of – online bargains and bad service.

WESTERN Australia’s super-charged resources sector has provided little protection for retailers battling to overcome sagging consumer sentiment and a shift from spending to saving.

Investment worth tens of millions of dollars has been slated for a number of Perth’s shopping centres as owners bank on a retail revival.

STARTING out as a business focused on direct-use geothermal projects, Green Rock Energy has diversified its portfolio to avoid the pressures of a diminishing capital-market appetite for such projec

THE lack of a cohesive, strategic approach to meeting the Pilbara’s increasing energy requirements, and mining giants’ domination of the region’s power generation and supply, are among the major pr

Regulatory uncertainty and the state’s role in energy generation and market structure are hindering private investment opportunities in the sector.

Nickel has become one of the analysts’ least preferred commodity exposures as WA companies battle costs and tumbling share prices.

The dramatic growth in seaborne trade has made ports politically and commercially valuable.

Agricultural exports are tipped to rebound and lift farmers’ incomes after they plumbed 10-year lows on the back of a dry spell.

Players have welcomed the implementation of the Knight review’s recommendations but some fear it favours universities.

Western Australia’s share of national exports has risen to 46 per cent and looks set to rise further.

The hospitality industry is still recovering from a lethargy brought on by the global financial crisis, but industry leaders are cautiously optimistic about the outlook.

EVERY year, Howard Park owners Jeff and Amy Burch hold an international pinot tasting at their Margaret River property.

Big-name restaurants and chefs have moved into the Burswood Entertainment Complex, but does that make it the new epicentre of Perth dining? Emily Morgan reports.

FROM the Pilbara to Ghana, to Norway and North America, the views of participants in the WA Business News boardroom forum reflect those of the hundreds of listed companies in the junior mi

IT’S the gold bull market of a generation, yet for West Perth’s crop of West African gold explorers, convincing the market to come along on the ride isn’t as easy as it used to be.

ALONG with finance, having access to appropriate infrastructure, such as ports and railways, is another critical factor for mining companies.

‘BORROWER beware’ is the advice from experienced mining and finance industry professionals wary about a surge in the number of non-traditional lenders moving into Australia.

As the big mining houses just get bigger, junior miners are seeking solutions to some of their issues.

PRIVATE property developers are making the most of Perth’s industrial land shortage to build the profits, along with much-needed facilities, for national and multi-national tenants keen to lift the

LANDCORP’S bid to build a network of industrial estates in regional Western Australia is premised on meeting industrial demand to support the state’s major mining and resource projects over the nex

A lack of well-serviced industrial land is hampering investment in WA.

Philanthropy is an inevitable topic when it comes to wealth creators in Western Australia.

ANDREW Forrest is much more than just one of Australia’s richest people, he’s a showman who adds a little bit of Hollywood to what would normally be the dry and dusty world of iron ore.

THE private wealth of iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart has become a little more public in the past year, during which she emerged as Australia’s richest person.

WHEN Pankaj Oswal emerged with a 5 per cent stake in listed Phosphate Australia in late 2008 – a little more than $2 million for 5.5 million shares at an average of 36 cents each – he was at the to

Resources rule when it comes to directors’ wealth.

It would be easy to call the many names gathered on the  following pages a rich list, but it is not that simple.

THE ‘staff wanted’ signs may not yet be in every shop window as they were at the peak of the mining boom in 2007-08, but the wages that drew employees to the mines and forced other businesses to fo

Business is being swamped by rising costs that are hampering industry’s ability to respond to the boom.