Special Reports

Favourite holiday destination? Most recent holidays tend to be front of mind and we recently holidayed in the ‘top end’.

I CONSIDER myself to be a devoted Western Australian.Perth born-and-bred, I thought I'd seen most of what this glorious state has to offer in terms of tourism experiences.

NO doubt many Business Class readers would have had a flutter last week on the Melbourne Cup.

LIKE Perth's CBD, the suburban shopping centre landscape has been defined in 2009 by an abundance of new retail space becoming available to the market.

BIG box liquor stores have been threatening to overwhelm the traditional players for a decade, much as their hardware counterparts have become dominant in that market.

LIMITED opportunities at Perth's premier strip shopping locations will keep rental values at current levels, as existing retailers hang onto their leases and rarely choose to exit the coveted locations.

The local retail market is emerging from the economic downturn in good shape.

DEVELOPERS and shopping centre owners are making significant investments to capitalise on the state government’s Activity Centres planning policy.

THE local bulky goods business is entering a consolidation phase after a three-year period of sustained growth, according to industry analysts.

OVERCOMING challenges relating to infrastructure investment and development is a top priority for the state’s accommodation providers.

A COMPLETELY rewritten Rottnest Island Authority Act is long overdue, according to the state's tourism industry.

THE world’s premier destinations are battling to secure world-class events that deliver valuable tourism outcomes, with a focus on the growing number of lucrative business events and the associated contingents of high-yield visitors.

The tourism industry wants the state government to take notice of its contribution to WA and deliver more appropriate support.

MAIN Street in Osborne Park is a real place with a range of small businesses servicing Western Australian consumers and enterprises.

AFTER a brief respite, employers can expect to face severe labour shortages again as economic growth quickly soaks up whatever genuine unemployment there is.

What are the key issues for the WA economy over the next 12 months?

THEY may be accidents of history, geography and geology, but Western Australia's long-term economic future is all the more rosy because of its tremendous resources, located near the most important growth markets in the world.

Twelve months is clearly a long time in an economy, as WA's remarkable turnaround indicates.

Business Class talks to Sandalford Wines chief executive Grant Brinklow

IF you spend more than a few moments with David Hohnen you'll soon hear the words 'second generation'.

AN Indian student approaches an education agent in his home city, after hearing that if he studies in Australia, he can get permanent residency.

The tourism industry needs the government to commit to a new accommodation program.

If you're looking for a food festival, then Western Australia has something to suit almost every taste.

WHERE are all the people? Put simply, Western Australia doesn't have enough of them with the right skills and experience to make the most of the surge in oil and gas development.

TEACHING is widely regarded as a recession-proof profession.And it appears those companies that turn a profit from private education have also come out largely unaffected by the economic downturn.

KING Neptune has been waiting a long time for this.Amid much anticipation of rapid development, a six-metre high statue was built almost three decades ago, facing southward from a promontory at Two Rocks towards Perth, 60 kilometres distant.

IT is the land where Alan Bond infamously painted the sand dunes green to make the brochures look better.

LAND development has changed substantially in the past decade or so.

BIG news and a big win from across the sea in the land of the long white pom.

Competition and innovation go hand-in-hand in the wine business, Russell Quinn reports.

The city of lights tends to rank highly in global surveys, but what does that mean?

WHILE many people may dream of sailing at a leisurely pace around the world, Perth couple Phil and Robbie Hearse are among the small number whose dream has become reality.