The state’s economy is showing no signs of cooling its demand for additional emplo-yment capacity, with all signs pointing to a further tightening as the skilled labour market feels the pinch of shortages across the board.
By far the most dominant demographic influence on the Western Australian economy – and most developed economies for that matter – is that of the baby boomers.
The Australian Tourism Exchange 2005, the largest international trade show in the Southern Hemisphere, held in Perth in June, was touted as the most important event in the history of the state’s tourism industry.
As part of the health upgrades, the State Government will invest $206 million in the redevelopment of four major country hospitals across Western Australia into regional resource centres.
The housing and resources booms in Western Australia’s so-called ‘V8 economy’ have been credited with the state’s above-average performance, but higher prices are creeping into the picture as the cycle is prolonged.
WHILE Western Australia has traditionally been one of the less expensive Australian states in which to live, recent rises in key indicators point to a closing of the cost-of-living gap.
Returns in the farm sector were mixed in 2004-05, both in volume and value terms, but good rainfall in the state’s agricultural areas during the past two months will ensure a strong harvest this year across most commodities.
The battle for territory in Perth’s independent newspaper market is getting fiercer as new players look to secure a slice of the action, as Mark Mentiplay reports.
The $173.5 million acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Hoyts Cinemas, a step outside West Australian News-papers’ traditional comfort zone and the development of its online services, is costing the company.
While television is still the first medium of choice for major advertisers, Perth agencies and their clients are looking at new alternatives to break through the growing advertising clutter and reach an increasingly fragmented audience.
West Australian Newspapers is embarking on a $189 million, two-year expansion plan that includes a $31 million redundancy provision to cover 220 full-time production staff at the company’s Herdsman headquarters.
Policy, regulation and unclear or contradictory legislation are major impediments for the development industry, according to attendees at WA Business News’ development forum.
Issues over infrastructure, particularly the provision and accessibility of water, were among the most significant challenges of the next two decades, according to participants at the WA Business News boardroom forum.
The state Government proposal to establish a ‘super planning agency’ is seen by many as the result of its frustration with the decision-making processes of local governments in relation to planning issues.
With the number of people living in Western Australia expected to double within three decades, dealing with the pressures of a growing population is a challenge for legislators and developers, as Marsha Jacobs reports.
AN increase in iron ore prices of 71.5 per cent this year has added a massive incentive to second-tier iron ore producers/explorers in Western Australia, particularly those in the Mid-West.
Alumina and petrochemicals are set to join the iron ore and oil and gas industries as major drivers of the state’s extraordinary investment boom, WA Business News’annual major projects review has found.
With a review of Western Australia’s public infrastructure concluding it is generally superior to other states, the Gallop Government is spending $4.7 billion this year to try and keep it that way.
The petrochemical industry, which has long been targeted as a growth sector for Western Australia, seems likely to start realising some of its potential during the next year.
Rising costs somewhat dampen the enthusiasm that surrounds a significant increase in exploration expenditure by listed juniors in the June 2005 quarter.
A shortage of suitable exploration land and expertise have meant mineral explorers and producers alike have had to find ways around obstacles to project development.
