Special Reports

Western Australia’s tourism industry celebrated a good year in 2004-05, a period during which ground was made in growing the state’s share of the market.

The in-depth economic year in review of business sectors in WA reveals some stand-out performers. Measuring the impact of these sectors and their standing in the national picture, David Gibson reports.

The State Government’s role in regional Western Australia was recognised in Perth this week when two of the year’s StateWest Achievement Awards were won by public sector employees working in fields that service predominantly regional areas.

The State Government budget surplus of $1.24 billion in 2004-05 was the strongest result ever, underpinned to a large extent by higher royalties collected from the booming resources sector.

The Health Reform Committee report of March 2004 recommended a fundamental reconfiguration of the state's health system during the next 15 years. The Government’s recent allocation of $3.6 billion with the release of the 'WA Health Clinical Services Frame

For all the lifestyle it has to offer Perth is often attacked as lacking the vibrancy and cultural diversity available in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

Recent multi-million dollar investments in the state’s resources sector have paid off as unprecedented growth in the past four years continues on the back of higher commodity prices.

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.

Western Australia’s economic expansion over the past four years has made it the economic powerhouse of the nation.

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 importance of the business investment cycle to Western Australia’s economy cannot be stressed highly enough.

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.

The Perth property market is arguably leading the country in both the residential and commercial sectors.

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.

Transport, population, history, education and voting trends in WA.

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.

Commodity prices have surged as the Chinese economy has emerged as a major consumer of resources.

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.

Mining comprises about one fifth of Western Australia’s economy, about four times higher than for Australia as a whole.

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.

The resources sector has emerged as one of the most accepting of online publications and information services

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.

Community consultation has become something of a catch 22 for developers.

Policy, regulation and unclear or contradictory legislation are major impediments for the development industry, according to attendees at WA Business News’ development forum.

Developers may have an increasing focus on community, sustainability and affordability, but ultimately their focus remains bottom-line profits.

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.

Infrastructure costs are a significant contributor to the expense of creating developments on the urban fringe.

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.