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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.

IS fancying a French really considered cheating? Ive had a bad week.

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

INVESTORS in the SAS Global group’s property companies face a dire outlook after at least one company was placed in administration last week and two others were forced to cancel restructuring plans.

HERITAGE-LISTED residential properties have proved to be just as valuable as an asset as similar non-listed properties, according to new research undertaken by the Australian Property Institute.

A NEW home building service has been established to assist clients find the builder most suited to their needs.

Benny’s Bar & Café is a unique business on South Terrace. Adam Orlando reports.

Brent Stewart takes a scientific approach to his role with Synovate.

THERE was a huge sigh of relief in political circles last week when Thai oil company PTTEP finally brought under control a leak in the Timor Sea.

WHEN I spoke in April about the ‘road to recovery’, the issue was how to get onto that road.

As Western Australia’s economic recovery gathers steam, supply-side constraints are shaping up as a major issue.

Woodside Petroleum has split the front-end engineering work for its Pluto expansion project by awarding dual contracts for trains 2 and 3 to KBR and its existing joint venture contractors FosterWheeler and WorleyParsons.

The state government has released proposed new housing codes for higher density areas for public comment today.

Almost one year before Great Southern collapsed under a mountain of debt, board members of the agribusiness provider were acutely aware the company faced a serious cash-flow problem.

The Woodside Petroleum-operated North West Shelf Venture today said it was continuing to negotiate with gas retailer Alinta, owned by Babcock and Brown Power, over future gas supplies from the project following an interim ruling by an arbitrator yesterday

St Barbara has today revealed a $124 million rights offer, described as the next logical step for the gold miner's growth objectives, chief executive Tim Lehany said.

Mermaid Marine Australia has scored more work at the Gorgon gas project, today securing a contract worth at least $32 million to provide stevedoring and related services for the operation's supply base.

Small to medium enterprises are sticking with the safety of the big four banks, which have increased their market share in the increasingly competitive market for small business deposits, new figures show.

Four WA companies involved in environmental management, nickel mining and genetically modified crops have received nearly $1.3 million under the latest round of federal government Climate Ready grants.

The impact of the federal government's roll back of the first home owners boost has affected Western Australia the most, where mortgage volumes slumped 35.5 per cent in October, new figures show.

Wesfarmers has today approved a $286 million expansion of its Curragh coal mine in Queensland after striking an agreement with Stanwell Corporation.

West Perth-based Cauldron Energy has secured $10 million from Chinese investors to ramp up exploration at its suite of uranium assets in Australia and Argentina.

The state government will immediately provide the St John Ambulance Service WA (SJA) with more than $1 million in funding following the recommendations of the independent inquiry into the safety and quality of SJA's clinical practices released today.

The Assistant Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia has joined other finanical experts in suggesting the Asian region had been largely insulated from the economic downturn and would aggressively outperform other global economies in the medium term.

Western Australia's largest private sector employer, Wesfarmers, has launched its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) targeting employment and community engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Liquefied Natural Gas Limited's share purchase plan has been completed, raising almost $18 million, bringing the company's cash position to some $55 million.

Education services provider Navitas has secured a memorandum of understanding with Charles Darwin University, enhancing the company's global presence to develop further educational programs.

Mid-West magnetite hopeful Asia Iron Holdings is targeting a 2012 production start at its flagship $2 billion Extension Hill project near Geraldton, after securing a major state-owned Chinese partner for the venture.

Sundance Resources has raised $85 million from international institutional investors to complete a definitive feasibility study of its Mbalam Project, including mine, process, transport and port infrastructure and also provide general working capital.

Shares in West Perth-based Regis Resources remained steady in trading today following the announcement of a $45 million debt facitlity the company will use to develop its $73 million Duketon gold project.

Shares in Territory Resources have fallen eight per cent in morning trade after the company announced it has agreed to sell its stake in India Resources, as it moves to cut its debt.

An increased flow of credit into the housing sector, apparently due to a last minute rush by first home buyers to secure the full benefit of a more generous housing grant, looks likely to generate a boost to the economy.