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Property players believe the time is ripe for a visionary state planning strategy. Janelle Macri reports.

Andrew Carter is inspired by his unique creative niche in the world of visual arts.

ACCESS to finance and tighter lending criteria by the banks remain the biggest obstacles for the property industry.

GOVERNMENTS around the globe have, almost without exception, felt compelled to try and take charge of their economies to tackle the recent financial crisis.

LAST year's boost to the first home owners grant and cuts to interest rates have given rise to a two-tiered property market, with the first home buyer and sub-$500,000 market firing while the middle to upper end of the market languishes.

Industry in WA does not fully take advantage of supercomputing, a rapidly maturing IT segment.

IF there's any upside to the current housing slump it would have to be the easing of several boom time pressures, such as labour shortages, input costs and time blowouts.

Could a major metropolitan centre in the Pilbara be a precursor to statehood for the region?

THE property industry was one of the most affected by the global financial slowdown, which gripped the state in late 2008 as plummeting global markets and job losses became more and more prevalent.

The federal government is going to great lengths to cosy up to China.

EARLY analysis of the property market for 2009 is showing signs of revival, as the effects of the increased first homeowners grant, lower interest rates and stamp duty concessions for first homebuyers start filtering through.

THE recent launch of the Small Bar Association of WA is another signal of the big changes taking place in Perth's hospitality industry.

DESPITE trade volumes falling at Fremantle Port in recent months, complaints about delays at the wharf by members of the Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia (CBFCA) suggest efficiency has not improved as expected.

The Western Australian Trade Opportunities Service is operated by the International Trade Centre of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia.

THE small business sector is missing out on the benefits of lower interest rates, with higher risk margins on business loans outweighing the fall in rates, new research has found.

THE first stage of the transition of Fremantle storage facility Fort Knox into warehouse apartments is taking shape, with major upgrades of the facility recently finalised.

THE tenure of chief executives in Western Australia is likely to get a lot shorter if recent trends keep up, with a flurry of local firms making changes at the top.

THE rural townsite of Gidgegannup to the north east of Perth is perched for significant expansion if the master plan from property developer, Port Bouvard, lodged last week with the City of Swan and the Western Australian Planning Commission, receives app

BUSINESS owners have been urged to understand their legal obligations when making staff redundant.

AGGRESSIVE and often controversial managed investment scheme (MIS) operator and latterly, corporate agriculture company, Timbercorp, has succumbed to the weight of its ever-increasing mountain of debt.

THE current condition and future use of the rural rail system across Western Australia as part of the state's grain freight network continues to generate debate, as stakeholders seek a commitment from the government to support the ageing infrastructure.

MADDINGTON-BASED Coote Industrial and associated company Greentrains have negotiated related fund raising deals worth $8 million with Victorian Caterpillar dealer Dale Elphinstone.

The Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation has called on Premier Colin Barnett to put Aurox Resources' Balla Balla iron ore project on hold after claiming the company refused to negotiate a native title deal.

The Environmental Protection Authority will tomorrow release its recommendations on Chevron's expansion proposal for the Gorgon liquefied natural gas project.

Metal recycling group CMA Corporation says it will have improved access to world investment markets as its shares start trading in the United States as American Depository Receipts.

The owners of the Dampier to Bunbury pipeline has refinanced its $480 million stage 5A bank facility which was due to mature in October this year.

Agribusiness and automotive components supplier Futuris Corporation will begin trading on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Thursday under the old Elders name.

Straits Resources says it expects to deliver shareholders around $94 million of the $US335 million ($A470 million) deal with Thailand's PTT International Company, which achieved financial close today.

Sundance Resources has raised nearly $11 million through a share purchase plan as talks continue with potential strategic partners for the Mbalam iron ore project.

Acquisitive national facilities manager Spotless Group has completed the acquisition of the business assets of Riley Shelley, a company founded through a joint venture of a Perth and Brisbane-based painting businesses.

OZ Minerals Ltd, which has struck a deal with China Minmetals Non-Ferrous Metals Co Ltd that will give it funds to pay down debt, has reported mixed production results from its Golden Grove mine in WA.

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