Parochial investors who put their money into Western Australian stocks have just experienced their worst year in nearly a decade, judging by the results of WA Business News' annual total shareholder return survey.
The state Labor Party has announced plans to introduce a gross feed-in tariff for household solar power systems in what's seen as a step towards boosting its green credentials ahead of next month's election.
Perth's median house price fell to $443,000 during the June quarter, slightly lower than originally forecast, according to the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia's official data.
The underserviced and ageing rail infrastructure in the eastern states has created an attractive market opportunity for niche wagon and rail maintenance player Gemco Rail Pty Ltd, based in Forrestfield.
A number of mining services companies have posted record profits for 2007-08, reinforcing the state's position as an emerging global centre for high-calibre mining services companies.
The past year has provided a bumpy ride for players in the base metals field, as sharp falls in commodity prices, a stronger Australian dollar and rising cost pressures bite into the bottom line.
Rio Tinto Ltd, the world's third largest mining company, has forecast higher prices for the company's core commodities of iron, alumina and copper after delivering a record first half profit.
He's worked as a lawyer, played Australian rules football at the highest level, and has spent the past 20 years as a trade commissioner and private consultant helping Western companies do business in China.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been forced to take a tougher stance on accepting undertakings during mergers following examples of businesses acting in bad faith, commission chairman Graeme Samuel said last week.
For most manufacturers, a $5 billion order book represents a pretty ambitious target - even more so when the company is a shipbuilder from the small suburb of Henderson, Western Australia.
When Suzannah Vaughan was appointed to run the first floating production storage and offloading vessel to work offshore India, she believed it was another significant step in her family's connection with the subcontinent and oil.
Western Australia's labour shortage may be top of the election agenda for the state's peak business lobby group, but the recruitment of blue-collar overseas workers is set to become more difficult, according to the migration industry.
Uranium miner Paladin Energy and iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group have for the third year running maintained their status as the top performing Western Australian stocks, based on rolling five-year returns.
Like many Perth restaurateurs, Maurizio Restaurant proprietor Maurizio Di Ciano believes the hospitality industry has a perception problem with regard to the career options available.
The recent decision by two of Western Australia's microbrewers to sell up could present growth opportunities for the industry's remaining players, according to Gage Roads CEO Nick Hayler.
Liberal Party leader Colin Barnett's commitment to increased education spending was one of the few standouts in the third week of the state election campaign, which has continued to be a lacklustre affair.
Investors trying to pick the next big thing in the resources boom poured their money into a diverse group of Western Australian companies last year, including iron ore, coal and phosphate stocks.
As so often happens in the unpredictable hurly-burly of party political rivalry, while you're looking one way there's something happening elsewhere that's at least equally, and often far more, important.
Western Australia is in the middle of a once-in-a-generation boom, but you'd struggle to know that if you had closely followed the state election campaign.
