Latest Headlines

Battle lines drawn on $42bn plan; Fortescue to raise $77m for payouts; BHP slashes spending to combat metals downturn; Crisis picks up speed; GE Capital to axe 400 more jobs as part of revamp

THERE'S not much talk of the global economic downturn or falling commodity prices when you listen to companies with an interest in iron ore mining and infrastructure projects in the Mid West region.

IF Premier Colin Barnett is looking for places to find new jobs and boost the state's royalty income, he needs to look no further than the gold industry.

The Note raised an eyebrow at a bit of research floating about this week suggesting one in six BankWest customers could vote with their feet and leave the bank as a result of the recent takeover by Co

BUILDERS, insulation suppliers and solar hot water providers will be winners from the state and federal government stimulus packages, announced this week.

BROCKMAN Resources managing director Wayne Richards has taken advantage of the recent upswing in the company's share price, exercising 1 million options in the money.

The Note loves to trawl the annual returns of WA's political parties to see just who gives what.

Small retailers find service and customer loyalty pay dividends in a downturn.

THE six not-for-profit organisations that have teamed up to buy the failed ABC Learning centres say childcare should be the responsibility of not-for-profit organisations and not the corporate sector.

A PUBLIC forum planned for Esperance next week will give residents the opportunity to comment on the future of the town's port.

EAST Perth-based hospitality contractor Compass Group has called for amendments to the federal government's proposed industrial relations laws to clarify ambiguity over a provision concerning the 'transfer of a business'.

THE crashing of pans and clashing of egos may be the norm in any large kitchen, but one notable Perth eatery has brought the action front and centre as part of its latest makeover.

ONE in six BankWest customers and more than 7 per cent of St George customeras plan to vote with their feet and leave the banks as a result of the recent corporate activity, a new poll by Retail Banki

PERTH-BASED education services company Navitas has defied the global economic slowdown by reporting a lift in interim profit to a record level and outlining plans to pursue further international growth.

The work of a Perth immunogenetics expert could improve the lives of millions.

I REMEMBER a scene from a Monty Python sketch where a father and son were looking out from a second-storey window.

SMALL business has been urged to manage their cash flow more carefully this year as the global economic downturn creates more financial pressure.

The outlook for WA is not as gloomy as some are predicting.

The downturn in managed investment schemes could hurt horticulture, while the carbon credit market is boosting forestry projects.

Proposed IR changes will have a major effect on businesses across the nation

THE past 12 months have been an unsettling time for truffle project manager Oak Valley Gourmet.

BHP Billiton's Ravensthorpe closure again raises the issue of a fly-in, fly-out workforce

WITH a 160-year trade history, sandalwood is Western Australia's oldest export.

US Supreme Court ruling paved the way for financial meltdown.

CARBON credits have been a major growth area in the forestry sector, as companies move to exploit the market created by the federal government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, due for introduction in mid 2010.

THE Federal Court decision in favour of non-forestry MIS in an Australian Tax Office test case last December has substantially shortened the usual time allowed for project managers to put their annual programs together.

TALK about a baptism of fire.Shortly after taking over the top job from founder, John Young, Great Southern managing director Cameron Rhodes faced the challenge of not only negotiating the company through tough economic times, but also steering it through

AUSTRALIAN south sea pearl producer Arafura Pearls Holdings is preparing for its watershed 100,000 pearl harvest this year, having raised $20 million over the past four years through its managed investment scheme program.

FORTESCUE Metals Group has booked a $1.1 billion net profit in its first full half-year of mining.

PRIVATE port consortium James Point is growing in confidence that its plans for an expanded outer harbour at Cockburn Sound will win government support.

ASIA offers Western Australian winemakers a market ripe with potential, particularly for top-end produce, according to renowned wine critic James Halliday.

ZIRCON producer Australian Zircon has appointed Michael Kiernan (pictured) as a non-executive director. Mr Kiernan has mining expertise, both at an operation and management level.