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A GROUP of companies active in Western Australia's fast-growing subsea oil and gas sector have established an industry representative body.

The Western Australian Trade Enquiry Service is operated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCI) with the support of the WA Government's Department of Industry and Resources.

WESTERN Australians spend an estimated $300 million on sporting events each year, which has given rise to a dynamic and growing industry.

THE business of putting more trees in the ground and keeping them there may soon become one of the more viable options for the forestry sector, with two announcements this week a sign of the times.

THE downturn in Western Australia's property market is continuing to challenge the residential building industry, with housing starts falling across the board and businesses being forced to adapt.

HISTORIC statistics have only limited value in the context of an unprecedented market meltdown, nevertheless there is some comfort in knowing the economic position before the latest chapter in the slowly unfolding crisis.

THE downturn in Perth's housing market continued during the September quarter, with the city's median house price falling for the third consecutive quarter to $426,000.

YOU'D think an artist commissioned by Andrew Forrest to create a 12-metre high sculpture for the Cyclone George memorial in South Hedland, and who made the centrepiece sculpture for the Sultan of Brunei's Jerudong Park Polo Club, would have quite a follow

WESTERN Australia's seemingly unstoppable supremacy on top of the stock exchange leader board has taken a battering over the past year, with a significant percentage of the state's mining and resources groups finding themselves in the crosshairs of worrie

THE push to redevelop laneways in the Perth CBD is gaining momentum, with plans for a series of small bars and cafes being developed by business owners and arts groups.

PLUNGING international stock markets have been the most visible manifestation of the global financial crisis of the past month, but an equally worrying trend has occurred in debt markets.

ABOUT $14 billion has disappeared from the share portfolios of Western Australia's 20 wealthiest company directors since share prices last peaked.

PROPERTY developers with projects in the City of Joondalup will soon have their development plans assessed by an independent committee, following a decision by the council to set up a design advisory panel.

MINING company directors haven't been the only victims of the stock market plunge.

GLOBAL share markets have entered a netherworld that no-one working in the finance industry has ever experienced before, unless they were alive in the 1930s.

THE global financial crisis has had a big impact on two energy projects off Western Australia's northern coast, with Coogee Resources and Nexus Energy both putting out 'for sale' signs this month.

THE country's banking sector has been the focus of intense scrutiny over the past few months as the global financial turmoil casts light on potential targets.

AUSTRALIA is safeguarded from the worst of the global financial markets because of the strength of the nation's big four banks, according to KPMG partner Kevin Smout.

OSBORNE Park-based distributor of electronic workstations and servers, EDsys Computers, has taken an energy efficient approach to business since it was founded in 1992.

ASK any sport buff in Western Australia what summer means in the world of sport and they will emphatically tell you one thing - cricket.

A DECISION by Perth-based Technip Subsea 7 Asia-Pacific to link its safety standards with not-for-profit donations will this year assist the Leukaemia Foundation of WA with its ongoing research.

WITH universities facing growing pressure to specialise, driven by funding models and the looming federal government higher education review, Western Australia's four public universities are preparing to run the measuring tape over their course offerings.

BUNBURY will get its first new hotel in almost 10 years this Christmas with the opening of The Mantra Bunbury, attached to the Silos apartment development on the Koombana waterfront.

Western Australia has been allocated $21 million for research as part of the federal government's $363 million national funding package.

Subiaco-based Richfield Group Ltd plans to raise $2 million through a non-renounceable entitlements issue, with funds to go towards working capital and exploration expenditure.

Almost 120,000 extra workers could be made available in Western Australia if more women were encouraged to join the workforce, according to a new report from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA.

Premier Colin Barnett has named North Head, north of Broome, as his preferred site for a gas processing precinct to serve the Browse Basin gas fields, located off the Kimberley coast.

Shares in Paladin Energy Ltd have dropped 16 per cent after the company said the global credit crisis will probably cause the deferral or cancellation of some planned uranium projects.

Perth-based Axiom Properties Ltd has refinanced its Port Geographe residential subdivision project with St George Bank, which will provide a $100 million construction finance solution.

Iluka Resources Ltd, the world's biggest zircon producer, has increased its profit outlook for the full year after a fall in the Australian dollar and higher commodity prices as it plans to take one of its kilns out of production.

The decline in world investment markets has dented Perth-based wealth management company Plan B Group Ltd's funds under management, administration or advice.

The $10.4bn giveaway; Europe unites in $2.8 trillion shock and awe blitz on cash crisis; Base metals bounce as bailouts inject new hope; Credit crunch crimps broadband plan; Top lender falls into line with rates cut