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Treasurer Troy Buswell has announed the newly elected government will need to reign in excessive spending growth, inherited from the previous Labor government, following the release of the Annual Report on State Finances (ARSF) this afternoon.

Initial public offerings on the Australian share market have sunk to a low of 14 for the first quarter of 2008-09, with 11 of these in the mining sector, according to Ernst & Young's quarterly IPO analysis.

The Australian dollar finished marginally firmer today after US President George W Bush's comments the US economy was "in danger" sparked a US currency sell-off.

Bentley-based waste recycling company AnaeCo Ltd has won its second major contract after being commissioned by a regional council in Victoria to process their mixed and green waste.

ANZ Banking Group Ltd chief executive Mike Smith says Australian banks are looking very strong, despite the current financial market turmoil.

More than 300 local and international exhibitors will be on show at the 2009 Australasian Oil & Gas Exhibition in Perth, making it the biggest oil and gas expo ever held in the Southern Hemisphere.

Vulcan Resources Ltd, a base and precious metals development and exploration company working in Finland, has become the latest in a string of companies to feel the pinch thanks to the financial crisis affecting markets around the globe.

Avalon Minerals Ltd has announced a one for four Entitlement Issue at a price of 15 cents per share, to raise up to $1.95m.

Private Chinese company Shagang International Holdings will emerge with a 45 per cent stake in Grange Resources Ltd as a result of a merger deal announced today between Grange and Australian Bulk Minerals.

Perth-based CopperCo Ltd has announced their first full year profits, with revenue topping $81m and a net profit after tax of more than $5m

Pressing urgently for a massive financial bailout, President George W. Bush has warned "our entire economy is in danger."

Western Australia's residential market has been hit with the biggest drop in new homes sales in the country, according to a survey from the HIA.

Perth-based Catalpa Resources Ltd is aiming to become Australia's next mid tier gold producer by developing its open pit assets, located on its extensive and wholly-owned mining tenements in Western Australia.

State hit by $731m blowout: Buswell; 'Morale' cash quietens builders; Only 'faint glimmer' WA will retain Inpex gas project, says Barnett; Strike move sees NW union revival; Turbulence forces Qantas to delay $2bn float

DEVELOPERS and planners in the Mid West should learn from the Pilbara to better understand the pressures that come along with being a 'boom town', according to Carr Civil Contracting managing director Mark Blayney.

THE Brisbane Hotel won the Hotel of the Year award at the Australian Bar Awards competition held last week.

Two brothers this year celebrate five decades in business. Barry and Terry Crommelin tell their stories to Adam Orlando. WHEN you can persuade Colin Barnett to attend your business anniversary celebration during what has been a hectic time in politics,

IT'S difficult when assessing elections not to immediately reach for statistics - size of swings, percentage of preferences gained by parties, levels of various majorities, and other such measures that help assess how well or how badly parties and candida

NEW Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore is under no illusions about where his focus will have to be as he returns to the position he held in the previous Liberal government - the approvals process for mining and exploration.

A MANDATORY renewable energy target of 20 per cent would add up to $300 million a year to the cost of producing aluminium in Australia, according the country's leading producer.

THREE Perth entrepreneurs have established a $40 million venture capital fund to invest in new technologies.

IT took less than 18 months for the state government's shared equity scheme - a lifeline for the first homebuyer market - to exhaust its three-year, $300 million budget.

WESTERN Australia's long-term outlook remains bright, despite the upheaval on global financial markets, with labour shortages continuing to be one of the biggest challenges.

URBAN infill was a key policy of the Carpenter government, outlined in the 'Network City' plan for a series of transit-oriented, high-density developments in Perth.

A streamlined and efficient public service is what new treasurer Troy Buswell wants to see.

THE downturn in Western Australia's housing market has had a huge impact on the state's real estate industry, with businesses consolidating their operations and a number of sales consultants leaving the sector.

PERTH is clearly an uneasy home for entrepreneur Tony Sage. Though he's spent the bulk of his adult life here or working elsewhere for Perth-based companies, it appears Mr Sage has not always been accepted in the Western Australian capital.

A WAR for talent is being waged on a global scale. Businesses are battling to capture the minds and hearts of talented individuals, not just for the jobs of today, but also for the jobs of the future.

THE CBD will face a power shortfall in 2010 unless Western Power installs $100 million worth of new electrical infrastructure to cater for the increased demand on the grid from new office and apartment buildings.

SUSTAINABILITY and affordability are beginning to drive innovation in the use of building materials in Western Australia's housing industry, with more developers using imported and lightweight products.

Calling the bottom of the market is fraught with danger for real estate agents and developers, but many in the industry are hopeful that the tide is beginning to turn.

PERTH'S insolvency world is undergoing a restructuring of its own ahead of an expected rush of new business in the wake of the credit crunch and global banking crisis.