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A lot can happen in a year. Just more than 12 months ago, Western Australia franchises were concerned about the difficulties in finding new areas of growth, with the sector subject to the same labour market pressures as other industries.

SUBIACO-based Summit Resources Ltd plans to raise over $10 million through a rights issue which will be fully sub-underwritten by its two largest shareholders, Paladin Energy Ltd and Areva NC Australi

West Perth-based oil and gas company Otto Energy has appointed Richard King as commercial manager.

Those who want to see 24-hour trading across the board in Western Australia will be disappointed with one of Perth's longest-running, non-stop retailer's decision to shut overnight for the first time in 17 years.

NEARLY $93 million worth of contracts have been awarded by both the federal and state governments to improve road infrastructure in the Kimberley region.

Allied Gold Ltd Jeffrey Moore has resigned as director. CBH Resources Ltd Andrew Davies has resigned as a director. In consequence, the appointment of Mr Stephen Lonergan as his alternate ceases.

More than a month after the Varanus Island gas explosion forced businesses across WA to curtail their activity, the state's building industry is continuing its operations relatively unscathed.

As the Australian dollar nears parity with a declining US dollar, the consequences for Western Australian importers and exporters are mixed.

HBOS, the UK owner of Perth-based BankWest, said shareholders agreed to take up 8.29 per cent of its $8 billion rights issue, increasing speculation that Perth-based BankWest could be up for sale.

JONES Lang LaSalle's Perth office has made a number of new appointments in its leasing, sales and property management divisions.Jason Ridge (pictured) joins the firm as a director in the property, ass

The federal government has flagged changes to its skilled migration program, including the temporary 457 visa, which it says will give the states greater control in recruiting overseas workers.

High density development may be top of the state government's planning agenda, but the target for infill in Perth is overly ambitious and needs to be significantly downgraded, with the city likely to fall short 131,000 dwellings, according to a report fro

LEGISLATION has been passed allowing businesses applying for the Export Market Development Grants scheme to take advantage of new scheme rules.

When Western Australia's biggest advertising agency, Marketforce, advertised to fill 13 vacant positions at once in June, it wasn't the act of a firm leaking staff.

Design guidelines for high-density housing in Western Australia are in the process of being overhauled by the state government, with a new residential design code in the pipeline and a review of the R-codes scheme due to commence.

PEAK building and construction industry group Master Builders Australia has called on the federal government to provide compensation and tax concessions to offset the cost of bringing Australian build

Newspaper headlines have turned increasingly negative this month on Australia's economic outlook.

Briefcase has previously predicted that economic conditions will deteriorate, both globally and locally.

SUBIACO-based Summit Resources Ltd plans to raise over $10 million through a rights issue which will be fully sub-underwritten by its two largest shareholders, Paladin Energy Ltd and Areva NC Australi

The proposal for an emissions trading scheme has already provoked some sharp responses from business, especially Woodside Petroleum Ltd, which operates the country's single biggest CO2 emission site.

The early call of the Northern Territory election this week has highlighted the enviable position of Western Australia's economy, as investment in the state increases by 18 per cent.

NEARLY $93 million worth of contracts have been awarded by both the federal and state governments to improve road infrastructure in the Kimberley region.

Western Australian business has not warmed to the federal government's proposed emissions trading scheme, with warnings that the policy could drive billions of dollars of investment offshore.

After buying a small, underperforming musical instrument retail and tuition business, Joondalup Music Centre, ten years ago, husband and wife team Peter and Genelle Picton-King now operate in three locations.

The Australian Taxation Office will investigate up to 160,000 individuals and entities that have registered a boat in Australia.

Tourism Western Australia has welcomed a preliminary decision opposing plans to convert Rendezvous Observation City Hotel into residential apartments.

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd has alerted shareholders of an unsolicited offer to acquire shares from Hassle Free Share Sales Pty Ltd, a fortnight after the same company approached Woodside Petroleum Ltd.

Western Australian stocks Mincor Resources Ltd and Panoramic Resources Ltd are just some of the nickel plays that enjoyed a healthy day on the bourse, buoyed by positive news from their respective projects.

A pre-feasibility study into Perth-based Strike Resources Ltd's Peru iron ore project has pegged total capital cost at $2.4 billion based on a 20 million tonne per annum operation.

Maddington-based engineering company Coote Industrial Ltd has signed an exclusive Australian distribution agreement with a subsidiary of global company Caterpillar Inc.

Wesfarmers Ltd has had a mixed June quarter over its coal output with production increasing in two of its operations while its Premier mine recorded a 37 per cent decline from the previous quarter.