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With nearly 620 registered charities in Western Australia, what change the public has to spare is keenly sought after.

It’s an exciting time of year for all those involved in the wine industry, with retail shelves stocked with the first offerings from the 2006 vintage and wine journos writing reviews intended to entice and inspire consumers.

Towards the end of last month, State Scene was invited to a salubrious business lunch that was attended by a state Liberal MP, who quite promptly made it clear he was factionally unaligned.

One of the big questions going around is whether Western Australia is heading for yet another one of its cyclical busts or if, just maybe, the state is going to snub its nose at history.

The Federal Government’s latest round of tendering for employment service providers in Western Australia has produced a number of casualties in this extremely competitive market, including one of the largest Work for the Dole organisations in Australia, W

Premier Alan Carpenter and federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane don’t seem to agree on very much, but there is one issue on which they share a similar outlook.

If ever research and innovation were going to boost Western Australia’s economic prospects, now is the time.

Woodside chief executive Don Voelte has warned Australians not to take the resources boom for granted or assume the resources sector would easily cope with all of the challenges facing it.

Western Australia’s retail building cycle is tipped to peak at $352 million in value within 12 months as two major new developments get under way.

Family business-owners expecting to turn a quick profit and fund their retirement through a trade sale may be in for a rude shock, according to the Survey of Family Business Needs 2006 launched by KPMG, Family Business Australia and Deakin University toda

The dumping of Telstra’s plans to build a $4 billion high-speed broadband network through Australia has raised questions about the future of broadband technology.

The ongoing debate over broadband access has prompted calls for an overhaul to the current copper cable network.

The City of Mandurah has delivered a record capital works budget of $29.2 million for 2006-07, out of a total budget of $75 million, to fund an unprecedented level of building activity in the growing region.

Aspen Group has joined the chorus of listed property investment and funds management groups to post strong profit results, this week announcing its net profit increased 248 per cent this financial year to $34.5 million.

On the road from Esperance to Albany there’s a factory rising from the low-lying, south-coast scrub, which will one day produce nickel but which is already acting as a red-flashin

Eight of Perth’s culinary elite are ready to combat the skills shortage affecting their industry by signing up to the Taste program, initiated by Must Wine Bar executive chef Russell Blaikie and to be run in conjunction with the School Apprenticeship Link

Restaurant menus around town go through a massive change as the seasons switch from winter to spring. Sauces get lighter, flavours get fresher and new-season produce is quickly given a starring role.

With calm having descended over leadership tensions in the federal Liberal party, in the media at least, State Scene has decided to look back a century or more to see how some ambitious politicians of an earlier era gained the prime ministership.

THE founder of animal drug company Chemeq Ltd, Dr Graham Melrose, has retired as a non-executive director. Dr Melrose had been involved with Chemeq since it was founded in 1989.

The federal government’s announcement that the next tranche of Telstra is to be sold is good news.

After 17 years involvement with the company, former Chemeq chairman Graham Melrose has announced his intention to retire from the board.

While significant one-year returns are a positive sign for any business, maintaining these results year-in-year-out is a challenge of more significant proportions.

Uranium company Paladin Resources was the top performing Western Australian stock for the three years to June by a wide margin, with an average annual total shareholder return of 618 per cent.

Winemaker Evans & Tate, internet services provider iiNet, pharmaceutical manufacturer Chemeq and ticketing technology company ERG are some of the high-profile Western Australian companies that are laggards in the latest total shareholder return survey.

Resource stocks are not the only ones to be profiting from the burgeoning environment in Western Australia, with companies in the mining services and property sectors also welcoming significant returns.

Investors in listed Western Australian companies are usually focused on the potential for capital gains, but in a minority of cases there is potential to earn a tidy income from dividends.

The Building and Construction Industry Training Fund is considering a boost to its industry levy to keep apprentices and trainees in jobs, following a forecast 9 per cent drop in housing approvals this financial year.

Norma Road in Myaree is set for a significant change if the City of Melville’s proposed re-zoning for the area is given the go ahead by the Western Australian Planning Commission.

Executives from Melbourne-based Cbus Property, which is short-listed for the 140 William Street development, made the most of a recent whirlwind trip west by meeting with consortium stakeholders and gauging potential opportunities in the Perth market.

The burgeoning commercial and retail area of Myaree is fast becoming an attractive proposition for developers, with boutique residential property developer Match choosing it as the location for its first foray into commercial projects.

Four years ago, only a handful of people believed that the world was heading into a resources boom.

Not-for-profit television station Access 31 has a bit of a perception problem – not regarding its output or programming, but rather on the issue of funding.