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The world’s second most-traded commodity after oil isn’t guns or gold. It’s coffee.

“It’s flat out mate” was the response Picardy winemaker Dan Pannell gave Gusto when asked how vintage 2005 was going.

The English had Richard the Lion Heart, the Macedonians Alexander the Great, the Poles Boleslaw the Bold and even a Boleslaw the Brave.

When Nathan Buzza was named the 40under40 First Amongst Equals in 2003 his business, Commtech Wireless, had 30 staff and a turnover of $5 million.

Big bets have been placed on the assumption that a new bidder will emerge in the battle for control of Portman, the iron ore miner with a split board and widely differing valuations.

The Federal Government’s plan to establish a unitary industrial relations system has been condemned by the union movement and Labor state governments but, more surprisingly, has gained a mixed response from business groups.

There is a simple and fairly reliable formula for finding industrial disputes in Western Australia.

The Town of Cambridge has named Multiplex as the preferred tenderer on the multi-million dollar Perry Lakes redevelopment.

Construction industry advocates say a shortage of apprentices is the major issue they will be taking up with the newly elected Gallop Government.

The business lunch has changed. Gone are the days of the three-martini lunch or even the ‘power’ lunch. Perth’s professionals are demanding a new style of dining when they’re doing business, and local restaurants are rising to meet the challenge.

When Gusto asked chief winemaker at Barwick Estate Nigel Ludlow how vintage was going, he admitted: “It’s all about timing”.

The Karaoke World Idol Competition is being held at the Moon and Sixpence Woodvale British Pub for 10 weeks, starting Tuesday March 8.

The 40under40 Awards are rapidly becoming the premier event in Perth for the city’s business community. And if the 2005 guest list is any indication, a ticket to the awards is the hottest item in town come February.

The 700 people who attended this year’s WA Business News 40under40 Awards made history when they walked down the red carpet as the first guests at a private function held at Parliament House in the building’s history.

This year’s 40under40 First Amongst Equals winner, Lyle Palmer, has dedicated his exceptional career to the study of genetics to improve human health.

Past 40under40 winners from every year since the inaugural celebration in 2002 were in attendance at the 2005 Awards gala, which not only celebrated the achievements of 40 new and outstanding young entrepreneurs, but also the ongoing successes of all 40un

It has been suggested that success in business doesn’t often happen until there has been a business failure. According to that view, then, Manny Papadoulis is well on his way to success.

Kevin Andrews is hardly a household name in Australia but that will change over the next few months.

Mark Barnaba was a joint First Amongst Equals winner in 2002, and since then he has gone on to reach further successes.

Premier Geoff Gallop has won his second election, his parliamentary majority is intact, and he has refreshed his ministry with a modest reshuffle and five new faces.

Last year’s 40under40 First Amongst Equals winner Darren Haunold recently celebrated the opening of cellar door sales at his winery, Wills Domain.

Business people wanting to have their say in the upcoming City of Perth elections have less than three weeks to enrol, with registrations closing on Friday March 18.

While the business sector’s apparent lack of involvement in the affairs of the City of Perth council is considered a sign of apathy or a lack of interest, an argument could be mounted that a hands-off approach is a sign that all’s well.

The balance of power between state and local government often results in a relationship that’s almost parental in its functioning, complete with the tension that type of relationship often invokes.

Calls for a capital city charter to give special status to the City of Perth as a valuable asset to Western Australia, and also as containing a unique constituency, have been made for some time.

In terms of revenue, at $84 million, the City of Perth is ranked only behind the City of Stirling and the City of Wannreoo.

The City of Perth’s engagement with the business community is not just about registering voters, it also involves getting quality business candidates onto council.

As the representative organisation for the property sector and owners of CBD property, the Property Council is highly critical of the City of Perth’s voting system for business.

The planning policies of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River are to be tested in the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Business groups want skills training, industrial relations reform and budget policy at the top of the Gallop Government’s second-term policy agenda. Mark Beyer reports.

New South Wales Premier Bob Carr has acknowledged the broadening of land tax and the introduction of a vendor tax last year are hurting the Labor Party in NSW.

The City of Perth is targeting businesses in the lead-up to May’s council elections as voter apathy again threatens to deny business an effective role in the city’s affairs.