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Watershed Premium Wines managing director Geoff Barrett said his company would turn to foreign investment to continue in its push to plant a total 240 hectares of vineyards.

Managed investment scheme promoter Rewards Group Ltd believes its close alliance with listed investment company, The Ark Fund Ltd, will reduce the adverse impact of recent tax changes on its non-forestry projects.

Western Australian builders' co-operative, Wesbuilders, claims to have doubled its membership this summer as smaller builders find it tough to individually challenge the muscle of large volume project builders when it comes to accessing vital supplies.

Serviced industrial land is becoming a rare commodity in Perth, with prices rising sharply and large lots in short supply as owner-occupiers flood the market.

Moving to shore up its financial future, the 114-year-old Western Australian Club is seeking buyers or redevelopers for its historic premises at 101 St Georges Terrace.

Mud was slung, and some stuck to Santo Santoro this week, while Matt Birney pondered the state of his curtains and a Senate committee stymied plans for an Access Card. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister went to Afghanistan - which was possibly a safer place.

Bassendean-based Total Catering Solutions has secured the largest contract in the company's history after signing a $30 million deal with a national fast food organisation which will run for five years.

Sydney-based mobile phone retailer Planet Com is expanding into Western Australia through an exclusive dealer arrangement with Vodafone to open four branded outlets by June.

Despair, despondency, dejection. Pick any of these ‘d' words and it will describe the mood within the parliamentary wing of the state Liberal Party. The reason is obvious.

Astute readers will have noted my absence during the past few weeks.

R MARINE dealer principal Brendon Grieve created a bit of a stir when he ran an ad for his Riviera and Princess yachts recently.

Aged care providers in Western Australia have expressed concern that the federal government's latest funding package, which allocates $1.5 billion towards aged care over the next five years, may leave some providers worse off due to financial restructurin

The Corruption and Crime Commission inquiry has already claimed a pride of fallen scalps but the real implications lie ahead for lobbyists, ministers, bureaucrats and business.

The establishment of a register of lobbyists is one of the main reforms flowing from the CCC inquiry, but apart from voyeuristic journalists it is hard to find supporters of this initiative.

Ministerial staffers would be banned from holding senior elected positions in political parties if the state government adopts reforms currently being evaluated by Commissioner of Public Sector Standards, Maxine Murray.

The Perth businessmen who race Etchells yachts can't outdo each other by buying bigger boats. Instead, the strict rules imposed on the yacht's dimensions by the Etchells racing body means the skippers compete on skill alone.

With nearly two years' wait on any significant new office stock in the city, some owners of existing buildings are seeking to maximise returns by spending millions to refurbish and remodel their properties.

The latest market report from Mortgage Choice and the Real Estate Institute of Australia released this week paints a bleak picture of Perth's rental market.

Baby boomer and retiree demand for luxury apartments in Mandurah has buoyed developer Port Bouvard Ltd in the lead up to the sales launch of its $100 million Oceanique apartment development next month.

Esperance is in the midst of an accommodation development boom, driven by an influx of mine workers and tourists seeking permanent and short-stay accommodation.

VDM Group Ltd subsidiary, Van Der Meer Consulting, has been awarded an initial $3.5 million contract to provide significant structural engineering expertise to the Dubai Waterfront Development.

This week, as a treat for its reader, Briefcase wanted to declare this page a Burke-free zone.

Sailing on the Leeuwin II has provided many high school students in Western Australia with a fairly inexpensive adventure over the years, principally due to the generosity of the ship's sponsors.

Former Sheraton executive chef Fritz Hansal says the service dished up at many Western Australian restaurants is poor. But he thinks that presents him with an enormous opportunity.

Russell Blaikie - Chef/partner, Must Winebar

Western Australia's second biggest home building group, Alcock/Brown-Neaves Group, neatly illustrates the challenges facing private businesses trying to manage the combination of rapid economic growth and spiraling costs.

Western Australia's economic boom has not been all plain sailing for private companies. Our annual review of the sector identifies both winning companies and strugglers, and highlights the large number of sharemarket floats and trade sales.

In 1994, while Lou Di Virgilio was working in the financial markets in New York, two of his younger brothers, Dominic and Robert, were running a small used car yard in Maddington.

The automotive trade has traditionally been the exclusive preserve of private companies but that changed dramatically 16 months ago when Perth's biggest car dealer listed on the stock exchange.

The Department of Housing and Works is continuing its public housing push into the city with plans for a new $15 million apartment project at 146 Fitzgerald Street.

The $200 million Century City office project at 100 St Georges Terrace has secured its first tenant this week with Japanese oil and gas company INPEX signing on to lease 7,000 square metres, or 25 per cent of the building.

The combination of sand, barbed wire and special plastic bags may not sound like a high-tech alternative to bricks and mortar, but ‘earthbags' could offer an affordable housing solution to homeowners in Western Australia.