Gary Kleyn

STRONG economic growth has boosted imports of forest products.In the first three quarters of 1999-2000, forest products imports were 11 per cent higher than the corresponding period in 1998-99.

IN RESPONSE to demand by Perth’s business community, Business News is going weekly from August 3.

OFFICE vacancies in the City of Perth defied industry predictions of a tightening in vacancy rates to remain unchanged at 11 per cent, according to the Property Council of Australia’s office market report.

A NUMBER of initiatives for the Goldfields were unveiled at a WA Cabinet meeting held in Kalgoorlie earlier this month.

AMCOM Telecommunications has announced the appointment of Akram Sabbagh as national sales and marketing manager.

DEVELOPER Monteath Properties’ $80 million Ramada riverfront Hotel development at Fremantle has been scrapped.

CPA Australia has called on accounting standard-setters to turn their attention to the not-for-profit sector, including charities, nursing homes, universities, churches and political parties.

PERTH’S taxi driver pay dispute is about to spill over onto CBD streets.

The division administers the world’s biggest mineral title system.

THE terms of reference for the independent expert review of the sustained yield of the South West native forests has been announced by WA Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes.

THE 94 year old City Milling building on the southwestern corner of James and Fitzgerald Streets will fall to make way for a car park.

The strong rise in residential building activity driven by the ‘GST pull effect’ and its boost on demand for timber products continued in the March quarter according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

THE Busselton-Margaret River air service has been offered a lifeline with an agreement between Transport Minister Murray Criddle and Perth charter company Skippers Aviation.

COUNCIL will put a café on the south western corner of the lower ground floor of Council House.

WA GOVERNMENT land developer Land-Corp posted a record pre-tax operating profit of $66 million for the past financial year.

Corporate acquisitions by and within construction and engineering group John Holland Pty Ltd – chaired by WA business identity Janet Holmes à Court – have laid a solid foundation for project development and growth.

FORMER Wesfarmers chief Warren Murphy has been appointed to the Western Power board of directors for a three-year term.

THE residential building boom sweeping the Busselton area will be accommodated by a new land release plan recently announced by Planning Minister Graham Kierath.The plan, believed to be the first of its kind for the South West, stems from estimations...

ONE of the world’s largest shippers, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, is moving its Australian head office to Fremantle.

THE last four interest rate increases had significantly slowed the new housing market, according to Master Builders Australia.

The Australian Taxation Office web site has been operating for some years and the ATO has constantly strived to improve the site’s services.

INTEREST only loans provide better tax benefits for property investors according to Investors Club member Graham Kirby.“The only component that is tax deductible in these loans is the interest, and not the principal reductions,” Mr Kirby said.

ONE of the most publicly-scrutinised initiatives in the WA Government’s competition reform agenda – the contracting out of Transperth bus services – has been revisited by the WA Auditor General Des Pearson.

BGC Construction has won the major prize in the 2000 Master Builders’ Excellence in Construction Awards for the $14.2 million TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Subiaco.

ALTHOUGH the GST has now arrived, there is confusion in many areas.

THE attraction of Northbridge as a centre for new hi-tech companies has been highlighted by a number of leasing deals struck by NSC Corporate.

THE Perth International Airport Terminal remodelling proposal is in its initial stage, according to a spokeswoman for Westralia Airports Corporation director of engineering and maintenance Torben Petersen.

UNCERTAINTY over interest rates and the spectre of major tax system changes has contributed to a slump in WA business confidence during the June quarter according to the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

THE lower and middle-priced housing markets have performed well during the past year with many suburbs rising at a faster rate than the overall median house price of 5.4 per cent during the past year.

THE Busselton Chamber of Commerce has won approval for Sunday trading for the South West seaside town.Fair Trading Minister Doug Shave said Busselton shops could trade between 11:00am and 4:00pm on Sundays.The Chamber application was made in order t..

IN A bid to increase membership, the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce has embarked on a new marketing and promotion campaign together with the City of Fremantle.

RESEARCH by property consultants Stanton Hillier Parker has shown that more than half of people surveyed and involved in the property industry believe GST uncertainty will have a major influence on the property market.