Press Release

NSX CALLS #15, 7th December 2001 In this Issue: 1. NSX visits Brisbane 2. Macquarie Equities Joins NSX 3. PricewaterhouseCoopers and Sparke Helmore Join NSX 4. Australian Wine Exchange Update 5. NSX Listing Requirements and How to List Guide 6. How to become a Participating Organisation or a Nominated Adviser 7. NSX Practice Note: Trading & Settlement Days 2002 8. Contacting the NSX -------------------------------------------------------- NSX Visits Brisbane -------------------------------------------------------- Scott Evans, General Manager of the NSX will be visiting Brisbane on Monday 10th December and Tuesday 11th December, inclusive, seeing Corporate Advisory firms and Companies seeking to list. If your company or client is considering a listing then Scott would welcome the opportunity to discuss the possibilities of an NSX Listing with you. He can be contacted on the following number: 0419 787 582. -------------------------------------------------------- Macquarie Equities Joins NSX -------------------------------------------------------- The NSX welcomes Macquarie Equities as a new Participating Organisation. This brings to eight the number of Participating Organisations on the NSX who are able to trade NSX listed companies. -------------------------------------------------------- New Nominated Advisers -------------------------------------------------------- NSX welcomes PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities Ltd and Sparke Helmore Solicitors as Nominated Advisers. -------------------------------------------------------- Australian Wine Exchange (AWX) Update -------------------------------------------------------- The Australia Wine Exchange (AWX) has withdrawn its first prospectus for Wine Class Shares to respond to the expectations of the current investment market. The AWX vision is to create a new capital market for Australian wine producers and enable investors and wine enthusiasts to build and trade a portfolio of wine-backed shares. AWX founder and chief executive Stephen Thompson indicated that the interest in the prospectus was very encouraging considering the unique nature of the offers and the uncertain post-September 11 investment market. Despite strong interest, the spread of application funds across twenty separate offers of wine made it difficult for a majority of the offers in the first prospectus to meet the minimum stock exchange listing requirements, prompting the withdrawal of the offer. AWX intends to issue a revised prospectus in February 2002 that would contain fewer offers of wine, more wines that are hard to access and addresses market issues. Australian premium wine producers have confirmed their support for the AWX market as it directly responds to their need for access to capital that is otherwise tied up in inventory. AWX is close to finalising the price and labels of wine to be included in the February 2002 prospectus that it expects will demonstrate stand out value for first time Wine Class Shareholders. A priority allocation will be given to applicants to the first prospectus. Applicants who applied for Wine Class Shares will have their cheques returned or refunded immediately. -------------------------------------------------------- NSX listing Requirements and How to List Guide -------------------------------------------------------- The Stock Exchange of Newcastle Limited (NSX) is Australia’s second official stock exchange approved under Corporations Law in Australia. NSX provides a capital market for small, medium and regionally based businesses, cooperatives, credit unions & building societies, high-growth emerging businesses and organisations operating in specialist sectors. For companies wishing to List on the NSX a new "Guide to Listing" is available. For a copy of the guide and enquiries in the first instance please contact Scott Evans, General Manager, mailto:scott.evans@newsx.com.au In broad terms, for a company to have its securities listed for quotation on the NSX, it only has to meet the following general criteria: ¤ Minimum of 50 shareholders ($2000 held); ¤ Minimum market capitalisation of $500,000; ¤ At least 25% of the issued shares in the hands of the public (i.e. interests not associated with the directors), ¤ Two-year adequate track record (or your IPO is underwritten by an approved underwriter) ¤ Appointment of a Sponsoring Broker ¤ Appointment of a Nominated Adviser -------------------------------------------------------- How to become a Participating Organisation or a Nominated Advise -------------------------------------------------------- The NSX have made available on its website http://https://www.nsx.com.au a full set of requirements for Participating Organisations and Nominated Advisers to join the NSX as well as applications forms. Participating Organisations http://https://www.nsx.com.au/members/default.asp Nominated Advisers http://https://www.nsx.com.au/advisers/adforms.asp -------------------------------------------------------- NSX Practice Notes -------------------------------------------------------- The Stock Exchange of Newcastle Limited issues practice notes to promote commercial certainty, reduce costs to business and assist market participants, and we are available to discuss any questions you have in relation to a practice note. Available Practice Notes are: http://https://www.nsx.com.au/rules/pnotes.asp 1. Listing Fees 2. Trading & Settlement Days 3. Reporting Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves - JORC Code -------------------------------------------------------- Contacting the NSX -------------------------------------------------------- http://https://www.nsx.com.au Ground Floor, 384 Hunter Street, Newcastle, NSW, Australia, 2300 ph: +61 2 4929 6377 fax: +61 2 4929 1556 eml: mailto:mail@newsx.com.au ABN: 11 000 902 063 -------------------------------------------------------- Subscribing to or Unsubscribing from this newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------- ¤ To SUBSCRIBE please go to our website http://https://www.nsx.com.au or send an email to mailto:announcements@newsx.com.au with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line ¤ To UNSUBSCRIBE please reply to this email with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.