The West Australian’s first poll in nearly two years still shows Labor well behind but also finds 20 percent of voters more likely to vote for the party under new leader Mark McGowan, reports William Bowe.
Politics / Australia / WA
WA Labor set for leadership change: Ripper out, McGowan in
It is being widely reported that Eric Ripper will officially stand aside as leader of WA’s Labor opposition today, with Rockingham MP Mark McGowan to fill the vacancy unopposed.
CFMEU out of the WA Labor cold, state conference to decide
WA branch of the CFMEU appears to have succeeded in its botched bid to re-affiliate with Labor, after an emergency meeting of the ALP’s administrative committee referred the decision to state conference.
Another Beazley jnr set to step up to the political plate?
The name Beazley could once again grace the green leather of an Australian parliament with Kim Beazley’s daughter Hannah being vigorously bandied about ahead of WA Labor’s 2013 preselection round.
Woodside’s Kimberley: red dirt, pristine coastline … and heavy security
When West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said last week that he welcomed the announcement of a permanent US military presence in northern Australia), his words are worth considering in a wider context.
CHOGM’s in tents experience comes to an end
Perth’s occupiers are no longer occupying it. They voted on the matter yesterday.
CHOGM: Barnett’s evocation of security on the money, but target is not
People don’t feel that you’re serving and protecting them when you’re taking to their neighbours with a baton.
$80k pay day for Labor as CFMEU rejoins WA fold
The West Australian branch of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union is poised to re-affiliate with the Labor Party in that state, injecting up to $80,000 a year into ALP coffers and burying once and for all a bitter 2007 spat with foreign minister Kevin Rudd.
GM canola spill reignites battle between farmers, mates
It has been a while coming, but Steve Marsh — the farmer who lost his organic certification last year because of GM contamination — is preparing a writ for a “common law” battle with his neighbour, writes Lisa Roth, of student publication 3rd Degree.
The punitive-minded police state cranks up for CHOGM
The honour of hosting this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting fits in perfectly with the Perth’s idea of itself as a cultural and economic powerhouse.
Adding up Monsanto’s InterGrain investment
It’s no secret Monsanto wants to increase the 19.9% share it bought in WA’s crop-breeding company InterGrain last August, writes Lisa Roth, of student publication 3rd Degree.
Newspoll: 57-43 to Liberal-National in WA
The latest quarterly Newspoll of state voting intention for Western Australia shows no change on two-party preferred, with the Liberal-National (“don’t call us the Coalition!”) government still holding a commanding 57-43 lead, reports William Bowe.
In WA, Labor attention turns from Gillard to the backroom
Lost in this week’s mild panic over Labor’s dire national Newspoll performance has been the parlous state of the party’s primary vote in Western Australia.
Mapping ethics of Aboriginal genome research
New research mapping the Aboriginal genome garnered international attention last week and is re-writing the history books on human migration, but scientists fear the news raises an ethical quagmire here in Australia.
GM random audits — are they truly representative?
Many WA farmers have welcomed the government-endorsed option to grow genetically modified (GM) canola, claiming coexistence between GM, non-GM and organic farming is possible, writes Lisa Roth of 3rd Degree.
Mayne: where to for Gunns, logging and the pulp mill?
Shares in the financially struggling Tasmanian timber giant Gunns remain suspended ahead of Monday’s profit announcement and the ongoing clifftop poker around exiting old-growth logging and financing the $2.3 billion pulp mill.
Governments’ failure to regulate is costing mining industry, taxpayers and environment
A failure to sensibly regulate the mining industry is compromising its productivity, the environment — and the electoral fortunes of the Labor government, writes Lionel Elmore, Crikey naturalist.
Building industry watchdog slammed over sham contracted migrants
An economics and employment expert has lashed out at the government’s construction industry watchdog, saying the body ineffectively regulates migrant worker mistreatment through sham contracting, writes Crikey intern Katie Weiss.
Healthcare in WA gets taken for a ride
Revelations this week that Western Australia health department officials recently accepted $750,000 worth of gifts from sources including drug and device makers are simply unbelievable.
Fortescue releases its own native title video
Fortescue Metals Group has stepped up efforts to counter the claims made in a controversial clip of a native title meeting held in Roebourne last month by releasing their own video online.
Enough porkies: when will the stalling in WA be over?
There’s a dirty fight in Western Australia over pigs. And some pollies are telling porkies. Journalist Kayt Davies reports from state parliament on the fight to ban sow stalls.
