People don’t feel that you’re serving and protecting them when you’re taking to their neighbours with a baton.
Western Australia
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.
Employment grows, and not just in the mining states
The “patchwork economy” isn’t much in evidence in today’s employment data.
Political snippets: Punishing Western Australia but not too much
I cannot see that it really matters which government gets the extra money from the Western Australian mining industry.
WA Australia’s strongest performing economy, and then some
A new CommSec survey has not only listed WA as the nation’s best performing economy, but also claims the state has completely conquered the GFC and its aftereffects.
Julia and Tony take note: the sleeper issue is awakening
Industrial relations will be a key issue in the federal election - and not just for Tony Abbott. The workplace practice of independent contracting is under threat and is likely to become a thorn in Julia Gillard’s side, especially in marginal seats, writes Robert Gottliebsen.
Poll Bludger’s Election 2010 preview, Part 1: WA — the state of excitement!
Will history prove again that Western Australia is a problem for the ALP? Get your wonk on in this, the first in a preview series from Poll Bludger’s William Bowe on the upcoming Federal election…
What’s big, slick and floating towards the WA coast…
How big is the Montara oil leak off the northern coast of Western Australia? That all depends who you ask: the Greens or the company responsible.
WA’s Corruption and Crime Commission under fire
Over recent days there has been such concerted criticism of the CCC that it seems inevitable there will have to be a wide-ranging review of its operations, writes Lawrence Apps.
Competent WA bureaucracy makes former ministry look competant
The announcement of the new Liberal Ministry yesterday concluded the most spectacular period in Western Australian politics in recent history, writes Noel Crichton-Browne.
Julie Bishop asks…
“Federation, what is it and when is it leaving?”
Carpenter’s early election call a fatal mistake
Completely misreading public sentiment, Labor ran a presidential campaign which did little more than feed community resentment, writes Noel Crichton-Browne.
WA election 2: Crunching the one-vote one-value seat by seat
On paper Labor has a handy buffer, but a lot of its seats are tougher than the notional margins make them appear, writes Poll Bludger.
WA Labor’s reactionary smoking gun
Public policy is still run in Western Australia by obscene and ostentatious greed, writes Noel Crichton-Browne.
WA election gets down and dirty — no surprises there
With so much ammunition available to both sides, it comes as no surprise to find the WA election campaign dominated by negative advertising, writes Poll Bludger.
WA election getting personal and sleazy
The Western Australian State election has descended, perhaps predictably into a contest of personal abuse and sleaze, writes Noel Crichton-Browne.
Unopposed returns make a comeback in the Territory
‘I came to the conclusion that the idea of an unopposed return had gone entirely out of fashion in this country.’ Malcolm Mackerras was wrong.
Tips and rumours
Animal Logic, a digital production company, is re-animating the expressions on Nicole Kidman’s face for the movie Australia. There is something big underway at the West Australian Department of Planning and Infrastructure which will require the restructuring of the West Australian Planning Commission. On Wednesday the DPI is withdrawing the “sustainability” function of the WAPC. […]
Tasmania abolishes double jeopardy
Yesterday Tasmania’s Attorney-General Steve Kons announced he was following the lead of other states like Queensland and abolishing the double jeopardy rule. This is the rule that essentially says you can’t be tried for the same crime twice, writes Greg Barns.
Who ya gonna call? Toad busters
As thousands of cane toads continue to cross the country at an alarming rate a battle is brewing between two organisations dedicated to stopping the toads from entering Western Australia. The Perth based ‘Stop the Toad’ coalition and the lesser known but well established ‘Kimberley Toad Busters’ are now fighting over which toad ‘mustering’ group is entitled to promised government funding, writes Jade Barry.
A long way to the top for Australia’s women
Anna Bligh yesterday was sworn in as Queensland’s first woman premier. Her legacy from the remarkable Peter Beattie includes a large majority in parliament and a commanding lead in the opinion polls. If she goes on to win the next election, Bligh will be the first woman in Australia to reach that milestone at state or federal level.
Canberra vs The States, Part XVI
There’s nothing new about John Howard’s centralism. Like most
federal politicians, fighting the states comes naturally to him. But the most recent twist - trying to sell the idea that the states are to blame for upward pressure on interest rates - still comes as something of a
surprise, writes Charles Richardson.
