Peter Kennedy

Premier Colin Barnett and Treasurer Troy Buswell have embarked on a hazardous journey; they have

Bad economic news and some personnel mismanagement are putting pressure on Colin Barnett’s leadership.

Federal Labor’s leadership ballot, which will involve rank-and-file members for the first time, has the capacity to make or break the party – including in Western Australia.

Progress may be slow at first, but federal tax reform will be high on the Abbott government’s agenda.

A coalition win on Saturday will bring added responsibilities for a quartet of WA Liberals, but what it means for Colin Barnett down the track is another matter.

Colin Barnett is in danger of losing the PR battle over the reasons he’s asking Western Australians to tighten their belts.

Those who made the initial decision on the solar feed-in tariff should have been more switched on to community sentiment.

Expect costs to rise as falling revenue streams put pressure on the Barnett government’s ability to balance the budget bottom line.

Having cleared the decks, Labor has decided the timing’s right for the election.

The state budget to be delivered on August 8 is expected to remain in surplus, despite the government preparing for a further major reduction in GST revenue.

The treasurer has a four-stage plan to reform what he calls the 'government business model', and ensure the budget stays in the black.

For all the political grandstanding over new rail or road projects, politicians need to remember it’s the taxpayers’ money they’re spending.

Treasurer Troy Buswell has several unpalatable choices in his quest to ensure that his first budget after last March's election victory meets the government's undertaking to return a surplus.

Just more than a week after Kevin Rudd took back the top job and suddenly Labor’s starting to look competitive again.

Well-known as a ‘boom denier’, Colin Barnett has added another string to his bow – recession rejecter.

Taxpayers can quickly turn on a government that’s perceived to be squandering taxpayers’ money.

Things can get messy when state and federal political agendas collide.

A change at the top is the only way Labor can hope to lay a glove on the opposition.

THE resources sector has lost an experienced advocate, and the state government a steady hand, with the retirement of the former mines and petroleum minister Norman Moore after a 36-year career in

MAKING predictions in politics is fraught with risk.

RARELY do two budgets – Tuesday’s federal budget, which was the last before an election, and the August state budget, which will be the first after an election – send such conflicting messages.

The last thing we need ahead of the federal election is the major parties promising to outspend one another, but that’s probably what we’ll get

The prime minister’s aid package for farmers has carried the day when compared to the Barnett government’s more modest offering.

WA could lose out in the long run, with a likely incoming Abbott government paying less attention to a state perceived to be in the bag politically.

With WA having been short-changed in terms of education funding, it’s clear the federal government is focused on shoring up electoral support elsewhere.

Get ready for some belt tightening in the next state budget. The fact that it will be introduced in August, three months later than usual, will provide only temporary respite, with all the signs suggesting there won’t be much extra money being thrown around.

The federal government has laid a fiscal trap for the states on the key election issue of education.

Labor needs to get with the times if it is to connect with the mainstream, and re-energise its traditional supporter base.

Labor needs to get back to basics in WA, reinvigorating its image and getting boots on the ground.

Colin Barnett should prioritise his ‘to-do’ list as he and his ministers wade through their election commitments.

Labor may have set the agenda for the campaign in recent weeks, but the government holds the whip hand due to a combination of factors.

The Liberals may be on track to win the March 9 poll, but Colin Barnett and his team will be hoping voters don’t see the result as a fait accompli.