Opinion

The passing this week of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher makes it timely to reflect on the very different reform process Britain and Australia went through in the 1980s.

No farmer would ever invite a fox into his hen-house, but a close look over the past few days at the strategic link forged by the one-time Australian flag-carrier, Qantas Airways, with Dubai-based

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

Toro investors left scratching their heads over whether the Wiluna uranium project is still a goer.

Westpac’s latest national economic analysis tips a slowdown in growth, something for which it seems not many are prepared.

The resources sector is often beaten up by its critics, occasionally with good reason, but it has many achievements worth celebrating.

The prime minister is in a class of her own for several reasons ... not many of them positive.

HOW do you communicate? How good a communicator are you?

THE word ‘team’ is used in business all the time - team meetings, team planning and, of course, team building. But is it a catch cry or something that truly adds value to the organisation?

Australia’s dollar ought to be falling, a point underlined today by another weak analysis of manufacturing, but any hope of relief for manufacturing, mining or agriculture has been killed by events in Cyprus and the flood of capital pouring out of Europe into safer places, including Australia.

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

The union movement has overreached while federal Labor has been in power, and legislative change may be needed to ensure they become accountable to their members, and the nation.

It’s no surprise Chinese investors in Australia’s resources sector want to maximise their opportunities, but the outcomes won’t always be favourable for the locals.

After a big fortnight in politics, it’s instructive for the Western Australian business community to take stock and ask how much has really changed.

The ascension of Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to the papacy could turn politics in South America on its head.

QUESTIONS: Who’s going to win the next Super Bowl? Who’s going to win the next World Series? Who’s going to win the next Masters Tournament?

BUILDING a brand that connects with people is an integral part of any good marketing strategy.

India’s future as a regional powerhouse is under a cloud as its economy slows and the need for foreign investment increases amid an environment of corruption, bureaucratic ineptitude and self-serving politicians.

Forget the politics. Focus on the money.

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

THE Commonwealth has moved again to muddy the waters on environmental approval, this time seeking to widen its influence on the approvals process for coal mining and coal-seam gas extraction.

The rising markets may be a false dawn, with two top economists, whose warnings were ignored before the GFC, ringing alarm bells again.

Lifting national productivity is a goal that is universally supported, but it seems our leaders in Canberra either haven’t really thought through what it means in practice, or just don’t care.

The comfortable margin at last week’s state election would have surprised some Liberal insiders.

WHEN you’re asking an existing or prospective customer a question, the object is to get them to think and respond emotionally.

MUCH of a leader’s power lies in their capacity to inspire others to action. To be able to do that, as noted by Napoleon Bonaparte, a leader must be a ‘dealer in hope’.

Bankers might have caused the never-ending global financial crisis but it is politicians who are perpetuating it as the latest European farce, a raid on bank accounts held in Cyprus, so brilliantly

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

Gina Rinehart’s omission from a BRW rich list is perplexing, considering the ‘self-made’ women who made the grade.

The reality on future iron ore prices may be somewhere in the middle of the most dire predictions and those of the eternal optimists.

Having listened to many winners and losers in the state election, there are some clear lessons emerging.

China’s actions in the South China Sea have raised regional tensions, and should be closely watched.