Opinion

New state Labor leader Mark McGowan has his work cut out to win next year’s election.

What real difference will recognising Aboriginal people in the constitution make on a practical level?

Recent warning about slowed global growth should be heeded, and risk avoided in 2012.

A strong opposition is one of the key ingredients in making a good government, no matter who is in power.

The eurozone’s financial mess will surely force leaders to acknowledge the errors of past practices.

The Labor Party just ain’t what it used to be.

I am sick of goals and goal experts.

Next time your favourite sports team is just losing at halftime, feel relieved.

Everyone loves a bargain. But, there comes a time when cheap is too cheap, as the world is discovering with falling prices destabilising industries, and entire economies.

A fresh coat of paint won’t cut it with the voters ... Labor needs to reconnect with the public on policy issues.

The federal government’s preference for the big end of town comes at the expense of small business operators.

Perth’s quest to be considered a serious international city has been boosted by a recent report.

Listed companies publish lots of information on their remuneration practices; this year, the quality might start to match the quantity.

Planning for Australia’s future energy security needs is being mismanaged by Canberra boffins.

Many companies are considering training programs for the new year; new budgets, new needs, new opportunities.

It's time to break apart a 50-year-old business tradition - strategic planning - and think about it in terms of two distinct activities: strategic thinking and execution planning.

New Year is always a good time for starting a diet, and while WA has been expanding rapidly thanks to the resources boom it seems likely that the feast is over, for now.

We’re a bunch of worriers who can’t take our eyes off the proverbial car crashes that keep on happening in Western Australia.

Colin Barnett left a nagging doubt about the ultimate cost of the project. And that, in the end, could prove to be the real barbecue stopper.

Industry funds must face up to questions over governance, transparency and accountability.

It is not the season to be jolly as credit markets continue to crunch banks and governments in a low-growth world.

Western Australia is considered a boom state but the weakness in the residential property market and other industry sectors is a major concern of our business sector.

Iran and the US are fighting a tense ‘war’ where no shots have been fired. But tensions are building in a scenario that resonates with the start of World War II.

When I was growing up, they called it Christmas. Now, in order to offend no one, they call it nothing. Sad.

Do you ever get to the end of the year and wonder what happened?

Will China be the next financial domino to fall? That is a question which was once unthinkable, but which is now being openly discussed, with serious potential consequences for Australia.

State politicians are unlikely to see any benefit from changes to the way their federal counterparts are remunerated.

We should be careful of adopting policies, successful elsewhere, that may undermine our national interests.

The economic clouds over Europe call into question some of the more optimistic projections for local projects.

Governments need to be more flexible in their use of migration to manage fluctuating labour demand.

The market upheaval of recent years suggests we need to start thinking differently about how we invest.

Liz Constable once promoted views on lobbyists different to those planned in the government’s new Bill.