Opinion

THE controversy over the federal government's proposed industrial relations reforms made me think back to the mid 1980s when people like Charles Copeman led a bruising battle to free up Australian workplaces.

SOME time during our schooling we learned how the six British colonies on the island continent Matthew Flinders named Australia formed a federated Commonwealth.

We're really excited. There is so much on offer in Melbourne. You've got the spring racing carnival, F1 racing, the Australian Open, not to mention all the bands and live music.

HOW much is too much when it comes to executive remuneration, especially bonuses and termination payments? This is the vexing question that's challenging the investment community more than ever before, as the market slide makes it a widespread issue rathe

AS the resource sector tumbled through late September and into early October, the Australian stock market appeared to be in a final capitulation mode.

I have been reading extensively this month about the deep problems in the US financial system and it has left me with one overriding conclusion.

TRANSPARENCY is a fascinating concept and last week I encountered two vastly different examples of its application, or more accurately, its absence.

ONE thing seems guaranteed - the Democratic Party in the US can be relied on to field idiosyncratic candidates for the presidency.

THE average debt per person in Australia is now about $28,000.That's $28,000 for each of the almost 20 million people we have in our great nation.

THE debate over infrastructure provision in WA has taken many intriguing twists and turns since the election of the Barnett government.

AS global carbon emissions continue to rise, the investment world has begun to grapple with growing costs of consuming fossil fuels.

SHORT-TERMISM has something of an Orwellian ring to it, so I reckon it's appropriate to blame it for undermining the free-market economy.

AS someone who prefers small perfectly formed objects as opposed to monolithic structures, when it comes to business, the government's decision to carve up two Labor-created super departments is something I'd generally welcome.

LAST week, as global stock markets performed a swan dive in a grindingly painful bear market, Briefcase became increasingly angry at the market's bad behaviour.

LIKE many people, I've been bombarded by views on the financial meltdown, some via email and others through the news, offering analysis about what has taken place and what the landscape may look like in the future.

SO far there have been two unwelcomed signals from the Barnett-Grylls alliance.

IN 1929, the Australian share market peaked and subsequently fell 41 per cent, heralding the Great Depression.

IT'S probably because State Scene, long ago, spent several months in the advertising industry that the ploys and proclivities of those in that sector continue to intrigue.

AS the global economy reels under the shock of the credit crisis, it's interesting to see how the blame game transpires, especially those voices quick to condemn capitalism as the root of the problem.

IN response to State Scene's column of October 2, 'Bailing out for a soft landing', a reader has suggested something should be done to stop the ongoing practice of politicians vacating their seats after general elections.

WHAT a difference a year makes.October, the traditional time for market crashes, is also when I make for Rottnest on an annual holiday.

Bob Eagle responds to a recent article in WA business news on population and sustainability

SINCE I wrote my piece on Tony Sage a few weeks ago, two of his companies - Cape Lambert Iron Ore Ltd and International Goldfields Ltd - have lodged annual reports.

SO far, so good...in fact, better than expected. The Barnett-Nationals partnership government seems to have comfortably ensconced itself into power, which means those big white chauffeur-driven ministerial automobiles now have new passengers.

IT'S not surprising a clever wordsmith some decades ago suggested using skydiving terminology to colourfully describe an increasingly widespread political practice.

IT'S difficult when assessing elections not to immediately reach for statistics - size of swings, percentage of preferences gained by parties, levels of various majorities, and other such measures that help assess how well or how badly parties and candida

THE formal swearing-in this week of the Barnett ministry marks the start of what should be an exciting period of government in Western Australia, though there will be no shortage of tough challenges.

THERE are many things likely to change following the recent state election, not just as a result of a new government but also due to the circumstances in which it took power.

IT'S difficult to believe that, just 31 months ago, Alan Carpenter was seen as Labor's brightest rising star.

THE world is full of strange anomalies created by some geographer's artificial line in the sand.

TEN-YEAR government bonds effectively set a risk-free rate of return for investors, since these government-backed securities guarantee an investor's initial capital investment.

WHILE critics have been quick to jump on the Labor-bashing bandwagon after the state election, there hasn't been much reflection on some of the strategic challenges that will face the next state government, whoever leads it.