Opinion

OPINION: Rural exports are on an upward curve, which is good news for the bush and investors in the agribusiness sector.

OPINION: If a problem is complex, don’t try a simple solution, and maybe hand out a teddy or two, Perth author Paul Culmsee says.

OPINION: While good relations between government and the private sector are important, Mark McGowan will be keen to avoid being seen as too close to business.

In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Dan Wilkie discuss builder collapses, Wesfarmers leadership, CEO salaries, distilleries and breweries.

OPINION: Sales activity was up over the week, with Reiwa members reporting an increase in weekly sales to 592.

OPINION: That the federal government has gone missing after previously stating enthusiastic support for the tech sector is a massive failure of vision.

OPINION: More does not always mean better. This fact of life, told by generations of mothers to their children, is something Australia’s banks are discovering as they fight to defend their handsome profits from the latest tax raid.

In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Dan Wilkie discuss Forrest’s donation, Midland Gate expansion, investing in man caves and ICT for small business. 

OPINION: Australia is becoming increasingly vulnerable to global, and local, economic shocks.

OPINION: Building relationships is a key element in the process of securing a strong portfolio of sales.

OPINION: A failure to stick to their core competencies has led to significant disruption for businesses and organisations economy-wide.

OPINION: Picking on banks might be populist, but it is a very risky proposition.

In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Dan Wilkie discuss the Officeworks IPO, the WA economy, Diploma Group, and philanthropy and giving.   

OPINION: If Rio and BHP thought their political troubles ended when Brendon Grylls lost his seat at the recent election, they had better think again.

OPINION: Sales activity contracted over the week, with Reiwa members reporting a decrease in weekly sales to 555. The overall 14 per cent fall in weekly sales is attributed to a 17 per cent decrease in sales for houses and a 23 per cent decrease in unit sales, despite a 17 per cent increase in vacant land sales over the week.

OPINION: Held at Spacecubed earlier this month, Perth’s 10th Startup Weekend brought together some of the brightest minds in startup tech.

OPINION: Iron ore miners Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart, Western Australia’s two richest people, are taking a different approach to growing their other major business interest – beef production.

In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Charlie Gunningham discuss the Bank levy, Perth’s Lord Mayor, international property investors and WA’s wine sector.

OPINION: The federal government’s recently announced Productivity Commission review of GST sharing among the states is good news for Western Australia, but the state government should be realistic about the outcome.

In this Business News podcast Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss public sector overhaul, medical research funding, CityLink developments and our university sector.

OPINION: Sales activity was up over the week, with Reiwa members reporting an increase in weekly sales to 725.

OPINION: Discovery builds are an ideal part of the development pathway for startups seeking to minimise risk.

OPINION: Much has been made in recent times about the need to grow and diversify the Western Australian economy, now that the construction phase of the mining boom is over.

OPINION: Bank bashing is one of Australia’s favourite sports, and while it is generally played when banks are behaving badly, there is a time when the banks become political footballs for playing well, which is what will probably happen next week – for 16 billion reasons.

In this Business News podcast, Dan Wilkie and Mark Beyer discuss big changes to the public service, property developers, opportunities in defence, a new Qantas service, and our annual review of mining projects.

OPINION: Satirists can provide a wake-up call, showing us how easily we can be seduced by the spin of politicians.

OPINION: Maintaining healthy relationships with your customers takes effort, and hard work.

OPINION: A worldwide shake-up of the fertiliser industry may play out in WA, according to the investment bank, which has been watching Wesfarmers’ CSBP division.

OPINION: Could earnings inequality become an issue for medical professionals?

In this Business News podcast, Dan Wilkie and Mark Beyer discuss 457 visas, chief executive salaries, Chinese investment in WA and the state of the construction industry.

OPINION: Colin Barnett has decided to stay on as the member for Cottesloe, but how for long is another matter.

OPINION: During the state election campaign, Mark McGowan said his government would repay the state’s debt as though it were a home mortgage; now, unfortunately, he is experiencing the equivalent of mortgage stress, which comes with taking on too much debt without enough income to service it.