Opinion

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.

OPINION: Corporate events such as takeovers and break-up proposals do not always have a political edge to them, but when they involve BHP Billiton, once Australia's biggest company, politics are not far away (and neither is Western Australia).

OPINION: Businesses risk being left behind by rapid changes in customer behaviour unless they improve how they collect and communicate information.

In this Business News podcast, Dan Wilkie and Mark Beyer discuss house prices, training and apprentices, iron ore prices, apartment projects and student housing.

OPINION: Working hard to help your customers achieve their goals will go a long way to helping you succeed in your own pursuits.

OPINION: Many angry words have been spoken and written about Western Australia's shrinking GST allocation, but very little has been said or written about the cause of the shrinkage – iron royalties.

OPINION: Despite a spike in iron ore prices, it will be the bigger, low-cost producers that rule the roost in the near to medium term.

OPINION: A top-down, inflexible approach to policy change keeps failing.

In this Business News podcast, Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss property in Scarborough, Claremont, Elizabeth Quay and the Hyatt, Private capital boosts HealthEngine and Muscleworx, distilleries win gongs and March quarter deals environment.

OPINION: The McGowan government will need to get straight down to business, given the backlog of issues it needs to address.

OPINION: Sales activity increased over the week, with Reiwa members reporting an increase in weekly sales to 691.

OPINION: There are several reasons why the suggestion that governments use startups as suppliers is a really bad idea.

OPINION: If you consider your own purchasing decisions and understand the thought processes behind them, you will be better prepared to make sales to your customers.

In this Business News podcast, Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss residential property, Quintis, insolvency law reform and oil and gas.

OPINION: WA's domestic gas policy is now being lauded by other states, as the east coast power crisis continues.

OPINION: It pays to keep on top of developments in the tech sector.

OPINION: Wesfarmers has received some positive news on its move into UK hardware, but things are less rosy for investors in the local property trust in which it holds a major stake.

OPINION: The rest of the nation has ignored the lessons learned in WA's energy market.

OPINION: The former WA under treasurer urges Mark McGowan to tackle state spending and secure federal funding for key infrastructure projects.

In this Business News podcast, Mark Pownall and Mark Beyer discuss TFS- Quintis, Kerry Stokes and mining investment, Western Force's prospectus and who are the state's Most Influential people?

OPINION: Sales activity experienced a contraction over the week, with Reiwa members reporting a decrease in weekly sales to 650.

OPINION: Western Australia has a new billionaire, or to be completely accurate, it has an old billionaire who has made another billion dollars over the past 12 months without anyone really noticing.

OPINION: There is no denying that Brendon Grylls has left his mark on Western Australian politics.

Royal Flying Doctor Service WA CEO Grahame Marshall talks to Business News head of content Mark Pownall about his career shift to head a not for profit six years ago and what he has learned on that journey, with an organisation that reaches every corner of our vast state.