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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
THE standout feature of Saturday's panic-driven premature election was that neither Alan Carpenter nor Colin Barnett pulled their party over the line to govern Western Australia in their own right.
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.
Western Australia is in the middle of a once-in-a-generation boom, but you'd struggle to know that if you had closely followed the state election campaign.
As so often happens in the unpredictable hurly-burly of party political rivalry, while you're looking one way there's something happening elsewhere that's at least equally, and often far more, important.
Long-time State Scene readers may recall advice offered in this column to the Gallop government back in May 2002 on the best way to administer the then-emerging but now blossoming lobbying industry.
