Opinion

You should always be careful what you say when there are people present who know more than you do.

Expect to read a lot more in the coming weeks about the search for value in an economy performing at its peak.

PT Barnum was right. There really is a sucker born every minute.

Since the Gallop government completely ignored State Scene’s warning in May 2002 to fully monitor lobbying, it’s now an appropriate time to assess the Carpenter government’s just-instituted lobbyists’ register.

The looming federal election is dominating the mass media these days, and for good reason.

Ongoing Howard government moves against Australia’s traditional federalist arrangements, through the constant expansion of Canberra’s powers, have been regularly highlighted by State Scene.

So, the argument goes on for another week about the proposed new sports stadium for Perth.

No ships. No workers. No class.

The days of senators being champions for the states that send them to Canberra have long passed.

Attorney - General Jim McGinty’s battle with The West Australian newspaper last week was absurd and very disappointing.

“Kevin, it’s Rod here, do you need any advice on your industrial relations policy.”“Yes, please, Sir Rod. All advice welcome.”

Confidence is the fuel of stock market booms. Run dry and the consequences are dire, as we have seen when earlier booms stalled.

State Scene had a variety of casual and part-time jobs before graduating from a Perth ivory tower to enter the ‘school of hard knocks’ as a full-time worker.

If there’s two kinds of businesses I have never really grasped, it’s the fields of motivational speaking and network marketing.

Secession bobs up as a topic every time Western Australia goes into boom mode, and now is no different – though there is an emerging (and amusing) variation on the secession theme

Because State Scene has long supported cleaner energy generation worldwide, the Australian Labor Party’s decision at its national conference to at last scrap its silly three uranium mines policy and instead back additional mining of this energy source, wa

I’m not a real fan of budget week.

Growing numbers of confounded political and party boffins have, understandably, begun asking each other who is going to win the coming federal election?

The industrial relations genie is now out – Australian Workplace Agreements aren’t bad for everybody.

If business in Western Australia thought it was impossible for government services to get worse than they already are, then just wait until the lethargy triggered by the Corruptio

Bubbles never last long, as every child knows. No sooner have you blown one than it pops.

State Scene was stunned to read former premier Geoff Gallop slamming Western Australia’s business community from his ivory tower in Sydney for what he called its failure to criticise lobbyists Brian Burke, Julian Grill and Noel Crichton-Browne.

For those with an eye for politics, the past week’s discussion on Australian Workplace Agreements puts Western Australia at the forefront of the debate.

Unemployment at 2.7 per cent of the workforce is reason to celebrate; for most of us.

The next time you face a screaming leftie on your TV screen, or worse still, in your face, claiming America and President George W Bush are hated across the entire Middle East, keep the following in mind.

We have a few great columnists whose fine work is to be found in the back half of this paper.

Last month’s announcement by former Fremantle Labor MHR, Carmen Lawrence, that she intends to return to academe raises an interesting triple-headed historical question.

Like many other Western Australians, I enjoy wines from the state. Admittedly, my loyalty to WA-only products has waned over the years as I have learned to appreciate that our winemakers have some worthy competition elsewhere around the globe.

Reinventing yourself, repeatedly, is not an easy trick.

Wealth is strange subject which we have shied away from for many years.

It has been a long time since anyone thought seriously about investing in WA’s Wheatbelt region for the potential of a substantial future capital gain.

Predicting the demise of institutions – including political ones that have been with us for ages – is a risky exercise.