Gareth Parker

Rocky start for rising Liberal star

In attacking his own lay party, Colin Barnett managed to bloody the nose of a man the Liberal Party needs to be a star.After his resounding 22-5 preselection drubbing of Kate Lamont on Saturday, Sean L’Estrange will become the next member for Church...
June 20, 7:07 am
Johnson cops more Liberal flak

How much longer has Rob Johnson got as Police Minister? It’s a question that is being asked openly in Liberal Party circles, with an emerging consensus the answer is: “Not long”.Mr Johnson, of course, has been a polarising figure for the entir...
May 10, 11:04 am
Another case of not understanding us

Wayne Swan’s Budget speech last night proved what most WA voters have believed for a while.And that is that the Labor governments of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have never understood WA or its resources economy.The Government’s financial plan, the ...
May 9, 1:15 pm
Magellan problems a test for future miners

n the wake of the Barnett Government’s rejection this week of a second coal mining proposal in Margaret River, another litmus test is looming for a jurisdiction the Premier proclaims as the world’s leading mining province.It’s 10 months since Magell...
February 8, 9:00 pm
CHOGM, Fires End a Chaotic Year

JULY The month began with revelations of a split in Colin Barnett's Cabinet over his choice of Burswood as the site for WA's new 60,000 seat stadium.Planning Minister John Day thought the peninsula site was too expensive, Education Minister Liz Cons...
December 29, 12:17 pm
State Leaders Feel Political Heat

JANUARY The year might have begun disastrously for the Barnett Government after Environment Minister Bill Marmion went on his Christmas holidays without telling the public about a lead scare involving Magellan, the Wiluna miner responsible for the E...
December 22, 10:18 am
State Mired In Fiscal Equalisation

Thanks to a letter from the Prime Minister to NSW Independent Rob Oakeshott, we now know the Gillard Government wants to punish the States if they exercise their constitutional right to set mining royalties.It's there in black and white."The Governm...
November 24, 1:05 pm
Queries Over Veracity of Reports

When is an independent report not an independent report? It's a question that loomed large over the final days of State Parliament a fortnight ago before the Legislative Assembly rose for its six-week winter recess.Amid a flurry of furious debate, P...
July 7, 12:36 pm
Steady Leader Rallies Worried Troops

Eric Ripper's speech to the party faithful in the members' grandstand at Ascot Racecourse yesterday reflected the man who delivered it. Steady, reasonable and predictable.It revolved around familiar themes, the veins Labor's parliamentary team has a...
June 27, 10:44 am
'Zealots' Bad For Health of Sports

There's a routine statutory review of the 2006 Tobacco Products Control Act going on at the moment that, paradoxically, is causing a fair bit of angst in WA's sporting community.One would think the objectives of a law designed to reduce the harmful ...
June 9, 2:16 pm
Where Are the Bargains, Premier?

When Inside State heard Colin Barnett's comments yesterday about first-homebuyers needing to "adjust their expectations" - comments made in the context of his Government's complete inaction on housing affordability and on the day it released a six-m...
May 12, 9:58 am
Budget Woes As Royalties Go Bush

Treasurer Christian Porter has stuck to one key message ahead of his first State Budget, to be handed down on May 19. Taking his cues from his predecessor, the Premier, Mr Porter is keen for you to know that the biggest structural threat to the long...
April 28, 12:19 pm
Rookie Treasurer Has a Tightrope To Walk

In just two months, rookie Treasurer Christian Porter will deliver his first State Budget.Amid a backdrop of increased mining royalties, a raft of commitments to major infrastructure projects, Opposition attacks on the level of State debt and a publ...
March 17, 12:19 pm
Stadium Sums Just Don't Add Up

Until now the debate about major sporting facilities in WA has revolved around two questions: what we have and what we want. There is general agreement on the answer to the former - a fairly ordinary collection of patched-up stadiums that fall well ...
March 3, 12:22 pm
WA Labor's Phoney War Heats Up

Last night the battle for the State Labor leadership, and what a prize it is, remained a phoney war.Indications are it will not remain phoney for much longer.While Eric Ripper yesterday maintained he had the support of his colleagues to continue as ...
January 5, 12:51 pm
Big-picture Barnett Rewrites WA History

Colin Barnett was in an expansive mood on Tuesday when he delivered a speech to a packed WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry audience to mark the mid-point of the Liberal-National Government's first term.With the bump and grind of the Parliament ove...
December 2, 10:56 am
There's No End In Sight For Sorry Oracle Debacle

As far as sexy political stories go, the continuing debacle surrounding the State Government's Office of Shared Services project doesn't exactly leap off the page.But as a chronic example of waste, mismanagement and incompetence, it's a saga that sh...
November 17, 11:00 am
Stop and Search Laws Pushed To the Bitter End

Police Minister Rob Johnson tried until the bitter end to win the support of the five Upper House National Party members for his stop and search laws, but in the end it was a lost cause.After announcing on Tuesday he was prepared to amend the Bill t...
November 12, 9:32 am
First-termer Carles Gets Taste of Political Reality

Is it improper or indeed corrupt for the Government to offer an independent MP additional resources in return for their vote in Parliament?It's a question that dominated the opening of Parliament's last session for the year as a re-energised State O...
November 10, 11:18 am
Rebel Barnett Maintains the Canberra Rage

Colin Barnett was asked a light-hearted question this week about Halloween. His stony faced answer made it clear he didn't care for the encroaching Americanism of a festival that appears slowly to be gaining a foothold in Australian society."I am no...
November 3, 8:25 am