The Your Right to Know campaign rolled out by major media organisations this week comes at a crucial time for both democracy and media.
Nick Butterly
There was a quickening of pulses among those State MPs campaigning for assisted dying as former member for the seat of Perth Tim Hammond surfaced as part of an online video arguing against the laws.
As State Parliament wound up an epic all-night sitting on assisted dying laws last month this reporter found himself standing outside in the cold at 5am trying to get some answers.
Sate Liberals have learnt good lessons from their Federal counterparts shock election win.
In an age where data is measured in terabytes rather than in manila folders, the Parliament’s ability to police itself looks increasingly inadequate.
Liza Harvey’s decision to skip a marathon sitting on assisted dying laws to watch the Eagles flog Essendon should ring alarm bells for those Liberals hoping she would lead them back to power.
If shopping for a true insight into what makes their local MP tick, constituents could do a lot worse than to pick up a copy of the Hansard of their member speaking to the euthanasia laws.
For some time now whenever faced with a question about the general grim state of the economy Premier Mark McGowan has declared it a good time to buy a house.
The start of the parliamentary debate on voluntary assisted dying had most braced for hours of gut-wrenching stories about the painful deaths of loved ones — but we were all pleasantly surprised.
MPs might soon be cursing these deliberate vagaries of an allowance system as the CCC pushes ahead with an inquiry into allegations of “serious misconduct and corruption”.
Listen carefully, and you might hear a collective groan echoing from Defence Department headquarters in Canberra each time someone from the west is anointed defence minister.
Former WA governor and eminent lawyer Malcolm McCusker put it best: These people are going to die. These laws are simply about making it less painful.
Even John Howard has argued for an increase to Newstart — but Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s reaction at a partyroom meeting this week could be a worrying sign of things to come.
Behind the scenes, WA’s justice system is undergoing one of its biggest shake-ups in almost a century, as Attorney-General John Quigley fights the quiet fight.
The Premier may have been in the right in his attacks on Maritime Union of Australia head Christy Cain, but the timing and execution is being questioned by some of his colleagues.
Mike Nahan’s sudden resignation was a triumph of logic and clarity that he failed to emulate during his hapless reign as Opposition leader.
We need to drag WA’s embarrassingly dated State political system kicking and screaming into the 21st century and it needs to happen now.
Child abuse reporting and euthanasia laws will draw heavy fire from community opponents.
The McGowan Government has always been sensitive to questions of the role luck has played in its political circumstances.
While the Christchurch massacre has done untold damage to the reputation of Australians around the world, the attack has also upended the Federal election campaign.
Could it be that WA had its very own Chinese sleeper agent hiding in plain sight in the Legislative Council?
It would have been a shocking look for a resource-based economy to shutter an emerging industry, particularly when any royalties collected go to State coffers - not Canberra.
Campaigning in Queensland this week, Morrison gave worried backbenchers more cause to squirm
