Peter Kennedy

The last thing we need ahead of the federal election is the major parties promising to outspend one another, but that’s probably what we’ll get

WA could lose out in the long run, with a likely incoming Abbott government paying less attention to a state perceived to be in the bag politically.

Get ready for some belt tightening in the next state budget. The fact that it will be introduced in August, three months later than usual, will provide only temporary respite, with all the signs suggesting there won’t be much extra money being thrown around.

Labor needs to get with the times if it is to connect with the mainstream, and re-energise its traditional supporter base.

Colin Barnett should prioritise his ‘to-do’ list as he and his ministers wade through their election commitments.

The Liberals may be on track to win the March 9 poll, but Colin Barnett and his team will be hoping voters don’t see the result as a fait accompli.

There’s little new or creative about either side’s approach to the state election campaign so far, with economic management, public transport and law and order front and centre.

Neither side of politics has yet managed to engage the electorate with a clear and comprehensive transport strategy.

Initially lauded for the certainty it provided, the government’s decision to create fixed parliamentary terms is not without its shortcomings – some of them significant.