Simon Withers

Capital gains tax reform is coming

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OPINION: It is becoming increasingly clear that the federal government will reduce or eliminate the capital gains tax discount in the forthcoming budget, but it is not clear how it intends to do it.

OPINION: Why Peter Dutton lost

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Opinion: When the Liberal Party lost the 2025 WA election it had many excuses for its performance. So, what is the federal Liberal Party's excuse for losing the national election?

Housing promises miss the mark

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OPINION: A hung parliament could be Australia's best chance of achieving sensible housing policy in the next term of government.

The Liberal Party’s dead cat bounce

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OPINION: The Liberal Party's bounce-back at the state election on Saturday was more like a dead cat than a rubber ball.

Political parties failing us on energy strategy

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OPINION: It will continue to be a political football as long as the main players keep trying to score points.

Every cloud has a silver lining

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The WA Liberal Party has an opportunity to reset itself for the future, writes Simon Withers.

Not another article on the election

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The path ahead for Premier Mark McGowan will be a challenging one, writes Simon Withers.

What sort of leader does Perth need?

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Candidates in the City of Perth's upcoming lord mayoral election should keep in mind that running a council involves a lot of saying "no", writes Simon Withers.

GST stoush drives WA-first push

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OPINION: The idea of forming a new political party to run Senate candidates on a Western Australia-first platform appears to have come to a number of people at the same time.

Staged approach could ease GST woes

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OPINION: The federal government's recently announced Productivity Commission review of GST sharing among the states is good news for Western Australia, but the state government should be realistic about the outcome.

Royalties for Regions cuts a sensible first step

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OPINION: During the state election campaign, Mark McGowan said his government would repay the state's debt as though it were a home mortgage; now, unfortunately, he is experiencing the equivalent of mortgage stress, which comes with taking on too much debt without enough income to service it.

Rising royalties drive GST malaise

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OPINION: Many angry words have been spoken and written about Western Australia's shrinking GST allocation, but very little has been said or written about the cause of the shrinkage – iron royalties.

Grylls’ courage not enough

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OPINION: There is no denying that Brendon Grylls has left his mark on Western Australian politics.

The devil is in the detail

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At last, after months of chewing it over, the state government has announced a plan to divest Western Power.

Grylls on right track over royalties

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The proposal from Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls to increase the royalties paid by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton is not as ‘out there' as it sounds. I say this not as a socialist, but as a capitalist who, as a resident of Western Australia, is an indirect part owner of the state's iron ore reserves.

Walking a fine line on Western Power

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The WA government is tying itself in knots over privatising the electricity network, but its failure to act could have a political cost.

Bid opportunity for CBH

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The Australian Grain Champion's proposal to demutualise CBH will most likely be rejected by the CBH board, but it could be the catalyst for a CBH-led demutualisation.

Wesfarmers’ UK tilt worth watching

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Is Wesfarmers' $705 million acquisition of UK hardware chain Homebase a fantastic opportunity or a case of hubris that will lead to disappointment?

Amalgamation key for Wheatbelt councils

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THERE are 138 councils in Western Australia, 88 of which serve populations of less than 2,000 people and many of which are unviable.

Shareholders' champions swap sides

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The Alinta management buy-out proposal (MBO) has focused attention on the conflicts that arise in MBOs.