Home
Search
thewest.com.au
OpinionChevron Right Icon

Joe Spagnolo

Opinion: Dom Sheed showed us that if life presents you with that once in a lifetime opportunity - you need to take it.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloComments
opinion
What can we learn from life’s ‘what ifs?’

Dom Sheed had a chance at footy immortality and took it. It will be interesting to see whether Rita Saffioti or Amber-Jade Sanderson also manage to nail that kick from the boundary.

JOE SPAGNOLO

National Party leader Shane Love.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloComments
opinion
Opposition spat sure to get an ‘F-bomb’

I don’t reckon Trump’s the only political leader to drop the F-bomb this week. I reckon Basil Zempilas would have dropped quite a few during the course of the week, albeit in private.

Joe Spagnolo

Labor appears keen to move on from the Mark McGowan era with Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti taking the state in a new direction.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloComments
opinion
Cook moves on from Mark McGowan’s Labor

It appears Roger Cook is going all out to ensure the public is aware, there is a new sherif in town, and that Mark McGowan is well and truly part of Labor history.

Joe Spagnolo

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and WA Premier Roger Cook will reunite in Perth this week.

opinion
opinion
JOE SPAGNOLO CommentsPremium
opinion
The tale of two parties played out in Perth

Get ready for the Albanese-Cook selfie this week. These are good times for State and Federal Labor. 

Joe Spagnolo

Nationals leader David Littleproud and Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Nationals must heed debacle in WA

David Littleproud need only to look across the Nullarbor to see just how not to do it.

Joe Spagnolo

NCA 2025 FEDERAL ELECTION BUS. 1/05/2025 Australian Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese In Perth visit Winthrop Primary School Premier Roger Cook Jason Edwards / NewsWire

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Joe Spagnolo: Albanese-Cook 40 year bromance put to the test

How Cook and Albanese navigate their four-decade friendship against the backdrop of expectations from their respective voters will be interesting to watch.

JOE SPAGNOLO

“Am I naive to think that as a result of two elections there may be a fairer WA, where a wider spread of people gets a better deal?” says Joe Spagnolo.

opinion
opinion
OpinionCommentsPremium
opinion
Thank God the political war is over for weary WA

I think I speak for most West Australians when I say: ‘Thank God that’s over.’

JOE SPAGNOLO

Peter Dutton at Mt Pleasant during one of his Perth visits.

OpinionPremiumDutton’s rehabilitation tour of WA tarnished by the past

The Opposition Leader tried to soften his image and win the WA love by visiting the west as much as he could. But that didn’t work.

Joe Spagnolo

World events and a poor election campaign probably means Peter Dutton won’t be celebrating come Saturday night.

opinion
opinion
OpinionCommentsPremium
opinion
Peter Dutton afforded no favours in dying days of campaign

In what was the all-important second-last week of the campaign, another significant world event made it even harder for Dutton to get any traction with voters.

Joe Spagnolo

In 13 days we will find out whether Dutton won over WA — or at least some of it.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Dutton in trouble if he loses big in WA

There is every chance that if Dutton bombs here in the west on May 3, he will no longer be leader of the Federal Liberal Party.

Joe Spagnolo

Basil Zempilas carries a photo of his late father Anthony into the WA Parliament.

opinion
opinion
New Parliament CommentsPremium
opinion
Basil set up to face Labor’s evil spirits

Throughout the course of my 20 years of reporting on WA politics, I’ve often thought I had seen it all. But I have to say, Basil Zempilas’ first day at the office had a bit of originality about it.

Joe Spagnolo

Bet you Albo falling off a stage wasn’t in his re-election script.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Labor chaos not in re-election script

As the saying goes, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Joe Spagnolo

WA voted red, with Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party able to take the Liberal seats of Swan, Hasluck, Pearce and Tangney and, in the process, form a majority government.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
It’s a whole different world in WA this Federal election

Has Albo repaid the faith West Australians had in him three years ago? We are about to find out.

Joe Spagnolo

Former WA Liberal Party leader Libby Mettam must retain health in a Liberal shadow ministry.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Mettam must keep health in Liberal shake-up

Former WA Liberal Party leader Libby Mettam must retain health in a Liberal shadow ministry.

Joe Spagnolo

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Why Albanese not coming to WA is no real blow for Cook

The fact that Anthony Albanese was a no-show in WA during the election campaign proper confirms what polling is showing — the PM ain’t as popular as he used to be here in the wild, wild west.

Joe Spagnolo

Barring divine intervention, Roger Cook’s Labor Party will win next Saturday’s election.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Labor must lift game after poll

Barring divine intervention, Roger Cook’s Labor Party will win next Saturday’s election.

Joe Spagnolo

Premier Roger Cook needs an emphatic victory on March 8 to command authority over the party, writes Joe Spagnolo.

opinion
opinion
State Election CommentsPremium
opinion
Roger Cook has a lot to live up to after 2021 bloodbath

What’s Roger Cook’s pass mark at this election? Cook is like a guy who becomes the new coach of a footy side, just after they have won a premiership.

Joe Spagnolo

Opinion: Anthony Albanese will be praying the RBA drops interest rates this week

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Sleepless nights for Albo ahead of RBA rate call

Albanese will be having kittens if the RBA decides to hold the cash rate this week given much of his political fortune is tied to the economy and the cost of living.

Joe Spagnolo

Maybe someone should tell the Nats and Libs that dirty tricks are played against the other side of politics – not against members of your own ‘family’.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Whose side are you on? Dirty tricks enter State election

Maybe someone should tell the Nats and Libs that dirty tricks are played against the other side of politics – not against members of your own ‘family’.

Joe Spagnolo

Libby Mettam has just three weeks to save her leadership.

opinion
opinion
WA election 2025CommentsPremium
opinion
Libby Mettam left with little time to salvage her leadership

The State election will be held on March 8 and in just three weeks, West Australians will be able to have their say as part of the early voting process.

Joe Spagnolo

Here’s to being an Aussie, whatever that means these days.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Why worry about being Australian?

Here’s to being an Aussie: Whatever that means these days.

Joe Spagnolo

Premier Roger Cook has not ruled out another power credit in 2025.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Why I think West Aussies will soon get another power credit

Labor is too smart to go to an election while not significantly addressing the No.1 issue — the cost of living.

Joe Spagnolo

While all the attention is on whether Basil Zempilas will roll Libby Mettam after the election, keep an eye on Labor after its widely expected March victory.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Why leadership jockeying within WA Labor is set to intensify

While all the attention is on whether Basil Zempilas will roll Libby Mettam after the election, keep an eye on Labor after its widely expected March victory.

Joe Spagnolo

Saffioti, and Labor for that matter, put their collective reputations on the line to deliver a project that many thought shouldn’t happen.

opinion
opinion
Joe SpagnoloCommentsPremium
opinion
Political reality of Perth’s new major train projects

Yes, there have been cost blowouts. Do voters really care?

Joe Spagnolo