Category Archives: Western Australia

Documents reveal concerns over US company’s proposed gas fracking in WA’s Kimberley region

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Federal environment department says Black Mountain Energy has provided insufficient data as it seeks to drill 20 gas wells in part of world’s largest tropical savanna

The federal government has repeatedly raised concerns about an American company’s bid to frack for gas in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, part of the world’s largest and most intact tropical savanna.

Texas-based Black Mountain Energy, through its subsidiary Bennett Resources, is seeking federal approval to drill 20 gas wells for its Valhalla project west of Fitzroy Crossing.

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Man dies after shark attack off Western Australia coast near Albany

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Government department says man was in the water around Michaelmas Island, near Albany, when he was bitten by a suspected 4.5-metre shark

A male diver aged in his 30s has died after being bitten by a shark in Western Australia.

The state’s police force confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the 35-year-old man had died, after being treated by paramedics at the scene for more than two hours.

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Thousands without power in Perth as destructive storms hit WA

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Wind gusts up to 125km/h forecast to hit city as residents urged to stay away from windows

Intense storms are lashing the western coast of Australia with an unusually deep low pressure system packing powerful winds and heavy rain.

The extreme weather eventbrought wind gusts of up to 125 km/h to Perth and communities along Western Australia’s coast on Sunday afternoon.

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‘Significant’ storm to hammer millions in WA and bring icy weather to NSW, Victoria and SA

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Bureau of Meteorology says WA residents should brace for wind gusts higher than 125km/h – the strength of category two cyclones

A major storm system bearing down on millions of Western Australians on Saturday is bringing cyclone-strength winds, and is set to deliver a “wintry blast” to the east of the country early next week.

Residents across WA’s populated south-west were warned to tie down loose items and prepare for destructive wind gusts that could exceed 125km/h from Saturday evening.

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Romaine calm: live frog found in discount supermarket lettuce bag

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‘Look, if I was in a French supermarket, I probably would have got a two for one deal on that one,’ woman in WA told national TV

When a group of housemates in Western Australia bought a pair of lettuces in a sealed plastic bag – reduced for quick sale to $1.15 – they got two other things for which they could not have bargained. One was a live frog reckoned to be the size of a man’s palm. The other, a slot on national television.

But despite describing it as “the most random thing” they had encountered upon opening a packet of leafy greens from the supermarket, Laura Jones and Billie Le Pine fronted their interview on ABC news breakfast with a series or ready made one liners.

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‘Fiercely loyal, endlessly generous’ father named as victim of Rottnest Island shark attack

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Steven Mattaboni, 38, was a ‘one-of-a-kind gentleman’ and devoted parent to two young daughters, his wife Shirene says

A father of two young daughters, husband and avid fisher has been identified as the victim of a fatal shark attack at Rottnest Island in Western Australia.

Steven Mattaboni, 38, a surveyor from Perth, was in the water at Horseshoe Reef about 9.55am on Saturday when he was believed to have been bitten by a shark, police said.

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Mysterious disappearance of man on popular WA hiking track sparks police search

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Samuel Whitsed, 27, is believed to have travelled from Victoria to hike Bibbulmun Track near outskirts of Perth

Three months after a hiker was last seen at a popular walking track, police have become increasingly concerned for the missing man’s welfare.

Police have scoured dense bushland for a Victorian man after he disappeared from a popular hiking trail on the other side of the country.

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Australian author Craig Silvey pleads guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material

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Prosecutors drop two other charges against Jasper Jones author, 43, including allegations he produced child exploitation material

Award‑winning author Craig Silvey has pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material, while a charge that he produced such material has been dropped.

Silvey, 43, was first charged in January after detectives from Western Australia police’s child abuse squad raided his Fremantle home, allegedly catching him communicating online with child exploitation offenders and seizing his electronic devices.

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Indigenous woman dies weeks after giving birth and being evicted from public housing: ‘She was failed completely’

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Noongar woman Mary Ann Miller died of sepsis while homeless to avoid an allegedly abusive ex-partner

The family of an Aboriginal mother of seven who died just weeks after giving birth say the Western Australian government knew she was experiencing domestic violence and fearing for her safety weeks before her death.

Mary Ann Miller died of sepsis in Fiona Stanley hospital on 28 March, two weeks after giving birth to her son and after she was allegedly assaulted and had her nose broken by her former partner. Guardian Australia is not suggesting the alleged assault contributed to her death.

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Police blocked people connected to anti-immigration group from Perth dawn service after Anzac Day booing in eastern states

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Footage posted online shows police telling people they were being removed due to suspicion they would interrupt ceremony

Western Australian police say they proactively blocked 15 members of “issue motivated groups” from attending Anzac Day commemorations, following disruptions that marred earlier ceremonies in the eastern states.

One man was arrested at the Sydney dawn service at Martin Place, where there was a small but noisy interjection of booing during the Indigenous acknowledgment of country. Booing also marred ceremonies in Melbourne and Perth.

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Mouse plague hits WA grain farmers as numbers surge in SA: ‘You literally can’t get away from them’

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CSIRO researcher says there are reports of up to 4,000 mouse burrows per hectare in parts of Western Australia

Grain growers are on high alert as mouse numbers in Western Australia reach plague proportions and numbers surge in South Australia.

Steve Henry, who researches mice and their impact on the grain industry at CSIRO, says more than 800 mice per hectare is considered a plague.

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Former VFL footballer Barry Cable cleared of historic child sex abuse charges

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The 82-year-old was accused of abusing girls in the 1960s but was acquitted in Perth despite judge finding the alleged victim was probably telling the truth

The former champion footballer Barry Cable has been acquitted of a slew of historical child sexual abuse charges despite a judge finding the alleged victim was likely telling the truth.

The 82-year-old faced a judge-only criminal trial over allegations he abused a girl aged about eight or nine at his family home in the late 1960s.

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Gina Rinehart has been forced to share her riches. But will she fight on or end the family feud?

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A 15-year court battle costing millions of dollars ended in a partial defeat for the tycoon. Will she now bury the hatchet or double down and keep fighting her children and rivals?

Gina Rinehart does not like to lose.

Engaged in bitter legal battles for most of the past 35 years, Australia’s richest person has shown her propensity to fight tooth and nail to retain control of her family’s iron ore empire – and the riches that flow from it.

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Gina Rinehart’s son says he wants to be a ‘united family’ in olive branch to mother after court ruling

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John Hancock welcomes findings on ownership of mines and companies although judge says dispute should be determined in private arbitration

Gina Rinehart’s son has said he wants to reunite his family after a landmark court case left a long-running feud over ownership of mines and companies unresolved.

The Western Australian supreme court on Wednesday found Rinehart’s children were at one point set to inherit 49% of her company and said their ownership claims should be determined in separate proceedings.

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UK man jailed for sexually abusing nine-year-old step granddaughter has Australian visa reinstated by tribunal

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The man successfully appealed the automatic revocation of his permanent resident visa after being sentenced to 14 months in prison

An elderly UK man who served a prison sentence for sexually abusing his step granddaughter when she was nine years old has had his Australian visa reinstated by a tribunal because of his “strong ties to Australia”.

The man was sentenced to 14 months prison in the Western Australia district court in February 2024 for molesting the girl in the presence of another child.

In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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Perth man accused of attempted terror attack at Invasion Day rally to plead mental health defence

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Lawyers for Liam Alexander Hall say the 32-year-old is undergoing treatment in custody

Lawyers acting for Liam Alexander Hall, a 32-year-old man accused of attempting to bomb an Invasion Day rally in Perth, have foreshadowed a potential not guilty by insanity plea.

Hall was scheduled to appear before magistrate Matthew Walton via video link from Western Australia’s most secure psychiatric facility on Tuesday, but did not. Instead the case was adjourned until May.

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‘Entirely wiped out’ crops, buildings destroyed and weeks of recovery as cyclone damage assessed

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Critical Western Australia agriculture region counting cost of brutal cyclone as flooding risk persists for low-lying communities

An agricultural region that supplies about 60% of Western Australia’s fresh winter produce is assessing damage as authorities continue work on Sunday to restore power to a popular tourist town hit hard by Cyclone Narelle.

The food-bowl region near Carnarvon, about 900km north of Perth, provides 80% of of the state’s bananas. Meanwhile, flooding risk remains in the state’s low-lying communities.

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Ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle to intensify with Perth a possible target as storm makes rare crossing across continent

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Narelle weakens to a tropical low after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory

Communities in Australia’s far north were again on flood alert as ex-Tropical Cyclone Narelle continued its destructive westward journey on Monday, with forecasts suggesting the system could re-intensify and potentially threaten the Perth region this weekend.

Narelle had weakened to a tropical low system on Monday after bringing heavy rain to already-saturated parts of the Northern Territory over the weekend.

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WA police investigate flyers targeting LGBTIQ+ community distributed to homes

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The anonymous leaflets display pictures of LGBTIQ+ people along with accusations of crimes such as drug trafficking and paedophilia

Police in Western Australia are investigating flyers distributed to homes across Perth targeting members of the state’s LGBTIQ+ community.

The flyers, which are anonymous, display photographs of LGBTIQ+ people and falsely accuse them of crimes such as paedophilia.

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Author Craig Silvey facing more charges after being accused of producing child exploitation material

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Jasper Jones author also charged with additional count of possessing child exploitation material

Australian author Craig Silvey has been charged with more child exploitation offences.

The 43-year-old was previously charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material in early January.

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