Two West Australians dead in light plane crash
Two West Australian men are dead after a light plane crashed into a paddock in regional NSW.
The men had travelled from WA to Scone, in NSW’s Upper Hunter region, to purchase a light plane.
They were on their first flight when it crashed into a paddock shortly after take-off, just before 11am WST.
Both the pilot and passenger died on impact.
Premier backs in under-siege Minister
WA Premier Roger Cook has backed in Attorney General and Higher Education Minister Tony Buti after a bumpy week in Parliament over two separate issues in separate portfolios.
Buti faced significant heat from the opposition and media this week to direct the coroner to conduct an inquest into the murders of the Hawke children in Port Hedland in 2023 while at the same time he was fending off criticism from the university sector for entertaining the idea of a three-way university merger between Murdoch, Curtin and UWA.
These separate issues culminated in a press conference outside Parliament on Thursday where Buti announced he had received enough fresh evidence to overturn a previous coronial decision to reject a Hawke children inquest.
Buti also dropped a bombshell that he would seek a more than $160,000 refund from Deloitte for its 2025 report recommending the university merger because it was riddled with citation errors created by AI use.
WA nominees for Australian of the Year announced
The nominees for the 2027 Australian of the Year awards have been announced, and 16 West Australians have made the shortlist.
There is a total of 131 nominees from across the country, and National Australia Day Council chief executive Carrie Leeson said the nominees for WA were all “exceptional”.
“The nominees for Western Australia are improving the world we live in today and for the future, whether it is through their grassroots community contributions or their groundbreaking innovations and research,” said Ms Leeson.
According to the organisation, nominees include Lifeline’s longest serving volunteer, an architect helping the homeless and a musician working as a mentor.
Drop in whale numbers off WA coast “concerning”
A West Australian research organisation says it has been a “concerning” whale season off the coast this year.
Geographe Marine Research is a not-for-profit that frequently holds whale censuses to get a better understanding of how many are traversing the WA coast.
A census day in June this year found there were 23 humpbacks – including one neonate – and one southern right whale. This was significantly down from the year prior, which located 69 humpbacks over a similar time period.
At the time, researchers said the low numbers could mean the whales were undergoing a change to their migration pattern.
Matilda Bay ferry protest to go ahead
A continued campaign to shut down plans to set up at a ferry terminal location at Matilda Bay will hold a rally this coming weekend.
The state government could approve a construction tender for the terminal next week, which is being set up as part of the $107 million Swan Ferry Service Expansion project.
The Matilda Bay site has been particularly controversial given the impact it would have on users of the bay, and environmental advocates and locals have called on the government to release documents related to its construction.
Politicians Kate Chaney, Brad Pettitt, Steve Martin and Jonathon Huston will attend the rally on Sunday, joining others from the Save Matilda Bay group.
Child abuse probe uncovers hidden camera in WA woman’s room
A tip-off from US authorities that sparked an investigation into online child abuse offences has allegedly uncovered a concealed camera in a WA home that was used to capture a woman undressing.
Australian Federal Police were alerted to a WA man via a tip-off from the United States National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, with a search warrant executed at the man’s home in Perth’s south-east earlier this year allegedly uncovering child abuse material.
However, the same forensic examination of the man’s phone also allegedly revealed images of a woman undressing in a bedroom, which police claimed were recorded using a hidden camera set up with a motion sensor.
The 46-year-old man appeared in Perth Magistrates Court earlier this year charged with using a surveillance device to record a private activity, and possessing and transmitting child abuse material.
He was granted bail and was due to reappear in the same court today.
AFP Detective Acting Inspector Dave Blockley said what began as an investigation into alleged online child exploitation offending led officers to uncover more alleged criminal conduct through detailed digital forensic analysis.
“Everyone has a right to privacy and the AFP will take action on allegations that technology has been used to secretly record private activities if we find it in our investigations,” he said.
Man who allegedly murdered his twin unable to attend court: psychiatrist
A man charged with the murder of his twin brother has been unable to appear in court today “in any capacity” due to being so unwell.
Ashley Bruno Grillo, 29, was arrested last Friday after the body of his twin was found in the backyard of a Perth property.
Police, homicide detectives and forensics officers were called to the property on Nye Way in Orelia, south of Perth, at 2.20pm the day before.
Police said a family member called and asked them to conduct a welfare check at the home, and when officers attended, a 29-year-old man’s body was found in the backyard with “visible” injuries.
Revealed: WA’s worst areas for animal cruelty
RSPCA investigations into cruelty to animals in WA have jumped by almost one-quarter over the past five years, the animal welfare organisation has revealed.
And the City of Swan is the Perth local government area with the most cruelty reports, new data from RSPCA WA shows, with 746 over the 2025-26 financial year.
The City of Wanneroo was again second-highest on the list of “cruelty hotspots” with 572 reports, and the City of Stirling recorded 417 reports, a 25 per cent increase on previous years.
The suburbs with the most reports were Armadale (146), Baldivis (129), Gosnells (118), and Ellenbrook (107).
Trans Australian Railway upgrades to begin this weekend
Work will begin this weekend on upgrades to the Trans Australian Railway between Kalgoorlie and Zanthus.
The upgrades will include replacing old culverts and sections of track to improve the resilience of the line following multiple extended closures in recent years due to flood damage.
Culverts will be replaced at three locations in Western Australia.
Earlier this year the line was shut due to heavy flooding that washed sections of the track away in the South Australian outback.
WA Health director general retires
WA Health’s director general Dr Shirley Bowen has announced her retirement after four decades in medicine and almost three years as the head of the state’s biggest public sector agency.
Bowen began in the role leading the Department of Health in May 2024, and will officially call time on her career on February 26 next year.
Prior to that, she was chief executive of the North Metropolitan Health Service, chief executive of St John of God Subiaco, chief health officer of the Australian Capital Territory, the executive director of Fremantle Hospital, and was the dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat paid tribute to Bowen’s “outstanding leadership”.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
