WA news LIVE: WA regional towns to get $692 million to house police, nurses, teachers: Premier

WA Premier Roger Cook has used his keynote address at a Chamber of Minerals and Energy breakfast this morning to announce his vision for seven regional cities, including new regional housing incentives for teachers, police and nurses.

He said next week’s budget would include $692 million for regional housing, including $419 million to build an additional 500 government worker homes in towns like Broome, Port Hedland, Karratha, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury and Albany.

He told the room of Perth’s resources executives that the investment would encourage regional workforces to live locally.

Mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP and Hancock Prospecting are also expected to contribute a further $170 million to the vision, to help support economic growth in the regions.

Our politics reporter Hamish Hastie is at the breakfast event, and will bring you more details shortly.

Here’s what’s making news across the nation and around the world today:

• Australia’s fuel stockpile would be doubled under an $800 million Coalition proposal that comes as Foreign Minister Penny Wong flies to China, Japan and Korea to scour the region for diesel and petrol deals.
• Two-thirds of childcare workers have completed new mandatory child safety training as the government cracks down on the sector following a spate of abuse cases in centres around the country.
• Alleged Washington hotel shooter Cole Tomas Allen faces a maximum sentence of life in prison after he was charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States.