Politics
Western Australia
Updated
Voice to parliament
‘Disappointed by landslide’: WA follows emphatic national no vote
WA’s no vote was trending toward 60 per cent an hour after counting began.
- by Hamish Hastie and Jesinta Burton
Latest
Polls haven’t closed in WA but the dread has already set in
By 5.30pm about 30 volunteers had trickling into the Rechabite Hall in Northbridge where they were greeted with an enormous screen streaming the ABC news feed displaying the torrent of No votes nationwide.
- by Hamish Hastie
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
WA taxpayers cough up $187,000 to get rid of thousands of bottles of expired hand sanitiser
WA’s health department has awarded a contract to dispose of more than 130,000 bottles of expired hand sanitiser left over from a pandemic spending spree.
- by Hamish Hastie
The construction boom has eased, so why are Perth new builds still so expensive?
“There’s a dramatic decline in the number of building approvals, so if that’s the case you would think that builders would have to get more competitive, but unfortunately ... that hasn’t really [made] an impact.”
- by Hamish Hastie
Seven staff were working when teen was allegedly raped at PCH. But only three locked themselves away
Court documents revealed the male patient allegedly spent 30 minutes crawling along the floor behind chairs he had set up in the ward earlier to avoid CCTV as he made his way to the girl’s room.
- by Hamish Hastie
Put a line in the sand: The plan to stop Perth sprawling to ‘North Bunbury’
The WA Greens have revived the debate over Perth’s sprawl, joining with developers, planners and universities to call for a rethink of the city’s urban planning.
- by Michael Genovese and Hamish Hastie
Alleged PCH teen rapist ‘crawled behind chairs to avoid CCTV’
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said police prepared a brief of evidence for the Director of Public Prosecutions and charged the boy, but revealed the victim’s family did not want to proceed.
- by Hamish Hastie
‘She was failed’: Mental health patient raped at Perth Children’s Hospital
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said staff did not follow protocols and revealed disciplinary action had been taken against four PCH staff for their “inexplicable” decisions.
- by Hamish Hastie
Exclusive
Hospitals
Fiona Stanley, Freo hospitals lack the patients for Murdoch medihotel
WAtoday can reveal the government took Aegis’ estimate that the south metro area needed 80 beds, but neither party consulted feeder hospitals about their needs.
- by Hamish Hastie
WA to end commercial logging of native forests
Western Australia has joined Victoria in banning commercial logging of native forests from next year.
- by Kathryn Magann
‘You’ve known about staffing problems’: Disability royal commission lashes Banksia Hill excuses
Then-premier Mark McGowan took a hardline stance against detainees involved in riots at the facility. A scathing assessment in a royal commission report will increase pressure for a softer approach.
- by Hamish Hastie