As it happened: WA news on Wednesday, September 4

Good afternoon readers, and thanks for joining us today.

We leave you with the words of mining and pastoral Labor MP Kyle McGinn, who has blamed his political career being cut short on factional power-plays.

Maritime Union-aligned McGinn had nominated to run for Labor in the newly created federal seat of Bullwinkel but WAtoday revealed on Monday he was pipped by Shire of Mundaring councillor Trish Cook, who had support from the party’s federal executive.

And in our 10.10am post, we reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese capped off his final day in WA by making the announcement officially.

Upper House Labor MP Kyle McGinn.Credit: WA Parliament

Before these machinations, McGinn had also missed out on a winnable spot on the Labor 2025 upper house election ticket, effectively spelling an end to the 36-year-old’s political career when his term ends next May.

He took to Facebook on Wednesday to lament factional politics within his own party and say he was proud of what he had achieved as an “accidental politician”:

Whilst I feel I have given 100 per cent in being a member of parliament, I haven’t been able to walk the factional tightrope with party politics which led me to not securing a winnable position on the ticket.

While I am disappointed with the manoeuvres that resulted in this outcome I will not let it distract me from doing my job for the people in my region and making sure their voices continue to be heard.

As a young bloke from Humpty Doo who didn’t graduate high school and went away to sea as a teenager – MUA here to stay – I always felt a bit like an accidental pollie and as such, I never took my position for granted.

Perth’s tallest tower, Central Park – home to Rio Tinto, WeWork, Grant Thornton and the Australian Energy Market Operator – today declared its $66 million facelift complete.

The three-year upgrade replaced more than 7700 insulated panels that will reduce energy consumption. Lighting has also been incorporated to draw attention to the building’s structure.

The new panels were all fabricated here in WA.

The new-look Central Park.

More than 260,000 kilograms of the former panels were recycled, with an estimated recovery rate nearing 100 per cent.

More than 265 tonnes of steel were recycled to wrought products and will be used for manufacturing.

Chris Oates, managing director of Duratec which undertook the project, said a facade transformation of this scale was virtually unprecedented in Australia.

“While Duratec is exceedingly proud of the end result, we would also like to acknowledge the dedicated crew who worked together, under exceptional leadership, to rejuvenate this iconic Perth landmark, which is destined to light up the CBD for many years to come,” he said.

Central Park is jointly owned by the Singapore-listed Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust and Perron Group.

Here’s one more pic for you:

The new-look Central Park tower.

Albany businesses will have greater freedom in retail trading hours then their metro counterparts under new rules taking effect in February.

Commerce Minister Sue Ellery approved the council’s extension request this week.

General shops will be allowed to open 8am-9pm weekdays, 8am-5pm Saturdays and 10am-5pm Sundays/public holidays, excluding Christmas Day and Good Friday.

They will also be able to open on ANZAC Day from 12pm-5pm.

Currently, the hours are 8am-6pm on weekdays (until nine on Thursdays) and 8am-5pm Saturdays, with no Sundays or public holiday trading.

The new rules will mean the regional hub can have an extra hour of retail trade on Sundays and public holidays compared to Perth.

Ellery said:

These new retail trading hours are a testament to our commitment to supporting local business and enhancing the city’s appeal with visitors. We are excited to see the positive impact they will have.

Opposition leader Shane Love welcomed the decision but said the hours needed to be extended for Perth:

Those in the metropolitan region are still stuck with outdated restrictions. It’s absurd that Perth consumers can shop online with multinational companies like Amazon and eBay 24 hours a day, yet they remain shut out from supporting small retailers in their local communities until almost lunchtime on a Sunday.

A man has been charged after allegedly driving a car containing two young children on the wrong side of a major road, causing a multi-car crash, then trying to evade police by hiding in a bin.

Air Wing Police were monitoring last night as he allegedly drove a grey Holden Commodore stolen from Coodanup, through Greenfields to Mandurah, where he allegedly crossed to the wrong side of Mandurah Road, causing a multi-vehicle collision, though luckily no-one was injured.

The scene on Mandurah Road. Credit: WA Police

He then allegedly drove through Dudley Park and stopped outside a Coodanup home, where he and his four passengers – two females and two children under six – got out.

One of the females allegedly got back in and tried to drive away, but police stopped and arrested her.

They then allegedly found the man hiding in a bin outside a home on Tankerton Drive.

They’ve charged the 30-year-old with 12 offences, including stealing a motor vehicle, driving recklessly, burglary and commit and aggravated failing to stop.

He is due to appear at Perth Magistrates Court today.

A 32-year-old Coodanup woman was also charged with two counts of stealing a motor vehicle and is due to appear in Mandurah Magistrates Court on Friday, September 27.

The second female and two children were located at the home on Tankerton Drive and the female was not charged.

Inquiries continue.

A WA business has come forward to warn others after realising they had been targeted in a sophisticated scam that used their name to trick customers into transferring money.

The scam, which hit Granny Flats WA, was revealed on 6PR’s Perth Live program yesterday.

Owner and managing director Mike Nicholls told host Oliver Peterson he’d started receiving calls from people claiming they were customers, confirming they would be transferring him $20,000.

He quickly realised what was going on and contacted people back to warn them.

“They’ve sent me invoices with my Granny Flats WA letterhead on it, with my name on it, with my address, my work telephone number, but a different email address and different mobile number,” he said.

“Looking down the bottom of the invoice, there is a completely different bank account.”

He said he had contacted police, who told him nothing could be done because he had stepped in and stopped the transfer of money, so there was no victim.

Listen to the full interview here:

It’s just a week since the government issued a fresh warning about romance and dating scams as new data came out showing West Australians are on track to be conned out of more than $4 million this year.

People who have been targeted by scams can lodge a report at scamnet.wa.gov.au or call 1300 30 40 54.

Warning: This entry carries the name of a deceased Indigenous person.

A man has died at Hakea Prison in Perth’s south-east, becoming the second person to die in custody in WA in less than a week.

The man was found unconscious in his cell at the Canning Vale prison around 5.40pm Monday.

A Department of Justice spokesperson said staff provided first aid until paramedics arrived and took him to Fiona Stanley Hospital, but could not revive him.

A report will be prepared for the coroner as is mandatory for deaths in custody, but the death has been deemed not suspicious.

This terminology is generally understood to relate to a self-harm incident.

Hakea Prison houses men who have been remanded in custody and are waiting to appear in court, as well as convicted prisoners.

The incident follows the death of a 17-year-old boy at the state’s controversial Banksia Hill Detention Centre last Thursday evening.

That teenager became the second juvenile to take their own life in state custody in the past 12 months after Cleveland Dodd’s death in October 2023.

The death has ramped up pressure on the state government over the system it claims it is trying to overhaul after years of criticism over staffing issues and the use of solitary confinement.

While visiting Perth this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the death warranted a thorough investigation, but he declined to interfere in WA’s state-run custodial system.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 13YARN (13 92 76). In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese capped off his final day in Western Australia in the new seat of Bullwinkel in Perth’s hills to make a formal announcement of Labor’s candidate for the next election: Mundaring councillor Trish Cook.

Speaking at Darlington Oval, Albanese talked up Cook’s roots in the sprawling semi-rural area east of the city and her career as a nurse who has also worked in WA’s oil and gas sector.

Cook and Albanese brave the Perth Hills wind-chill this morning. Credit: Hamish Hastie

“There’s nothing that says WA more than a nurse who worked on an oil rig,” he said.

Bullwinkel captures large Wheatbelt towns like Beverley and York, and Labor’s decision to phase out the live export sheep trade has formed a key pillar of both the Nationals and Liberals election campaigns, with both parties promising to reverse the ban.

But Albanese doubled down on his government’s decision.

“We said in 2019 and repeated in 2022 that we’ve set a timetable. We had a review, we’ve set that timetable,” he said.

“This is an industry that’s worth $80 million in exports a year. The money we have on the table is at least $107 million for adjustment; we want communities to be looked after.

“Compare $80 million for live exports with $4 billion, which is what the sheep-meat export industry is worth. I think that indicates where the industry needs to go.”

Trish Cook said farmers should be supported through the transition phase.

WAtoday revealed on Monday that the federal Labor executive had chosen Cook.

Cook’s preselection has left the only other nominee – state Labor upper house MP Kyle McGinn – facing the prospect of exiting politics next year after he also missed out on a winnable spot on the Labor 2025 election ticket.

A Labor source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the federal Labor executive intervened in the preselection process to accelerate it, so Albanese could make the announcement during his Perth visit.

The cost of building a home is through the roof, but one man has allegedly made things even harder financially for some new owners, charged with breaking into homes under construction and stealing numerous appliances in Perth’s north.

Joondalup Detectives recently initiated an operation due to a number of burglary and stealing offences that occurred at homes under construction within land development areas.

Following an investigation, they charged a 37-year-old man over incidents that occurred in Clarkson, Alkimos and Yanchep.

Between July 30 and August 26, it will be alleged the man entered under construction homes and stole numerous home appliances.

On August 27, police executed a search warrant at an address in Clarkson, and allegedly located an amount of methylamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

It will also be alleged the man was captured driving on seven occasions despite having no licence.

He has been charged with a string of offences including five burglary with intent charges, four charges of burglary and commit and possessing stolen property.

He’s due to next appear before the Joondalup Magistrates Court today.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online via crimestopperswa.com.au.

Bringing you an update from our blog yesterday, when we revealed that wait times for an ambulance were climbing, with St John’s standby capacity at 0 per cent on Monday and Tuesday.

9 News Perth has since reported that paramedics are being offered triple time pay to cope with the demand.

Experts say it is WA’s stretched health system to blame. Watch more below.

A man has died in hospital following a motorcycle crash and a teenager has died in a separate fatal car crash, making for a horror night on WA roads.

In Henderson, around 10.50pm, a silver Mitsubishi 380 sedan was travelling north on Rockingham Road, when near the intersection of Russell Road, the vehicle left the road and struck several trees.

The 18-year-old man driving was thrown from the vehicle and landed on the roadway, where he was subsequently hit by another vehicle as it stopped to help.

He sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.

In Myalup, a 64-year-old man was riding a black and orange Harley Davidson motorcycle south on Forrest Highway around 7.30pm.

Near the intersection of Riverdale Road, the motorcycle left the road and crashed. He sustained critical injuries and was airlifted to Bunbury Hospital where he died a short time later.

Major Crash officers are urging anyone with dash-cam footage of the crashes to come forward to police.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by a road crash, contact Road Trauma Support WA on 1300 004 814.