As it happened: WA news on Monday, July 28

Star West Coast midfielder Harley Reid will likely be out for the rest of the season, with 9 News Melbourne reporter Tom Morris confirming he has low-level syndesmosis.

“Placed in cotton wool with four games remaining and a big contract call to make,” he said.

Reid suffered a painful ankle injury in the dying moments of his team’s 49-point western derby loss to Fremantle on Saturday.

The 20-year-old was helped off the field by two trainers before gingerly limping to the change rooms.

He has since undergone scans to determine the extent of the damage.

Low-level syndesmosis, sometimes referred to as a ‘high ankle sprain’, is a sprain or tear of the ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula bones just above the ankle joint.

We’re bringing our blog to a close for the day, thank you for joining us.

Here’s a recap of some of the day’s headlines:

• A 17-year-old boy is behind bars this morning charged with manslaughter after a woman was mowed down by a motorbike in Edgewater at the weekend.

• Western Australia’s four public universities could be consolidated into just two, with a committee announced to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the sector.

• Perth has had a wet night with 41 millimetres of rain falling in the CBD in the 24 hours to 9am this morning, while Swanbourne recorded the most across the metropolitan area with 54 millimetres.

• The Byford Rail Extension and remaining outer section of the Armadale Line will open for passenger services in October.

• The councillor behind a controversial City of South Perth Council decision to remove trees feared to block residents’ million-dollar Swan River Views has announced his resignation. Meanwhile, the trees in question may yet be saved with a motion in the wings to rescind last week’s decision from a council in increasing upheaval.

• Opposition leader Basil Zempilas says the state government should be embarrassed by a survey released today, which shows almost one third of WA’s public health system support workers plan to quit their jobs in the next 12 months.

• Star West Coast midfielder Harley Reid will likely be out for the rest of the season, with 9 News Melbourne reporter Tom Morris confirming he has low-level syndesmosis.

• A WA mining services company which counts Mineral Resources as a major shareholder has gone into voluntary administration.

Thank you again for tuning in. We’ll see you back here tomorrow for more news you need to know.

A WA mining services company which counts Mineral Resources as a major shareholder has gone into voluntary administration.

The Australian Securities Exchange suspended trading in shares of Resource Development Group – which counts Australian Garnet among its subsidiaries – on Monday after administrators from McGrathNicol were appointed.

McGrathNicol partners Jason Ireland, Rob Brauer and Linda Smith will oversee the company and its entities, which also includes manganese play Mn Battery Minerals, which aimed to produce the high-purity ingredients needed for electric vehicle battery manufacturing.

In a statement, McGrathNicol said it intended to continue “business as usual” while a sale or recapitalisation process was under way, including at Australian Garnet’s Lucky Bay operations.

“Lucky Bay is an important operation in WA’s mid-west which provides premium grade garnet to a range of international customers,” Ireland said.

“It will continue to operate as usual while we work to determine the long-term future of the facility.”

The administrators were in discussions with Mineral Resources regarding funding support, which Brauer said would “comfort and provide certainty to the continuation of operations and the position of employees”.

In a statement, Mineral Resources said it had reviewed its arrangements from RDG, which included a cash advance against existing loan arrangements, which the MinRes board determined not to provide.

Mineral Resources nominees on the RDG board were excluded from the review process and decision, the statement said. The company has offered to provide the administrators with funding up to the date of the second meeting of RDG creditors.

Ed Sheeran.

Last week we brought you the news that singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was kicking off his 2026 Australian tour in Perth.

Since then, due to an overwhelming demand by fans, the global star has added four new shows to the Loop Tour, including an extra one at Optus Stadium.

The Perth shows will now be on Saturday, 31 January and Sunday, February 1.

General public tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Police minister Reece Whitby says he wants to expand the types of e-ridables being reviewed by a parliamentary inquiry after a woman was struck and killed by a teenager on an e-dirt bike while walking in an Edgewater park at the weekend.

“This is such a very tragic incident, a lady going to a park on a Saturday afternoon should be safe, as anyone should be, to enjoy that park. This is an unacceptable and extremely tragic situation,” he said.

“I’m always mindful that we need to do as much as we can to keep West Australians safer and this is a challenging new environment when you have a range of e-bikes and e-ridables that are very powerful, sometimes they’re being illegally modified to be extremely fast, and this presents new dangers to the community.

“Whether a dirt bike is powered by battery or by petrol engine, you’re not supposed to ride through a park, you’re supposed to be licensed and legally able to be on that vehicle – the police are alleging that was not the case in this instance, and they’ve laid charges.

“I’ll be asking the parliamentary committee to expand their investigation of this matter.”

Star West Coast midfielder Harley Reid will likely be out for the rest of the season, with 9 News Melbourne reporter Tom Morris confirming he has low-level syndesmosis.

“Placed in cotton wool with four games remaining and a big contract call to make,” he said.

Reid suffered a painful ankle injury in the dying moments of his team’s 49-point western derby loss to Fremantle on Saturday.

The 20-year-old was helped off the field by two trainers before gingerly limping to the change rooms.

He has since undergone scans to determine the extent of the damage.

Low-level syndesmosis, sometimes referred to as a ‘high ankle sprain’, is a sprain or tear of the ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula bones just above the ankle joint.

Opposition leader Basil Zempilas says the state government should be embarrassed by a survey released today, which shows almost one third of WA’s public health system support workers plan to quit their jobs in the next 12 months.

Basil Zempilas.Credit: Jesinta Burton

The Health Services Union of WA asked more than 2000 workers, excluding doctors and nurses, about morale in an already strained sector.

Zempilas said the response had been damning.

“Without these people, the health system crumbles, it falls over, it fails,” he said.

“We know it’s on its knees as it is – if a third of staff are thinking of leaving their jobs, then just how bad is it for these people?”

The councillor behind a controversial City of South Perth Council decision to remove trees feared to block residents’ million-dollar Swan River Views has announced his resignation.

Councillor Nic Coveney wrote on his Facebook page that following the birth of his son in early June he had flagged his intention with the City to resign after the July council meeting.

“The early years of parenthood are fleeting, and I’ve chosen to step away to be truly present,” he wrote.

“Serving this community has been an extraordinary honour. I’ve cherished the opportunity to advocate for South Perth, collaborate with committed colleagues, and contribute to initiatives that leave a lasting impact.”

He listed “protecting iconic views” as among the things he was proud of the council achieving during his time on it, along with addressing congestion, hooning, activating precincts, foreshore revitalisation and supporting local sport.

Coveney was elected in 2023 and his term was to end in 2027. His resignation leaves both councillor positions in the Mill Point Ward empty.

The Albanese and Cook Labor governments have revealed the Byford Rail Extension and remaining outer section of the Armadale Line will open for passenger services in October.

The Byford extension is currently conducting testing and commissioning, as well as driver training and will commence service on Monday, October 13.

This will include a new station in Byford with 400 parking bays and a 46-minute journey to Perth, and a new elevated station in Armadale, which will have about 200 parking bays.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti thanked the community for their patience during the construction and touted the line’s legacy value, saying it will make Perth more connected.

“This transformative infrastructure project will benefit future generations, unlock new opportunities for development and make more of Perth accessible by public transport,” she said.

The outer section of the Armadale line was supposed to open in June, but has been plagued by delays, causing commuter pain for thousands of West Australians.

Rail replacement bus services will continue until the entire Armadale line has reopened.

Perth has had a wet night with 41 millimetres of rain falling in the CBD in the 24 hours to 9am this morning, while Swanbourne recorded the most across the metropolitan area with 54 millimetres.

Several weather warnings remain in place today, mostly in the state’s southern region.

A gale wind warning is in place for the Leeuwin, Albany and Esperance coasts.

A strong wind warning is in place for Perth’s coastline, along with the Bunbury, Eucla, Lancelin, Geraldton, Ningaloo and Pilbara coasts.

Sheep farmers in the South West, Great Southern and the Wheatbelt are being warned that cold temperatures, showers and winds are expected to continue into today and tomorrow, with a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to the conditions.

Perth personalities came out in force on Saturday night for the red-carpet premiere of Beauty and the Beast at Crown Theatre, marking the final opening for the national tour attended so far by 1.2 million Australians.

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