As it happened: WA news on Tuesday, July 22

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

Here’s what made headlines today:

• Eagles young gun Harley Reid is reportedly chasing the biggest contract deal in AFL history, worth more than $20 million.

• A Duncraig man is accused of threatening a police officer involved in the roll-out of WA’s tough gun compliance laws.

• Nova 93.7’s dominance of Perth breakfast radio has taken a hit, with the latest ratings survey showing listeners are increasingly switching the dial to Triple M.

• The state government has announced a $150,000 grant for the Shire of Gingin as the cash-poor council struggles to deal with the rapid, unexpected erosion of its Lancelin coastline.

• A WA man has just been jailed for a Bunnings ‘fart prank’ gone terribly wrong.
• The latest report from the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services has been released into conditions at Hakea Prison, which it states remain “entirely unacceptable”.

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

Perth music lovers often lament the city is the last stop – if it’s even a stop at all – on tour for major acts when they visit Australia.

But fans of British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran will have plenty to smile about today with the revelation the pop star is launching the Australian leg of his Loop Tour in Perth on January 31, 2026.

Ed Sheeran during his last visit to Australia in 2023.Credit: Rick Clifford

Sheeran, the crooner behind hits such as Shape of You and Sapphire, will take to Optus Stadium for the first time since 2023’s Mathematics tour before kicking on to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The live show will also follow the release of his upcoming album Play, which is due out on September 12.

Sheeran fans (Sheeries? Eddies?) can get their hands on pre-sale tickets from Friday, while general public tickets go on sale next Tuesday.

In yesterday’s blog we brought you the news that a growing number of inmates were sleeping on mattresses on the floor due to overcrowding in WA prisons.

Today, the latest report from the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services has been released into conditions at Hakea Prison, which it states remain “entirely unacceptable”.

Hakea Prison.Credit: Fairfax

“Following our May 2024 inspection of Hakea, I was so concerned about conditions throughout the prison that I issued the Director General of the Department of Justice with a Show Cause Notice,” the report reads.

“Although conditions have improved slightly, they remain entirely unacceptable.

“Men at Hakea are still being held in conditions that do not meet the basic level of decent treatment required under national and international human rights and standards.

“The problem is much bigger than Hakea. The conditions we are seeing in Hakea are symptomatic of a bigger problem that is impacting every prison in Western Australia.”

Opposition Corrective Services Minister Adam Hort said the report was a “damning indictment on this government and their priorities”.

“This is a prison system in crisis – they’re not my words, they’re the words from the independent watchdog,” he told journalists at a press conference this afternoon.

“We have some prison cells that were built for one person now with three, and we’re now hearing reports of occasionally four people in those prison cells, people sleeping on mattresses on the floor.”

Hort said the report had “important recommendations” that needed to be implemented immediately to improve standards, including having access to showers and clean clothes.

The state government has just announced “key milestones” have been reached in their multimillion-dollar plan to upgrade Pilbara ports.

A 1-kilometre causeway that will connect two new wharfs to an “extensive logistics hub” has been completed at the Lumsden Point project in Port Hedland.

A further four agreements have also been signed, which will allocate reclaimed land within the logistics hub to the Kimberley Marine Support Base, Qube and Toll (for stevedoring and material handling operations) and the Australian Renewable Energy Hub, which has plans to utilise the land to support its nearby renewables project.

To meet water needs, Pilbara Ports has also awarded a contract to Digga Civil to construct 2.4 kilometres of new water mains, to connect Lumsden Point to the water supply network in the Wedgefield Industrial Area.

The state government has committed almost $100 million to the development of Lumsden Point, adding to $450 million in Commonwealth funding.

A further $115 million Commonwealth funding will go towards upgrading other port facilities in the Pilbara.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said Lumsden Point would unlock significant economic opportunities for the Pilbara, including in battery metals exports and renewable energy.

To the courts now and a WA man has just been jailed for a Bunnings ‘fart prank’ gone terribly wrong.

Paul Andrew Hart, 52, claims he accidentally unleashed a hot chilli spray dubbed ‘Satan’s Spit’ into a crowd of shoppers at the hardware’s Northam store on Anzac Day last year.

He said he intended to “lighten the mood” by releasing a fart spray, but accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle.

The incident injured 15 people, 11 of whom required hospital treatment and were subjected to ‘humiliating’ decontamination showers.

Rebecca Peppiatt just filed this report from the courtroom.

The state government has announced a $150,000 grant for the Shire of Gingin as the cash-poor council struggles to deal with the rapid, unexpected erosion of its Lancelin coastline.

The popular coastal town has lost 25 metres of coast in the past five years, with the Lancelin lookout boardwalk beginning to fall into the sea.

It’s predicted that most of the buildings in the town will be at high risk of flooding in 50 years’ time.

Treasurer Rita Saffioti, this morning, confirmed mapping of the coastline had failed to realise the extent of the problem.

“There was some mapping of the hazards undertaken, but it’s clear that the current erosion far exceeds what was mapped,” she said.

“So that’s why we’ve found an extra $150,000 to support them, in particular in the short term, to sand nourish to support the protection of that coastline.

“But it’s clear we need to go back and work with the council in relation to that mapping to see what other long-term initiatives need to be put in place.”

Xav & Katie.

Nova 93.7’s dominance of Perth breakfast radio has taken a hit, with the latest ratings survey showing listeners are increasingly switching the dial to Triple M.

Nathan, Nat & Shaun have long held the position of the number one breakfast show, but in a recent GFK survey released today, the show lost four per cent of the audience share, dropping to 15.5 per cent, while Triple M’s Xav & Katie jumped from 10 per cent to 13.4 per cent.

The most popular radio station overall remains 96FM, although the station copped a loss, dropping two per cent of the audience share.

A Duncraig man is accused of threatening a police officer involved in the roll-out of WA’s tough gun compliance laws.

The 36-year-old allegedly threatened the officer back in September while on the phone.

A search warrant issued at the man’s home that same month allegedly recovered two rifle barrels that were not licensed.

He has since been charged with create false apprehension as to the existence of threats or danger, and possessing an unlicensed firearm.

He is due to appear in Perth Magistrate’s Court today.

WA’s new gun laws came into force in March, with new restrictions on ownership and mandatory training and mental health assessments.

An associated gun buy-back scheme is still available, with the state government apologising in March for the inconvenience and confusion the reforms had caused.

Parts of Perth were shrouded in fog this morning, with the top of the CBD’s skyline hidden by a blanket of clouds.

The conditions should clear throughout the morning as the sun rises, but drivers are being warned of reduced visibility on the roads.

The fog beginning to lift as the sun rose.Credit: 9 News Perth

Eagles young gun Harley Reid is reportedly chasing the biggest contract deal in AFL history, worth more than $20 million.

Footy Classified journalist Cal Twomey said the 20-year-old has had contract offers from the Eagles in front of him since April.

“In recent weeks his management have sent counter-offers to the Eagles, and part of that … includes a mammoth offer that would be a two-year extension, plus an extension on top of that of another nine years, so an 11-year arrangement,” he said.

“This is groundbreaking really ... it would take him through to the end of 2037.

“The Eagles are still weighing this up and going through their own negotiation process and clubs are continuing to hunt him in Victoria. I think Hawthorn are near on obsessed with Harley Reid and getting him to the club and are willing to go to eight to 10 years at $1.7m, $1.8m [per season] to get him across the line.”

Reid is contracted to West Coast until the end of next season.