As it happened: WA news on Wednesday, April 2

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

Here’s a recap of some of the headlines we covered today:

• A pedestrian has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a car which came off the road and slammed into a building.

• Inspired Homes has become the latest WA home builder to collapse, with the company calling in administrators yesterday.

• Embattled miner Mineral Resources and its managing director Chris Ellison have vowed to vigorously defend a class action over an offshore tax scandal that is now the subject of a probe by the corporate watchdog.

• A tow truck driver allegedly speeding through a school zone to get to a job has had the tables turned on him, with his truck ending up on the back of a larger tow truck after police confiscated it.

• The family of WA football legend Andrew Krakouer, who passed away on Sunday of a suspected heart attack, are now rallying behind his partner and four daughters in the wake of his sudden passing.

• New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing Perth’s building approvals in the February quarter of 2025 were just shy of 5000.
• Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle has just clashed with 6PR’s Oliver Peterson about an electronic billboard ad that’s appeared in her city opposing the $34 million children’s hospice being built on bushland in Swanbourne.

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

The arrivals gate at Perth Airport will be worn out by the end of this election campaign by political leaders flying in and out of the state.

After Anthony Albanese’s flying visit earlier this week Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has rolled into town this afternoon for a 24-hour visit to launch his Pearce candidate Jan Norberger’s campaign this evening.

Dutton flew in from Melbourne this afternoon.

On the ground in WA today, Labor’s Veterans Affairs and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh fronted a press conference attacking the Liberals’ plan to cut 41,000 public servants if elected.

To local politics now and Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle has just clashed with 6PR’s Oliver Peterson about an electronic billboard ad that’s appeared in her city opposing the $34 million children’s hospice being built on bushland in Swanbourne.

The city has been staunch in its opposition of the hospice, known as Boodja Mia, for being built on formerly A-class bushland but has been labelled “idiotic” by the Perth Children’s Hospital top brass for trying to stand in the way of such an important facility.

Peterson and Argyle clashed over the city’s decision to run the billboard ad with a cranky looking girl next to a caption: “Class A reserves are for future generations – HANDS OFF.”

Take a listen here:

More good news for WA’s beleaguered housing industry with new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing Perth’s building approvals in the February quarter of 2025 were just shy of 5000.

That’s up one per cent from the previous strong quarter and well above the five-year average of 4,136.

KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley said while building approvals are trending upwards, they are still lower than we would want them to be at a time when housing is a pivotal issue.

“These latest figures paint an optimistic picture as developers begin to gain confidence in realising both greenfield and apartment projects,” he said.

“Perth’s market continues to experience a boom, driven by a strong local economy and reliance on detached housing, avoiding some of the severe cost pressures seen in the apartment market on the eastern coast.”

The family of WA football legend Andrew Krakouer, who passed away on Sunday of a suspected heart attack, are now rallying behind his partner and four daughters in the wake of his sudden passing.

Krakouer, 42, leaves behind four children, aged 6, 10, 24 and 25.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to support Krakouer’s family.

“Andrew was compassionate, kind, unselfish and wanted the best in life for his family and his people,” his sister wrote.

“In addition to their grief, Andrew’s family are left with unexpected financial challenges due to his sudden passing.

“We would greatly appreciate any donations, no matter how small, to help Andrew’s children who now live with the pain of their father’s death.

“All proceeds will go to Andrew’s immediate family to help them through this tragic time.”

Police have released vision of an e-scooter rider in Broome crashing into an oncoming ute.

The footage, taken in September last year, shows a 39-year-old man crossing a road before falling off his scooter where the ground became uneven and falling into the car.

He was drunk and not wearing a helmet at the time. He suffered serious head injuries but has since recovered.

Last week he was fined $2500 and disqualified from driving for 17 months over the incident.

A truck fire is causing traffic chaos on the Kwinana Freeway northbound this afternoon.

The blaze has forced authorities to close both lanes, forcing motorists to seek an alternative route.

A tow truck driver allegedly speeding through a school zone to get to a job has had the tables turned on him, with his truck ending up on the back of a larger tow truck after police confiscated it.

The 38-year-old Dianella man was allegedly clocked doing 97km/h in a 40km/h school zone on Loftus Street in Leederville on Monday morning.

The tow truck being towed away. Credit: WA Police

He has since been charged with one count of reckless driving exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h in a confiscation zone.

He will appear in court at a later date.

Embattled miner Mineral Resources and its managing director Chris Ellison have vowed to vigorously defend a class action over an offshore tax scandal that is now the subject of a probe by the corporate watchdog.

In an announcement to the market this morning, the iron ore miner confirmed it had been served with a class action filed in the Victorian Supreme Court on Monday tied to revelations Ellison and four other executives had profited from an alleged offshore tax scheme that ran for a decade.

“MinRes intends to strongly defend the matter and will update the market in accordance with its continuous disclosure obligations,” the statement read.

According to the Australian Financial Review, the claim was filed on behalf of the self-managed superannuation fund of two shareholders who claim the company engaged in misleading conduct and failed to disclose material information which ultimately cost investors.

The company’s share price has been in freefall, plummeting more than 67 per cent in the past year amid on the back of falling lithium prices, debt woes and the uncertainty created by the governance scandal.

The Osborne Park-headquartered miner embarked on a governance overhaul in November after the AFR exposed the 2003 scheme, which involved using the entities to acquire mining equipment and parts to import and on-sell in Australia.

The board found two further payments were made by MinRes after the $6.6 billion diversified mining services company’s initial public offering in 2006 to extinguish the liability.

The revenue generated by the overseas entities benefiting was not disclosed to the Australian Taxation Office until 2021 when Ellison made a voluntary disclosure.

A board-ordered probe concluded Ellison used company resources for personal gain, from rent paid to entities in which he had an interest, staff directed to work on his personal property — including his boat — and relief afforded to entities tied to his daughter Kristy-Lee Craker.

Ellison, who remains the largest shareholder with an 11.5 per cent stake in the $4.6 billion company, has paid a $3.8 million penalty and is set to forfeit up to $9.6 million in bonuses and donate $5 million to charity before stepping down within the next 12 months.

Shares were down 1.89 per cent following the announcement to trade at $23.33.

WA Police are sporting a new patrol car that has heads turning - a $100,000 Maserati Quattroporte.

The vehicle was confiscated from a repeat offender after police saw the luxury car failing to give way in Fremantle last year. Further investigations revealed the driver was required to have an interlock breathalyser system installed in the vehicle, which he didn’t.

Now the car has a new purpose, driving around Perth bubble-wrapped with police road safety messages about the consequences of speeding and drink-driving and the number plate ‘forfeited’.

And while police announced the news of their newly acquired vehicle on April 1, the forfeiture was no joke, with top traffic cop Mike Bell arriving to an ABC Perth Radio interview in the car this morning.

“As a police officer, I never thought I’d be driving a Maserati, but here I am,” he said.

“I thought it was an opportunity to highlight to people that losing your vehicle is a thing, it is possible … we’ll be using it to really push the road safety message.”

Last year WA Police seized 8,883 vehicles, mainly for licensing issues, or hooning.