As it happened April 14 2025: WA deserves decision on Woodside, not awkward air kisses: Cash

Thank you for joining us. This is what made news today.

We brought you the news that two brothers working as security at a Scarborough bar accused of assaulting a man – and stealing a phone off a woman who was filming it – have walked out of court today after being granted bail.

Lookout bouncers Enver Ibrahimovic and Nezir Ibrahimovic leaving Perth Magistrates Court after being granted bail. Credit: Rebecca Peppiatt

Enver Ibrahimovic, 37 and Nezir Ibrahimovic, 32, were arrested on Sunday after an alleged altercation at the Lookout Bar just after 8.15pm. You can see the horrific video of the incident here. 

Sports writer Paddy Sweeney’s analysis of the brilliant Dockers after their big win against Richmond, with the sobering news that the current Eagles team was not up to AFL standards.

And of course there was plenty of news around from the world of politics as the federal election looms.

We have the exclusive that voters have lifted Labor to a powerful pre-election lead of 53.5 per cent in two-party terms amid signs that some have turned away from the Coalition out of concern at the impact of US President Donald Trump on Australia.

And if you missed this analysis of the most fascinating political battles going on in WA, make sure you read this one. 

Have a great evening.

After watching two of her closest friends get diagnosed and go through extensive treatment for breast cancer, Greer Parry became determined to raise awareness and prompt other women to get regular, possibly lifesaving, checkups.

Parry works at Harrisdale Primary School as their librarian, and when the school decided to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation by taking part in the 58 Squat Challenge, she jumped at the chance.

Rebecca Goodacre and Innessa Farren from Harrisdale Primary School also took part in the squat challenge.

The challenge ran throughout March and teachers at the school raised $18,472 for the charity.
Nationally, over $2 million was raised to support the 58 Australians diagnosed with breast cancer every day.

“Getting involved in this challenge to raise not only funds, but more importantly to raise awareness felt like the least I could do,” Greer said.

“If it starts a conversation and prompts a check-up or a mammogram that could potentially save a life, it’s a no brainer.

“Sure, some days were tough, especially when the legs were burning, but thinking of the pain and discomfort these beautiful women have had to endure quickly put 58 squats a day into perspective.”

School education assistant Allison Owen said she also had friends and family who have been affected or are currently living with breast cancer.

“There has been overwhelming support for the cause,” she said. “It was much easier as a team.”

The Environmental Protection Authority has decided to assess a mining proposal off the Kimberley north coast that for its potential impact on commercial and recreational fishers, as well as flatback turtles and snubfin dolphins.

The Australian arm of Netherlands-based global dredging giant Boskalis proposes to mine about 100 square kilometres of seabed in the middle of the Cambridge Gulf, near Wyndham, to export up to 70 million cubic metres of sand to Asia for use in construction.

A snubfin dolphin. Credit: Dr Deb Thiele

EPA chair Darren Walsh said in addition to an environmental impact assessment, targeted consultation would be conducted with commercial and recreational fishers, as well as other stakeholders.

“We need to develop an understanding of the potential impacts on licensed fishing grounds and the likelihood of sand mining impacts on coastal processes,” he said.

“Cambridge Gulf is identified as a biologically important area for flatback turtle nesting as well as calving, foraging and resting for the Australian snubfin dolphin.

“So the EPA will also be seeking further information during this assessment to determine the extent of underwater noise and artificial light impacts on marine fauna, especially during key ecological periods.”

The EPA will consult in coming weeks and expects to deliver its report and recommendations to the government by the end of the year.

The report will be subject to a three-week public appeal period.The environment minister will make the final decision.

Eagles new recruit Liam Baker hasn’t held back about his club’s dismal 0-5 start to the season.

The two-time premiership player with Richmond has never been near a team that has lost contested ball by 60, as West Coast did on Saturday against Carlton. No player had ever played in a team which has recorded a total contested ball count of 77, a record low for that statistic.

“It’s pathetic, really,” a shattered Baker said post-game.

He is not wrong, but it’s less a statement on the current team as it is a reflection of the club’s decisions since 2022 when they have won 10 of 73 matches.

After the Dutton and Albanese political circuses left town yesterday, an eerie calm has descended over WA, with local politicians tasked with spruiking their party messages this morning.

The Liberals had some east coast firepower with them in Scarborough this morning, where Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley joined Curtin candidate Tom White and WA Senator Michaelia Cash to announce $1.5 million for safety enhancements at the foreshore.

Michaelia Cash. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Further south in Tangney, Labor MP Sam Lim was joined by ministers Madeleine King, Patrick Gorman and Matt Keogh in his electorate of Tangney to announce $1.5 million to fund upgrades to the Bull Creek Bombers’ football club facilities.

Cash used the awkward “air kiss” between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek at the Labor campaign launch in Perth yesterday to launch an attack on delays to a decision on Woodside’s North West Shelf 50-year extension request.

“What we were looking for here in Western Australia was a joint press conference where they could announce their decision on the North West shelf project,” she said.

“The most you got was an incredibly awkward air kiss. Well, guess what, that does not serve the people of Western Australia well.”

Cash has accused the Albanese government of delaying the decision until after the election to avoid upsetting east coast inner-city voters.

Last month WAtoday revealed the latest delay was decided by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water bureaucrats to give it time to assess requests by Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of WA to fold more Woodside projects into the decision.

Cash said she was not accepting excuses from Albanese about thorough investigations or timelines needing to be extended.

“No, the country is depending on this,” she said.

Resources Minister King said the Coalition’s statements put any potential approval of the project in legal jeopardy.

“This is orderly decision-making. Nothing more, nothing less,” she said.

“We would agree that the approvals process has to be improved, and that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to do, and Minister Plibersek has been trying to do for the last three years.”

WA Police claim a successful WA businessman who had his Maserati confiscated and turned into a patrol car has been caught again driving his Mercedes, which has also now been impounded.

The 42-year-old had his first car confiscated after he was caught driving in September without an interlock system in his car to test his blood-alcohol reading.

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

Police paraded the rebranded $100,000 car around on April 1, and just two days later, WA’s top traffic cop, Mike Bell, alleged the man was back on the roads.

“He’s realised how significant this is,” he said.

“I don’t think we’ll be seeing him drive again.”

WA’s new anti-hooning laws will soon be in force, which will see anyone driving more than 40km/h over the speed limit fined $1200 and seven demerit points. They could also be jailed for up to nine months and risk having their car confiscated.

The two Perth bouncers accused of assaulting patrons at The Lookout last night have just appeared in the Perth Magistrate Court.

The brothers, Enver Ibrahimovic, 37 and Nezir Ibrahimovic, 32, have been granted bail but are not allowed to work as security guards while their charges are going through the courts.

Read our court reporter Rebecca Peppiatt’s full story by clicking on the related article link.

The corporate watchdog has dragged embattled gold producer Wiluna Mining and its former chair Milan Jerkovic to court over allegations it mislead investors.

The Federal Court civil suit centres around a $57.3 million capital raising undertaken by the company in June 2022, which operated a mine in the northern goldfields.

But the Australian Investments and Securities Commission now claims $7 million of those funds were never received, something investors were left in the dark about.

Less than five weeks later, the company was plunged into administration before being de-listed on the ASX in April 2024 for failing to meet its financial reporting obligations.

In a statement released on Monday, ASIC confirmed it had taken legal action against Wiluna and was seeking a declaration of contravention for breaching its continuous disclosure obligations.

Further, the corporate watchdog alleged Jerkovic breached his director duties by failing to detail the amount raised by the company, while former chief commercial officer James Malone has been accused of failing to ensure the statements issued to the market were not false and misleading.

The pair are both being pursued for declarations of contravention and facing the prospect of a financial penalty.

ASIC chair Joe Longo said the company and its two senior officials allegedly engaged in serious contraventions of the Corporations Act by misleading its investors.

“The lack of transparency and subsequent corporate failure have the potential to drive a loss of confidence in our capital markets,” he said.

“Market integrity concerns like this may lead to diminished investor participation in capital raisings in all or sections of Australian equity markets, which ultimately impacts the Australian economy and international standing.

“ASIC will continue to take action to hold directors and officers of publicly listed companies accountable for their misconduct.”

Wiluna remains in the hands of FTI Consulting administrators, who have been working to sell its gold mine.

Just a final quick one from the Cook press conference.

Police Commissioner Col Blanch.Credit: Jesinta Burton.

He has responded to a rumour broadcast this morning by our friends at Radio 6PR on their Rumour File segment that Victoria Police are trying to poach WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch.

Cook didn’t discount the rumour completely.

“Hands off Col,” he said.

“He’s a great police commissioner that’s done an incredible job on behalf of the community, and we would obviously be very, very cranky if anyone thought that they could try to poach him,” he said.

Sticking with the Cook press conference, he’s provided some illuminating commentary on his efforts to bring the Western Bears NRL team to WA.

The WA government has submitted its offering to the NRL (see details below) which, according to this masthead last week, the league was not impressed by.

WA’s NRL offer

• $20 million for a rugby Centre of Excellence in Malaga
• $35 million for grass roots development through schools and Clontarf Foundation
• Game day support
• No money for an NRL license fee

The NRL has not yet formally rejected the deal, however, and Cook revealed he had spoken to NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo online on Friday night.

“We continue to work with them and those conversations are continuing to be positive,” he said.

“They haven’t formally responded to that offer in writing, but there is a delta, and that’s of course what those conversations are about.”

Cook was stinging in his criticism of the NRL last week after reports his offer was rejected, accusing the NRL of treating WA “like a cash cow”.

Cook said the cash cow comment did not come up in the chat he’d had on Friday.

“It wasn’t raised in the conversation, it was much more polite than that,” he said.

The NRL hosted a double header in WA at Optus stadium on the weekend which was attended by 30,000 people.