As it happened: WA news on Friday, December 6

It is time to close the blog for the day. Thank you for joining us.

To recap the day’s local news, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in town to announce $475 million in financing to support the creation of Australia’s first integrated rare earths refinery in Perth.

Meanwhile, the federal government also confirmed a $1.5 million funding package to rescue Sculpture by the Sea — but organisers say it won’t be enough to get the event ready for 2025.

And former WA Premier Mark McGowan is set to receive an honorary doctorate during a graduation ceremony at the University of Western Australia next week.

We hope you enjoy the sunshine this weekend and that you join us again next week.

West Coast Fever are scrambling to find a new goal shooter after superstar Jamaican Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard revealed she is pregnant.

Fowler-Nembhard shared the happy baby news on Friday, confirming she will miss the entire 2025 Super Netball season.

The Fever have already begun the search for a new shooter, but concede the task has been made more difficult given most players are already under contract.

“The club began the recruitment process as soon as Jhaniele informed us and we are currently exploring all our options,” Fever general manager Sue Gaudion said in a statement.

“We are looking locally, nationally and internationally for a suitable replacement. There are several complexities given the time of year and the fact that most players are under contract.

“We hope to announce the replacement player before Christmas.”

Fowler-Nembhard is arguably the world’s best goal shooter, with the 35-year-old having a profound impact at the Fever over the past seven years.

Former WA Premier Mark McGowan will receive an honorary doctorate during a graduation ceremony next week at the University of Western Australia.

He joins prominent business figure, Wesfarmers chief-executive Michael Chaney, who will be handed a chancellor emeritus.

Former Premier Mark McGowan.Credit: Ross Swanborough

McGowan quit politics in 2023 after six years as premier, stating: “I’m extremely tired. In fact, I’m exhausted.”

He has since started working in top roles at multiple mining companies including BHP and Mineral Resources.

In other awards, molecular and cell biologist emeritus professor Sue Fletcher, and Perron Group director Elizabeth Perron, will also be awarded honorary doctorates at UWA next week.

Frank Cooper, the late professor Anas Ghadouani and emerita professor Lynette Abbott will receive Chancellor’s Medals for outstanding contributions to the university.

And Dr Pin Pin Chan will receive the Robert Street Prize, awarded for the best thesis in the Doctor of Philosophy each year.

CFMEU WA State Secretary Mick Buchan has spoken out about the tragic death of a 69-year-old worker at a construction site in Inglewood on Thursday.

Emergency crews were rushed to the residential block on Sexton Road around 1.15pm. A second man, aged 26, sustained serious injuries in the incident.

Investigations by the CFMEU and WorkSafe will take place. The Union has said a three-metre brick wall fell down, causing the fatality.

You can read Buchan’s full statement below:

The CFMEU sends our deepest condolences to the family and workmates of the worker who tragically lost their life after a wall collapsed on a residential worksite yesterday afternoon.

Our thoughts are also with the young worker who was seriously injured in the same incident, and with his family as they begin the long journey through his recovery.

The impact that these tragic events have on the families involved, and the workmates who witness these horrendous occurrences, affects everyone in our industry, and the community as a whole.

At this time of the year as everyone rushes to complete projects with often unrealistic and desperate deadlines, we urge everyone to be vigilant in protecting themselves and the safety of others on site. It’s simple: if it doesn’t feel safe, don’t do it.

There is nothing more important than everyone returning home safely at the end of the day.

And staying with that press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the federal government’s $1.5 million funding package to rescue Sculptures by the Sea won’t hinge on the event going ahead in 2025 after organisers deemed it too late.

The federal government offered to stump up the money on Friday, 72 hours after it was revealed the event would be canned after missing out on federal funding from Creative Australia.

Sculpture by the Sea organiser David Handley told 6PR that while the funding was welcome, no amount of money would enable the event to proceed in March as planned.

Albanese told reporters the money wouldn’t be contingent on the event proceeding in 2025 and would remain on the table for the following year.

“We would like to go ahead next year,” he said.

“I’ve gone down there and had a look at sculptures by the sea here in Cottesloe, there’s one similar event takes place in Sydney, and it’s magnificent. It’s free. It uses the wonderful landscape which is there, and it’s a great spot there at Cottesloe.

“I think it’s unfortunate if it doesn’t go ahead next year, but that funding will be available.”

The prime minister also sought to downplay the highly publicised tit-for-tat with the WA government over a possible election date clash with the state poll in March, claiming he did not know what the “kerfuffle” was all about – and nor did Premier Roger Cook.

“The WA Electoral Commission can get on with things and it’s up to them to do their job and have an election,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to helping Roger Cook out and to see him get re elected as premier.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced $475 million in financing to support the creation of Australia’s first integrated rare earths refinery in Perth - one of the first tranches of investment from the government’s Future Made in Australia fund.

The investment - in the form of loans to be repaid - will support 900 jobs in construction, and an additional 250 jobs when operating. China dominates the global rare earths industry, the government says, and this is a step towards competing.

“This is a really practical example of what we’re talking about when we say we want a future made here in Australia,” Albanese says.

“If we get this right, the move to net zero… we can be even more prosperous in the future. But it will take a government facilitating that private sector investment, which is what today’s announcement is about.”

“This is an investment in Australia’s future. One of the things we’re seeing happen around the world is in areas like rare earths and critical minerals, there is first mover advantage.

“We want to, unashamedly, get Australia moving down the track toward what industries will look like in one, two, three decades.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Perth today with Resources Minister Madeleine King and Member for Pearce Tracey Roberts.

They announced $475 million in financing to support the creation of Australia’s first integrated rare earths refinery in Perth.

If you opened The West Australian newspaper to read the ’10 things’ column from its most talked about employee this morning, you might have been surprised to find he is now sharing his newspaper real estate with ‘the enemy’.

Zempilas says he doesn’t mind sharing his weekly spot in the paper with Labor’s Rita Saffioti.Credit: AFR

There had been speculation Seven West Media was mulling the future of the increasingly political column Perth Lord Mayor and Liberal candidate Basil Zempilas has authored for the past five years amid persistent criticism from WA Labor.

But Friday’s edition of the state’s only daily newspaper indicates the publisher may have brokered a peace deal by offering deputy premier Rita Saffioti the same column inches.

The prominent media personality told 6PR’s Gary Adshead his broad media platform had its fair share of “opponents” – including a weekly segment on the station, owned by Nine – and praised both outlets for not caving to pressure.

“There have been opponents of mine trying to chip away at my platform for a long time now,” he said.

“To 6PR and The West Australian and [editor] Chris Dore’s great credit, to those suggesting that I should lose [the platform] because it’s an unfair advantage, the response has been: ‘No, he can keep doing that because that’s what he does, but if you’d like to join in, you can’.”

Zempilas has regularly used the column to rebuff criticism and fire shots at his political opponents, which has seen it dubbed his “Ten Commandments” by Police Minister Paul Papalia.

A quarantine area has been declared in Perth’s southern suburbs to support efforts to eradicate the Queensland fruit fly (Qfly).

The move comes after the damaging pest was detected in Willagee and Palmyra through Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development surveillance.

The quarantine area includes two zones – a corrective action zone around where the pest was first found (Red Zone) and a buffer zone of surrounding suburbs within a 15 kilometre radius of the initial detections (Orange Zone).Credit: DPIRD

Qfly is a significant pest that infests more than 300 types of fruit, including chillies, capsicums and tomatoes.

Residents and businesses in the red zone shown in the above map must remove all fruit – regardless of maturity – from Qfly host plants, as well as fallen fruit.

The fruit can be eaten, and treated fruit can be moved within or outside the zone.

Treatment options include cooking, processing, freezing or solarising by securing fruit in a black plastic bag and placing on a hard surface in direct sunlight for more than seven days.

Fruit not consumed or treated must be disposed of by securing in a black plastic bag and disposing in the general waste bin, not into the recycling or organics bin.

Bringing you back to our post from 8.46am and Sculpture by the Sea organiser David Handley has confirmed that the event will not be going ahead next year despite the funding from the federal government announced this morning.

Sculpture by the Sea organiser David Handley.

Speaking to 6PR’s Breakfast program, Handley said they were four months behind schedule at this point, and no amount of funding could help get the event ready for March.

When questioned if they could simply move the event later in the year, he said there were a number of factors that stopped this from being possible.

“March is a great month in Perth. It’s the time when it’s hot, the Fremantle Doctor has stopped and also, if we went out of cycle, then we’d want to be on in March the next year and that’s putting way too much of a load on the artists,” he said.

“Even having the event in April – it’s basically dark once you’ve got to the end of the day. So the ability for people to come down after work, that doesn’t happen.”

However, the good news is that the exhibition has confirmed funding and will be able to bounce back for 2026.