As it happened: WA news on Friday, May 2

We’re bringing our live blog to a close for today.

In case you’ve just tuned in, here’s a recap of the headlines:

• Peter Dutton has travelled west on the eve of the federal election, campaigning in the battleground seat of Tangney alongside Liberal candidate Howard Ong.
• WA Police have confirmed they will step in to address issues with GPS trackers on domestic violence offenders “where possible”, after a leaked letter from the prisons boss raised concerns about their effectiveness in the regions.
• The Perth driver accused of murdering WA Police officer Anthony Woods by running him over and pinning him underneath the car has had his charge downgraded to manslaughter.
• Activist group Doctors for the Environment Australia have launched proceedings in the Federal Court against the approval of Woodside’s Scarborough gas project’s production environment plan.
• West Coast are banking on Harley Reid to repeat history and send the crowd into a frenzy when the Eagles attempt to snare their first win of the AFL season against Melbourne at Optus Stadium.
• Grammy award-winning artist Kendrick Lamar is set to head to Perth later this year.

Enjoy your democracy sausage.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for our special federal election coverage, where we’ll bring you the news as it happens.

West Coast are banking on Harley Reid to repeat history and send the crowd into a frenzy when the Eagles attempt to snare their first win of the AFL season against Melbourne at Optus Stadium.

In just his second season, Harley Reid is already one of the AFL’s most recognisable and in-demand players.Credit: AFL Photos

Reid was a human highlight reel in his debut season last year, with one of his best matches coming in a shock 35-point win over Melbourne in round 10.

The 20-year-old No.1 pick tallied 21 disposals, seven clearances and two goals in that match.

He also ended up winning goal of the season for his effort in burning off Demons star Christian Petracca with three bounces before kicking truly from 48m.

That effort came midway through the first quarter, and proved to be a crucial morale-lifter for both the players and home crowd as West Coast powered to victory.

New West Coast coach Andrew McQualter was an assistant coach at Melbourne when Reid tore the Demons to shreds last year.

He hopes Reid can repeat the dose again on Saturday night.

“Harley is one of the hardest players in the competition to stop when he’s up and going like that,” McQualter said.

“I thought he brought the crowd to life that game. It was really significant. If we can make the place as loud as it was last year, it gives our players a significant boost.

AAP

West Australian wine lovers have spoken.

More than 20,000 people voted in Top Up Wines inaugural top 100 people’s choice wine awards, and it’s Ampersand Estates’ Pinot Noir that has been named the state’s favourite drop.

Here it is – WA’s favourite wine.

The Pemberton winery was followed closely by Stella Bella’s Luminosa Cabernet Sauvignon and, in third place, Ad Hoc’s Nitty Gritty Pinot Grigio.

Top Up Wines founder Jamie Burnett said he was blown away by the response from local wine lovers.

“To see so many people vote to support their favourite wineries is amazing. When we turned voting on, we had no idea what results would come. That was the fun of it,” he said.

“I’m stoked to see such a diverse list of wines and wineries make the list.”

More than 1600 wines attracted votes, with 55 wineries making the coveted top 100 list.

Stella Bella earned the most inclusions in the top 100 at six, followed by Cherubino with five, and LS Merchants and Singlefile with four.

Chardonnay was voted the state’s favourite wine style, with cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir behind it.

Wines of Western Australia chief executive Larry Jorgensen said producers from across all nine WA wine regions were represented on the list.

“These awards truly are focused on our local heroes,” he said.

Peter Dutton is campaigning in Perth this afternoon. See the pictures below.

Dutton visited Off Road Equipment in Myaree, in the marginal electorate of Tangney.Credit: James Brickwood

While attacking Labor’s economic record, the opposition leader held up a picture of the front page of The Australian from before the 2022 election, displaying a photo of Albanese gesturing quote marks and the headline “Life will be ‘cheaper’ under me”.Credit: James Brickwood

Like Albanese, Dutton is criss-crossing the country in a last-minute bid for votes ahead of tomorrow’s election.Credit: James Brickwood

The opposition leader said the PM was dishonest and would legislate a Voice to parliament.Credit: James Brickwood

To some environment news now and activist group Doctors for the Environment Australia have launched proceedings in the Federal Court against the approval of Woodside’s Scarborough gas project’s production environment plan.

The group’s executive director Kate Wylie says she believes it was approved by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) without a proper understanding of how the impacts of the project would be managed.

“Woodside acknowledges that there is uncertainty about whether gas from the Scarborough project will displace even dirtier fuels,” she said.

“Doctors for the Environment will contend that Woodside’s proposed controls in this environment plan are so vague and uncertain that NOPSEMA did not meet its own tests for whether it can be approved.

“Controls placed on offshore gas projects are critical in managing impacts on our environment and community. We have asked the court to set aside NOPSEMA’s decision.

“If government agencies fail to meet their own legal standards in their assessments, it is incumbent upon civil organisations like us to hold them to account.”

WA is not getting snubbed this time!

After toppling Drake in a high-profile feud, winning a record-breaking five Grammy Awards and conquering the Super Bowl half-time show, Kendrick Lamar will close the year by heading to Australia.

Kendrick Lamar performed his Drake diss track at this year’s Super Bowl. He is heading to Australia in December to headline the Spilt Milk festival.Credit: Getty Images

The biggest name in rap will headline the Spilt Milk festival in December, alongside fellow Grammy Award winner Doechii, who won best rap album at this year’s ceremony.

The two US acts will headline Spilt Milk in Ballarat, Canberra, the Gold Coast and Perth, alongside R&B artist Dominic Fike, pop singer Nessa Barrett, Sombr, Rebecca Black, Baby J, Club Angel and more.

The confirmation of Lamar and Doechii as headliners coincides with the return of Spilt Milk, which was cancelled last year.

At the time, organisers issued a statement on Instagram: “Sorry pookies, we couldn’t get you the Spilt Milk you deserved this year.”

Spilt Milk’s 2024 cancellation was part of a slew of festivals falling over, with Splendour in the Grass, the Falls Festival and Harvest Rock – all owned by Live Nation – also being cancelled.

Lamar last toured Australia in 2022, but he has since captured the zeitgeist following a bruising rap battle with fellow hip-hop artist Drake.

Sticking with the key story so far in today’s blog, WA Police have confirmed they will step in to address issues with GPS trackers on domestic violence offenders “where possible”, after a leaked letter from the prisons boss raised concerns about their effectiveness in the regions.

The opposition hammered Labor in question time on Thursday over the letter obtained on April 11, where Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce said it could not support GPS tracking on DV offenders in regional areas because of slow response times if issues arise.

“In regional and remote locations, delayed responses to these issues create an unacceptable risk, particularly critical in family and domestic violence cases, where immediate action can be necessary to prevent harm to victims,” Royce wrote.

In another leaked email from assistant commissioner of adult community corrections Michael Thompson to assistant police commissioner Tony Longhorn on April 9, Thompson warned that the issues could also extend to suburbs on the outskirts of Perth.

A WA Police spokesperson said the agency had agreed to help the Department of Justice and corrective services administer the electronic monitoring program when community corrections officers could not.

“Responding to breaches of electronic monitors is a high priority for WA Police. Heads of agencies and commissioners regularly speak to each other, seek support and work together,” he said.

“[Adult Community Corrections] has sought support for police to assist with a limited number of regional WA technical and administrative duties when... staff are not available.

“WA Police have agreed to assist ACC, where possible.”

The spokesman reiterated there was no concern with the actual monitoring and police response to breaches of GPS tracking requirements.

“It remains the position of WA Police that recidivist offenders who show no remorse remain behind bars,” he said.

To breaking news, the Perth driver accused of murdering WA Police officer Anthony Woods by running him over and pinning him underneath the car has had his charge downgraded to manslaughter.

Anthony Woods with his wife, Emily.Credit: WA Police

Reagan Chown was charged in June 2023 over Woods’ death.

On June 8, officers were allegedly following a stolen vehicle being driven by Chown when it came to a stop just metres from Swan River Hotel on Epsom Avenue.

He allegedly pulled over before attempting to flee when Woods and his partner approached the car on foot, reversing over Woods who became pinned and was dragged for 20 metres.

He pleaded guilty to reckless driving to escape pursuit by police and to stealing a motor vehicle, but not guilty to the charge of murder in February 2024.

Today, the charge was downgraded to manslaughter, before the trial begins.

Police Commissioner Col Blanch has this morning answered questions about concerns raised in a letter sent to him by Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce over new GPS monitoring laws.

The letter warned that family and domestic violence offenders could not be tracked properly in regional areas.

Speaking on ABC Perth this morning, Blanch said the statement that police had no way to track those offenders was incorrect.

“If there is a deliberate breach by an offender, police are rolling, 24/7 we are out, we are capturing these people who are in breach,” he said.

“But if there is something wrong from an IT perspective or an administrative function that needs fixing, sometimes the staff are not available after hours from the Department of Corrections to do that, and Corrections saw that as a risk.”

When asked how many times something had needed fixing after hours, he said: “on a busy week we’ve been rung twice, we’re not talking large numbers”.

“I think what we’re missing in this entire conversation is … if someone is carrying too much risk to be in a community, police have vigorously opposed bail at court,” he said.

“That’s a question for the courts, isn’t it. Are they bailing people with too much risk.

“I’ve given clear direction to prosecutors – do not let people out in this community who pose a high risk. Our job is to protect victims of crime … these people should be behind bars.”

Speaking to the media this morning, federal Greens Leader Adam Bandt has said his party was seeking to pick up another five seats across the country, as well as maintain the four they hold in the House of Representatives.

Greens leader Adam Bandt.Credit: Joe Armao

Current MPs include Bandt (Melbourne), Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith), Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan) and Stephen Bates (Brisbane).

“We are campaigning really strongly to hold those seats,” said Bandt. “And we are within reach of winning in another five seats.”

Those seats are Macnamara and Wills in Melbourne, Richmond in NSW, Sturt in SA and Perth in WA, said Bandt.

His fight in Perth will be against incumbent Labor MP Patrick Gorman. In 2022, he won on a two-party preferred margin of 14.4 per cent.

A record number of Australians have already cast their ballot for Saturday’s election – almost 7 million of the 18.1 million people on the electoral roll to have voted or almost 39 per cent of the population.

The Friday before the election is traditionally the biggest day for pre-polls. In 2022, almost 925,000 people voted on election eve.

In some electorates, more than half of voters will have cast a ballot before Saturday.