As it happened: WA news on Thursday, January 30

We will leave you today with some thoughts on Perth’s quirkiest landmark from the Lord Mayor of the city offered to ABC’s Gary Adshead on Wednesday afternoon.

In comments in the same vein as Derek Zoolander’s famous “Centre for Ants” line, Basil Zempilas has suggested doubling or tripling the size of the Bell Tower in Barrack Square on account of it being lost among the high rises that have popped up on the city foreshore thanks to the Elizabeth Quay development.

Perth Lord Mayor and Liberal candidate for Churchlands, Basil Zempilas. Credit: Trevor Collens, AFR.

“It’s sort of lost its place I think is the best way to describe it,” Zempilas, who is running for the Liberals in the seat of Churchlands at the March election, said.

“Every time I look at it — and I can actually see it from council house — I think would there be an engineer in Perth who would know how to dismantle the Bell Tower, build a structure the size of the Bell Tower now and then put the original Bell Tower back on top of it.

“Really what we need to do is double or triple the size of it.

“Either that or build a podium somewhere out on the Swan River and put it out there where it’s got nothing around it.”

WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam was a bit perplexed when asked about Zempilas’ comments earlier in the day.

“We will continue to make our election commitments, and we will outline them quite clearly,” Mettam said.

“Cost of living pressures are a key priority. Fixing a broken health system and law and order issues.”

The Bell Tower has become one of the most recognisable landmarks in Perth since its opening and has firmly embedded itself in Perth lore.

For context here is an excerpt of a Committee for Perth report into the history of the tower released in 2011:

Committee for Perth report, 2011:

At the time the project dominated public debate, with community members and government opposition accusing the government of wasting money which they said could be better spent on hospitals, policing or schools. Then Premier Richard Court was accused of building a monument to himself and when construction on the site commenced some people abused workers on the site as they passed in their cars. Yet by the time the structure was completed and opened to the public in December 2000, passing motorists were giving the thumbs up. The controversy had died down and sightseers queued outside to be the first people in the door. Opinions on the Bell Tower are, to some degree, still divided however most of us appear to like the tower and debate has shifted from ‘why?’ to ‘why not bigger?’, ‘more iconic?’, ‘louder?’

And in other news, WA Police have called on the public for assistance as they launch a probe into the circumstances surrounding a fire at a grocery store in Perth’s north.

Police and emergency services were called to the scene of the blaze in Ballajura shortly after 3.40am on Tuesday.

Detectives released CCTV footage of two people donning balaclavas they are seeking to identify in relation to the incident.Credit: WA Police.

The fire caused damage to the front and interior of an ‘American style’ grocery store Candy Station, located within the Ballajura City Shopping Centre on Illawarra Crescent.

Following an examination of the scene, Arson Squad investigators have ruled that the fire was deliberately lit — prompting a public appeal for information.

On Thursday, detectives released CCTV footage of two people donning balaclavas they are seeking to identify in relation to the incident, one of whom has a distinct butterfly tattoo.

Anyone with any information relating to this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.crimestopperswa.com.au

People providing information may remain anonymous and rewards of up to $25,000 are available for information that leads to the identification and conviction of an arsonist.

Turning to courts now, and the girl at the centre of a sensational trial over her neglect has attended a Perth court in support of her parents, writing a statement saying that she does not believe she has been offended against “in any way”.

In November, a wealthy Floreat couple were found guilty of reckless conduct in relation to their daughter.

The girl’s parents outside court last month.Credit: 9News Perth

That conduct included allowing the girl to become dangerously underweight, requiring her to be hospitalised and placed on a nasogastric feeding tube.

The bizarre case garnered much attention when the parents, both aged 47, pleaded not guilty to the charges and the matter went to trial last year.

During the five-week hearing, the court heard how the pair lied to dance school instructors about the girl’s age, how she was dressed and treated like a pre-school child despite being 16 years old, how she was homeschooled and isolated from other people and how her gaunt appearance and yellowing skin caused much concern for the few people who did come into contact with her.

On Thursday the pair, who have been remanded in custody since the jury found them both guilty on all charges, were due to be sentenced in Perth’s District Court but legal submissions in advance of the hearing ran over time delaying the outcome until Friday.

The court was told the couples’ daughter had submitted a “statement” to be taken into consideration by judge Linda Black and the girl herself attended the hearing in person for the first time.

For the full story, click here.

The West Coast Eagles have released a statement after young midfielder Reuben Ginbey was fined $1000 for public urination and failing to give his details to police.

Ginbey, 20, was caught by police urinating next to a barricade at Wildlands Festival at Joondalup Arena on January 4.

West Coast Eagles player Reuben Ginbey (centre) outside Joondalup Magistrates Court on Wednesday.Credit: 9News Perth

When officers confronted him, Ginbey remained silent and didn’t provide any personal details.

His lawyer told Joondalup Magistrates Court on Wednesday that Ginbey was ashamed and embarrassed by his actions, was intoxicated, and in shock when police approached him.

The court was told being detained in custody for four hours, and the publicity that followed the incident had caused Ginbey to suffer and sufficiently pay for his actions.

Ginbey pleaded guilty to his charges, with the magistrate agreeing it was not in his typical nature to behave in such a way.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Eagles released a statement addressing the proceedings, including an apology from Ginbey:

I would like to apologise for my actions. They were not to the standard that I expect of myself, or others expect of me.

I will learn from this and I thank the Club for their support throughout the process.

The club’s general football manager, Gavin Bell, said the Eagles had addressed the matter:

Our support for Reuben will be ongoing, and we will continue educating and holding our players to the values and behaviours that we expect of each other.

To courts now, where a boat skipper responsible for injuring 12 passengers when his tour boat crashed into the Horizontal Falls in 2022 has been fined $12,000 over the incident, while the company he worked for copped a $15,000 fine.

Edward Whisson was the master of Falls Express, a tour boat with 25 passengers on board when it hit rocks at the popular tourist destination.

Edward Whisson was the skipper of the Falls Express that crashed into rocks at Horizontal Falls in May 2022.Credit: 9 News Perth

It had been driving at high speeds through a narrow 7.5-metre gap as part of a regular tourist experience in WA’s remote Kimberley. Charges were also laid against Journey Beyond Adventures, trading as Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, which operated the boat tour.

On Thursday, both Whisson and the company he worked for were sentenced in Perth Magistrates Court, weeks after the court heard shocking victim impact statements from those on board, recalling how they thought they would die after the crash left them trapped under chairs and nursing significant injuries and broken bones.

Read the full story here.

A quick – and welcome – update regarding our earlier post on Cottesloe beach’s closure. It’s open again! Great news, time to grab the togs, yes?

Well, hold up a second. It was actually opened again earlier this morning before being closed barely 15 minutes later due to a shark sighting, according to the Surf Lifesaving WA X account.

Surf Lifesaving WA also reports that the Westpac chopper has spotted a 2.5-metre shark of unknown species just north at Swanbourne.

Anyway, Cottesloe beach remains open. For now.

It was a big journey with an even bigger cargo, but beloved Perth Zoo elephant Permai has arrived at her new home at the Monarto Safari Park – and hit it off with her new best friend.

Park director Peter Clark said it had been a big effort to get their newest resident across the Nullarbor, but he couldn’t have been more grateful for the Perth Zoo’s efforts in transporting one of the founding members of the elephant herd to South Australia.

Permai and Burma meet for the first time at the Monarto Safari Park.Credit: Perth Zoo

Perth Zoo’s director of life sciences John Lemon said Permai’s journey in a bespoke crate had been “very comfortable”, with air-conditioning, feed troughs, treat chutes and even a “elephant-scale” kitty litter making for a first-class trip.

Permai met her fellow Monarto Safari Park founding member Burma, with touching vision showing the two elephants sniffing each other out, linking trunks and affectionately pushing one another.

Lemon said the trip was “very bittersweet” for Perth Zoo staff, which included one carer who has been at the zoo for 47 years and who uncrated Permai as a two-year-old.

“So very bittersweet, but it’s all about welfare, it’s all about Permai, and moving to a facility that will be her forever home with a company of elephants,” he said.

Three of Permai’s carers from Perth Zoo are at Monarto with her, that will drop to two carers who will stay with Permai for up to six months while she settles in.

To the election trail now where the Liberals, Nationals and Labor have announced a raft of commitments in the lead up to the March 8 poll.

Premier Roger Cook was in Kalgoorlie announcing a new $150 million 50 megawatt vanadium flow battery, which would shore up the fragile Goldfields energy grid that has left the town without power for a lengthy period of time twice in the past two years.

The 50-megawatt, 10-hour battery was planned to be operational in 2029.

“This project will provide further back up, with 10 hours of supply able to be dispersed when it is needed. This will really help if weather events or other disruptions hit the region,” Cook said.

“In addition to the 150 local jobs created during construction, I want to work with industry to develop a local vanadium battery manufacturing industry here in Kalgoorlie to support more local jobs.“

Labor also committed to increasing annual funding of the RSPCA from $1.3 million to $7 million.

Liberal leader Libby Mettam was in the Perth Hills with Kalamunda candidate Adam Hort to announce a $3 million extension of the KidSport voucher for the 2025-26 financial year, and reinstating of the SilverSport program to allow seniors to pay for sporting, fitness and recreation programs.

The party will also extend eligibility of the KidsSport voucher to the Girl Guides and Scouts, which were removed from the approved list in 2017.

The KidsSport voucher was increased under the Labor government from $150 to $500.

“In the middle of WA Labor’s cost of living crisis, KidSport is an essential, targeted cost of living payment to help WA parents keep their kids in sport, or other active recreational activity,” Mettam said.

Nationals leader Shane Love was in Jurien Bay to announce $20 million for a new groyne and water monitoring in the marina.

We’ll take you now to a press conference earlier this morning with Rita Saffioti who, along with her role as treasurer, deputy premier, and transport minister, also holds the (much more fun) tourism portfolio.

Saffioti confirmed the news we brought you today that Perth was in the hot seat to host the opening match of the Rugby World Cup in 2027 – along with six more “blockbuster” matches.

Those include four pool matches and two round of 16 matches.

WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti flanked by Wallabies players Dylan Pietsch and Sam Carter on Thursday.Credit: 9News Perth

Saffioti, who fronted media earlier today flanked by Wallabies players Dylan Pietsch and Sam Carter and Rugby WA board member Cinzia Donaldson, said the opening match of the Cup would be “the largest sporting event ever held in WA”.

“It’ll bring tens of thousands of visitors to our state, and we are so pleased to be hosting the opening match, which, of course, will feature the Wallabies,” she said.

“With our direct flights into Europe and, of course, our connections into South Africa, we really want international visitors to come to WA first as they experience the Rugby World Cup.”

The tourism minister also vowed to “activate the whole state” to build the atmosphere and appetite for rugby ahead of the Cup, which included upgrades to local sporting facilities around WA.

Donaldson said the current decade in Perth was being described as the “golden decade of rugby” due to the volume of significant international matches and tournaments coming west.

Pietsch said it was the goal of every rugby player to represent their country in a World Cup, and it was special to have the opportunity to do so at home.

“We’ve done really well in the past in our World Cups – ’87 in the semi-final, and ’03 runners-up – so to be able to have the opportunity, potentially, to be able to represent Australia and go really well in a home World Cup is really special,” he said.

It’s hot out today, of that there is no doubt.

Time to cool down at the beach? Well, not so fast unfortunately.

A two-metre bronze whaler shark has been spotted in the waters off Cottesloe this morning, forcing the popular beach’s second closure in as many days due to sharks.

And if you’re lucky enough to be on holiday in our beautiful South West, well, sorry, some more bad news.

A three-metre hammerhead shark spotted about 10am north of Dunsborough has forced the closure of Meelup beach.

Lucky we’re blessed with plenty of other swimming spots to choose from, both in Perth and down south.