As it happened: WA news on Tuesday, September 24

Thank you for joining us today, we’re bringing our live blog to a close now.

Looking back on some of the bigger headlines from today, and Anthony Albanese made a flying visit to Perth for a milestone Metronet completion.

The new elevated rail line through Victoria Park and Cannington has allowed the removal of 13 level crossings, uniting communities divided for decades and freeing up space for community infrastructure.

The PM gathered alongside WA Premier Roger Cook, Transport Minister Rita Saffioti, member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas and local candidate for Cannington Ron Sao for the announcement.

Asked why he was making such a fleeting visit fresh from his trip to the US for the Quad meeting, Albanese said it showed he was committed to WA.

“I have been coming to WA for a long period of time. I spoke to Roger about this project, and he encouraged me to come and it’s an exciting project,” he said.

Speaking of Metronet, the Morley-Ellenbrook line is expected to be operational by Christmas – however, the long-awaited upgrade to WA’s ageing public transport payments system has been delayed as Transperth works through technical issues with the rollout.

And, earlier today, the family of a WA Police officer injured when a man wanted over a drug investigation allegedly ran over him has revealed the extent of his injuries.

Detective Senior Constable Greg McDougall, 46, was seriously injured when the driver of a white Toyota Hilux allegedly sped away after being stopped by police on Friday night.

Speaking to media on Monday, Greg’s twin brother Chris said it was “touch and go” on Friday night, but his brother began to stabilise on Saturday.

Thank you again for joining us, tune in again tomorrow as we bring you the day’s news.

Speaking of Perth’s housing market… if this were a paper we would be screaming, “stop the presses!”

But, since WAtoday is online-only, we can bring you news just in that a house in Sorrento has sold off-market and unconditionally for $6.1 million, setting a new record for the city’s northern coastline.

This home in Sorrento has just sold for $6.1 million, setting a new price record for the area. Credit: Domain

The Seaward Loop house previously sold in May 2021 for $4.1m.

Haiven Property director Sean Hughes said it was the highest sale price north of Scarborough in nearly nine years.

“Premium homes in top-tier locations are still undervalued heavily in Perth’s current market,” he said.

“The cost to replace these exceptional quality homes in the current market is very high and to build something of this calibre at the moment, you’d be looking at a three to four-year wait time, so both of these factors paved the way for this sale price.”

The modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom property overlooks the ocean and Hillarys Marina.

Median property prices in Sorrento over the last year ranged from $1.4m for houses to $410,000 for units.

Turning briefly to national news – but really, doesn’t it affect us all? – and RBA governor Michele Bullock has said the Reserve Bank did not explicitly consider a rate hike at its meeting this week.

Despite saying data since its August meeting had not “materially altered” the bank’s view, Bullock said an interest rate rise was not put on the table, as it had been at its last meeting.

Inflation has fallen over Michele Bullock’s first 12 months, but it is yet to reach the RBA’s 2-3 per cent target band.Credit: Aresna Villanueva

The Reserve Bank of Australia has held the cash rate at 4.35 per cent for the seventh consecutive meeting.

And Bullock said rates looked likely remain on hold for some time.

So, while Sarah Brookes’ article earlier today asked what effect rate cuts would have on Perth’s housing market, it appears that’s not something we’ll have to be concerned about for a while yet.

The Salvos need help to support the thousands of first responders and survivors of natural disasters that could befall us this summer.

The Salvation Army Emergency Services need volunteers ahead of the upcoming disaster season to help teams provide food and drink to first responders and evacuees, bedding and material needs for displaced people, and a listening ear for people needing a debrief.

Salvos volunteers at work in 2021.

SAES teams have provided such support during the bushfires of 2024, the floods of 2023 and Cyclone Seroja in 2021.

In the past three years alone, across the country their 8500-plus volunteers have supported more than 80,000 people.

The process includes resume submission, screening questions, a phone interview, and reference and police checks. Volunteers accepted do online training modules to learn appropriate skills.

“Whether it is cooking and serving meals, chatting to evacuees, administration support, maintenance and much more, all these roles are vitally important,” said Ben Day, SAES Western Australia Response Coordinator.

“However, this volunteer role is also a serious one, so we encourage Western Australians to consider it thoughtfully.

“When people see The Salvation Army, they see a place of friendship and hope, and that is what you are able to bring to people.”

More info here.

Want to read more about volunteering in Perth? Below are a couple more inspiring stories we’ve published recently on the topic:

There’s a lot of news out today on prominent sportspeople who hail from WA!

Sam Kerr has been sidelined with an ACL injury since January.Credit: Rick Rycroft

To round it up for you, there’s been plenty to digest after Patrick Cripps’ record-breaking vote haul at Monday night’s Brownlow Medal count. Following our 8.03am post on his interview about his WA upbringing this morning, we take a deep dive into the Brownlow with ‘Cripps dominates, but was this really the greatest season ever played?’

In soccer news, returning Matildas coach Tom Sermanni will seek out Perth superstar Sam Kerr this week before determining whether she will be available to join the national squad for the rest of 2024.

Kerr has not been sighted on the pitch since January, after suffering an ACL injury while with English giants Chelsea, costing her a Paris Olympics bid.

And we’ve got an analysis on Daniel Ricciardo’s big mistake in F1 and why he never made it to the top, given it appears his Formula One career has reached its end – an 18th place at Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix looks to have been his last race.

In further news from the Metronet press conference covered in our 10.53am post, the long-awaited upgrade to WA’s ageing public transport payments system has been delayed as Transperth works through technical issues with the rollout.

The $57.8 million upgrade of thousands of Smartrider readers to allow for credit card and mobile phone payments was announced last September and was due to be completed by June 2024.

L-R: Transport Minister Rita Saffioti, Swan MP Zaneta Mascarenhas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Cannington candidate Ron Sao and Premier Roger Cook. Credit: Tony McDonough

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti revealed it would likely be “next year”.

“I don’t know exactly what issues, but it’s bit slower than we had anticipated,” she said.

“We’re using off-the-shelf [technology]; you roll it out across thousands of points, so we’re making sure that we roll it out effectively.”

WAtoday understands the delays are the result of technical issues integrating with the existing Smartrider system.

The Transperth website says an exact completion date “cannot be confirmed due to complexities in the phased rollouts and associated rigour required during testing … functionality will be rolled out in stages throughout 2024-25, and passengers will be given ample notice before any changes.”

Saffioti said the cost had not been impacted.

WAtoday has sought clarification on exactly when the state expects the new system to be running.

Saffioti also revealed the Morley-Ellenbrook line was expected to be operational by Christmas.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a flying single-day visit to WA to announce a milestone Metronet completion.

The new elevated rail line through Victoria Park and Cannington has allowed the removal of 13 level crossings, uniting communities divided for decades and freeing up space for community infrastructure.

The concrete structure is now complete, allowing the project to move on to laying the track and building five new train stations.

Albanese was flanked by WA Premier Roger Cook and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti as well as local member for Swan Zaneta Mascarenhas and local candidate for Cannington Ron Sao.

Asked why he was making such a fleeting visit fresh from his trip to the US for the Quad meeting, Albanese said it showed he was committed to WA.

“I have been coming to WA for a long period of time. I spoke to Roger about this project, and he encouraged me to come and it’s an exciting project,” he said.

The quick visit drew criticism from deputy federal Liberal leader Sussan Ley who was also in town.

Ley said life had gotten harder for Western Australians under Labor.

“Having visited all 15 of WA’s federal seats this term, across 10 visits, I have talked to thousands of West Australians and they have told me they’ve gone backwards since Labor took power in Canberra,” she said.

Premier Cook said the visit showed Albanese was “committed and interested in what’s happening in Western Australia.”

The elevated rail line was originally slated to cost $1.05 billion but has since blown out to $1.6 billion with the Commonwealth tipping in $700 million.

Saffioti emphasised the project had been delivered on time and with no further cost blowouts than those already revealed.

It ain’t the Show of your childhood where your options were a burger with grated carrot, a bucket of hot chips, a wand of fairy floss and a cinnamon doughnut.

The Show that opened at the weekend is boasting a vast selection, adding vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal options to the classics with more than 80 food vendors overall.

Some of last year’s punters.

Here’s a taste …

Want Italian? Try Pasta e Fagioli, Galleria Burrata and Gnocchi Gnocchi Boys.

Chinese? Hungry Dragon’s bao buns, Chubby Dumpling or a Giant Bao Zi from Baolicious.

Indian? Tikka Tango.

Middle Eastern? Real Moroccan Cuisine or Turkish Gozleme.

Vietnamese? Banh Mi Kitchen.

Japanese? Try Felix & French’s bulldog-shaped taiyaki, Wakka Japanese Noodle’s street food or Sushi Hub’s Tamagoyaki on a stick.

Filipino? Banana Leaf.

Healthy? Joey’s Acai, the Pita Pit or an OJ from The Big Orange.

Indulgent? DNK Cupcakes offers 22 flavours, including vegan and nut-free; or try Mai Tardi’s gelato or nutty heaven bar (available at The Long Paddock and the Dairy Pavilion’s Ice Cream Bar); Sweet Purpose’s choc-coated strawberries; the Sweet Box Cart’s giant macaron ice cream slider; or pineapple soft serve from Dole Whip, Big Boyz Canteen on Viveash Avenue.

Meat freak? Char Bros BBQ has specialty barbecued meats, including 12-hour smoked brisket and Asado lamb birria burritos showcasing WA lamb with a Mexican twist. Danny’s Food Truck has crowd favourites including a smoked pork burger with fries; Smokr has slow-cooked meats, including tacos, burgers and kids’ meals; Frank + Lulus has cheese kransky-loaded fries.

On a budget? Cheese toasties with Perth Royal Food Award- winning ingredients cost $4 at The Dairy Pavilion and Feasting Barn (add ham for 50c). Sausage sizzles cost $5 at AgVenture Hill. You can also bring a picnic. Organisers have promised a focus on providing chairs, tables and better shade for picnickers. Just make sure you don’t bring glass or booze.

More info is at the related story here:

Defying predictions of a tight count, WA-raised Carlton superstar Patrick Cripps has strolled away with his second Brownlow Medal.

He chatted to our colleagues Millsy and Karl on Radio 6PR’s Breakfast this morning about growing up in country WA, saying the attitudes with which his parents faced the challenges of farming life helped him navigate the challenges he had faced in his career.

He also talked playing with the Brentwood Booragoon Bulldogs, living away from home, developing as a leader – and the sting for Carlton in ending the season.

You can have a listen below.

It was a strong showing for our state in general this year, with WA-born Bobby Hill winning mark of the year and West Coast Eagle Harley Reid winning goal of the year.

The family of a WA Police officer injured when a man wanted over a drug investigation allegedly ran over him has revealed the extent of his injuries.

Detective Senior Constable Greg McDougall, 46, was seriously injured when the driver of a white Toyota Hilux allegedly sped away after being stopped by police on Friday night.

Speaking to media on Monday, Greg’s twin brother Chris said it was “touch and go” on Friday night, but his brother began to stabilise on Saturday.

“He was just so strong, every time we saw him he always gave us the thumbs-up,” he said.

Greg suffered 16 broken ribs, a broken arm and a fractured ankle in the crash.

Chris said the support from WA Police and Greg’s unit had been “fantastic”.

“As a family, we’re so grateful,” he said.

“It’s going to be a long road.”

Chris described his brother as a “real family man” who loved fishing and spending time with his daughters.

“We are so proud of him, and what he does … he loves his job and the people,” he said.

Chris thanked everyone who had sent Greg and the family messages of support.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with a string of offences over the crash.