As it happened: WA news on Wednesday, July 31

Good evening readers, and thanks for following along today.

We’ll be back from 7.30am tomorrow spoiling you for choice with new headlines.

See you then.

Perth and parts of the WA coast will need to brace for another strong cold front that will bring with it damaging winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour and severe thunderstorms this afternoon into this evening.

Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman Sarah Scully said a severe weather warning had been issued for the state’s South West and metropolitan area, with possible flash flooding across the regions.

Coastal towns between Perth and Jurien Bay are also within the warning zone.

You can hear more about the predicted weather below:

There is also a severe thunderstorm warning for people in parts of the Great Southern, Central Wheatbelt and Lower West districts, with the chance of damaging winds and large hailstones.

A woman bitten by a shark near the Abrolhos Islands yesterday afternoon has been discharged from hospital after receiving serious, but not life-threatening, injuries to her leg.

It has been revealed the woman, aged in her 30s, was an off-duty fisheries officer with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and was out snorkelling at Rat Island, around 60 kilometres off the coast of Geraldton, after her shift when she was bitten around 5.25pm.

The species of shark involved is not yet known.

People in the area are advised to exercise additional caution.

A woman who turned 27 today is the subject of a police investigation into her disappearance as her desperate mum begs her to reach out and make contact.

Tahlia Prior, a civil engineer who was awarded the STEM Student of the Year at Curtin University in 2022 was last seen outside Bentley Hospital on Friday evening at 5pm.

Her mum, Cindy Prior, made a tearful plea for members of the public to look out for her daughter, whom she described as “vulnerable”.

“She left her phone, but we’re hoping she knows the number and will call it,” she said at a police press conference held this afternoon.

“It’s your special day today. We need you to come home. We need you need to be at home with us to celebrate your birthday.”

Tahlia was last seen wearing sky blue pants, hospital pyjamas and a black jumper. Police also said she was wearing black sneakers.

Read more here.

Fans of the West Coast Eagles are loyal to a fault, with the club recording one of the highest membership numbers in the country for 2024.

Despite having won just three games this season, and finishing with the wooden spoon in last year’s season, the club has over 100,000 members.

Eagles fans show their support at a game at Optus Stadium. Credit: Joe Armao

A total of 1,268,403 members have been signed up for 2024 across all clubs, and that number will rise some more given the cut-off isn’t until August 31.

The figure represents about a six per cent increase on the previous record set last year.

One out of every 22 Australians are a member of an AFL club. Three clubs - Carlton, Collingwood and West Coast - all have more than 100,000 members each.

AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the sport’s fans were like no other in the world.

This season also represents one of the tightest campaigns in AFL history.

The Dockers are currently sitting in third place on the ladder, but have the same number of points as Brisbane – in second spot – and have just two points, or one win, over the four teams below them.

AAP

Following on from our earlier post on Nicheliving and WA Premier Roger Cook has commented on the embattled company’s deregistration.

Speaking to media on Wednesday morning, he said he didn’t think many would be surprised by the outcome, and urged families affected to reach out to QBE Insurance, who are working with the state government to help find alternative builders for affected families.

Here is more of what Cook had to say:

They have about 130 homes with customers that they’re looking to complete and obviously, we feel for those families and those people and we want to get their homes completed as soon as possible.

Now we need those people to be able to reach out to our insurers under the home insurance indemnity arrangements, so that we can get alternative builders in there as soon as possible.

We want to get those people’s homes built. We want to get them in their homes as soon as possible.

It’s unacceptable that people who enter into a contract with this company, under the expectation that they’ll have a home built, have been waiting so long.

QBE Insurance can be contacted on 1300 790 723.

WA Premier Roger Cook has just announced that children aged 15 and under will be able to enter the Perth Royal Show for free this year, as families continue to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

The state government has funnelled $5.2 million into reducing the cost of attending the show, which will also result in adult and concession tickets costing half the price.

The Perth Royal Show fireworks have always been one of the main attractions.Credit: Perth Royal Show

Up to four children will be free for each adult ticket.

The funds will also support the nightly fireworks spectacular, which is set to be the biggest in the show’s history.

Fireworks will be launched from 100 locations, along with an agriculture-themed drone show.

More than 300,000 people are expected to flock to this year’s show from September 21 to 28, with more than 59,000 visitor nights expected to be spent in metropolitan Perth.

Cook said he understood many families were feeling the pressure of the rising cost of living.

“So this year, tickets for the kids are on us,” he said.

WA is the only place in Australia, bar the Northern Territory, where Catholic schools do not receive capital grant funding from the government.

Catholic Education WA is now calling for this to change, stating it is unfair for parents to have to contribute for capital works, including building and maintenance projects, through fundraising or school fees.

A report published by the branch found the state government would need to invest $6.4 billion in additional capital expenditure for school infrastructure if Catholic school students were required to be educated in government schools.

Catholic Education WA Executive Director Wayne Bull said one in five WA school children attend a Catholic school, and in seven locations in the Kimberley region, were the sole education provider.

“Parents, who are exercising school choice by enrolling their child in a Catholic school, contribute school fees on top of paying taxes,” he said.

“As political parties formulate their policy pitch to families we urge them to put children first and provide equitable funding to all WA students by committing to providing capital funding for those almost 82,000 students who are enrolled in a Catholic school.”

Catholic Education WA has called for $25 million in ongoing state government capital grant funding to ensure students have parity with other students across Australia.

They have also called for an additional one-off $100 million over five years to address the legacy of capital underfunding for Catholic schools in the Kimberley.

WA’s building watchdog, Building and Energy, has just released a statement about Nicheliving:

The Building Services Board has refused to renew the building contractor registration of Projex Management & Construction Pty Ltd, trading as Nicheliving.

After reviewing the Perth builder’s renewal application, the Board was not satisfied the company met the financial requirements for registration.

The Board’s decision enables homeowners with incomplete or defective work under home building work contracts with Projex Management & Construction to make a claim on their home indemnity insurance policies and consider other arrangements for completing their projects.

Without building contractor registration, the company can no longer carry out or be contracted for building work valued at $20,000 or more requiring a building permit. It is understood the company has more than 230 incomplete home building work contracts on its books.

It’s understood the beleaguered builder has left between 300 and 500 homes unfinished, and contractors unpaid.

The construction industry is still reeling from a string of high-profile company collapses following what has been dubbed “the profitless boom”, a period of building activity buoyed by COVID stimulus.

The state and federal government stimulus — which attracted more than five times more applicants than anticipated — drove labour and materials cost hikes at a time when supply chains were constrained, pricing builders out of jobs.

It also left behind hundreds of stalled home builds, costing families tens of thousands of dollars in mortgage and rent costs and leaving them in limbo.

9 News Perth has obtained exclusive vision of attempted murderer Matthew Lawson searching for his victim moments before running him down in a car and attacking him with a hammer.

The frenzied attack occurred around midday on Monday on West Coast Highway in City Beach.

WA Police claimed Lawson, 25, was looking for his colleague, Trae Black, 29, at their various work sites before finding him on a construction site in City Beach.

Black tried to flee the site, but Lawson ran him down in his car, severing his leg. He then got out the vehicle and began attacking him with a hammer, striking him multiple times to the head.

Members of the public, including an off-duty doctor, conducted emergency first aid, likely saving Black’s life.

During his first appearance in court yesterday, Lawson declined legal advice and pleaded guilty to attempted murder.