As it happened: WA news on Tuesday, February 18

We’re bringing our live blog to a close for the day, thank you for tuning in.

As we leave you, residents in Windy Harbour and parts of Northcliffe in the state’s South West remain under threat of a bushfire which has so far burnt almost 22,000 hectares.

Hundreds of firefighters are on the scene and aerial support, including the Large Air Tanker, has been called in to help ground crews.

For the latest information, visit Emergency WA, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Facebook, listen to ABC Local Radio, 6PR, or news bulletins.

Meanwhile, here were some of the headlines we covered today:

• For the third time this year, Australia’s biggest shire has been hit by flooding – and it’s only February.

• A court has heard that the obstetrician accused of killing a young woman in a drunken, high-speed crash on Saturday night allegedly made “angry rants” about his wife in the weeks before the tragedy, captured by his car dashcam.
• The WA Liberals have pledged a major revamp of bail and supervision laws as they continue to criticise Labor’s handling of bailed criminals.

• Premier Roger Cook has made an election promise to increase the stamp duty exemption and discount for first home buyers from $450,000 to $500,000 and lift the discounted-rate thresholds from $600,000 to $700,000 in Perth and $750,000 in regional WA.

• And, in national news, millions of home buyers have been delivered financial relief after the nation’s major banks pledged to pass on the first cut in official interest rates in more than four years, but the Reserve Bank has dampened hopes for another rate cut in the middle of the looming federal election campaign.

Thank you for joining us today. We’ll see you again tomorrow for more news you need to know.

Western Australia’s peak real estate body says Labor’s plan to increase the stamp duty exemption threshold will help more first-home buyers access the property market.

REIWA has responded to the core election promise unveiled earlier today, with chief executive Cath Hart saying measured that helped first-home buyers overcome the “deposit gap” played a valuable role in helping them achieve homeownership.

Real estate groups have welcomed WA Labor’s pledge to raise the stamp duty exemption threshold.

Hart also backed increases to thresholds for off-the-lan and under-construction purchases, which she said would “support much needed high and medium density development”.

Meanwhile, Urban Development Institute of WA chief executive Tanya Steinbeck said the stamp duty relief would save first-home buyers tens of thousands of dollars.

“It is critical that support is provided to those that need it most, in order to ensure more people can achieve the dream of home ownership, and the long term security that it provides,” she said.

Steinbeck pointed to the UDIA’s advocacy as a driving force behind Labor’s stamp duty pledge, and said it was essential for government at all levels to continue to “pull all the levers to facilitate increased supply and housing choice”.

WA Premier Roger Cook has responded to reports by ABC Perth this morning that students at an elite all-girls school sent racist messages to each other via Snapchat, labelling them “bullies”.

Screenshots of the messages sent by students at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, invoking racist stereotypes about Indigenous people, were circulated across the school community.

The ABC chose not to reproduce the screenshots.

Cook was questioned on whether private schools needed more oversight on the ways they taught anti-racism.

“I think there needs to continue to be an important conversation in all our high schools about racism, about bullying, about intimidation,” he said.

“We want schools to be … places where people feel included, and where they feel safe, and that must be a strong message that we deliver, not just in independent schools, but right across schools, right across WA.”

He said his message to those impacted by the racist remarks was to “stay strong.”

“You’re stronger than these bullies. You can do this, and we’ve got your back and we’ll do everything we can to make sure you continue to have a great school to learn and grow in,” Cook said.

Premier Roger Cook has made an election announcement today that looks to be one of Labor’s central announcements, and in line with this week’s political theme of housing, it is a promise to increase the stamp duty exemption and discount for first home buyers.

Under the $130 million pledge Labor would increase the exemption applied on established home purchases for first-home buyers from $450,000 to $500,000 and lift the discounted-rate thresholds from $600,000 to $700,000 in Perth and $750,000 in regional WA.

Stamp duty savings under Labor. Credit: WA Labor

Cook said the policy means a first homebuyer would save nearly $18,000 when purchasing a $500,000 property.

An exemption for land purchases will also be increased from $300,000 to $350,000 and the exemption on apartment purchases from $100,000 to $750,000.

Cook said a combined 22,000 first-home buyers would benefit from the changes over the next four years, with up to 8000 paying no stamp duty.

The announcement doesn’t match the Liberals’ promise to raise the stamp duty exemption thresholds from $450,000 to $550,000 and raise the concession threshold from $600,000 to $700,000.

Since the pandemic, median house price in Perth has soared from $480,000 in 2020 to $750,000 this year.

At today’s press conference, Treasurer Rita Saffioti was peppered with questions about why Labor hasn’t promised to raise the exemption threshold further to reflect this extraordinary growth.

Saffioti replied that housing affordability was a major focus.

“There’s never ever been one solution to helping West Australians get into their homes. It’s been a whole suite of initiatives,” she said.

Master Builders Australia WA chief executive Matthew Pollock said each party got a big tick for addressing stamp duty.

“But they’ve all also missed the opportunity for greater reforms that could have given even greater support for aspiring West Australians looking to buy a home,” he said.

“Stamp duty is a bad tax. Cutting it further would make WA’s nation leading economy even stronger and put us in a leading position to attract the type of talent we need to support growth.”

A federal decision over an American oil and gas company’s fracking plans for WA’s Kimberley region has dismayed environmental advocates.

Black Mountain Energy, a de-listed company owned by Texan billionaire Rhett Bennett, was the first to submit a proposal after a fracking moratorium was lifted in the state’s north in 2018.

The government today determined the 20-frack well project would be subject to limited assessment under federal environment laws, noting it would impact four matters of national significance including water and threatened species. This is the first time federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has applied the ‘water trigger’ to a fracking project after law changes made at the end of 2023.

However, the company will not be required to submit an Environmental Impact Statement, with the government set to rely instead on “preliminary documentation” supplied by Black Mountain.

Lock the Gate Alliance Western Australia spokesperson Claire McKinnon said the project threatened water and wildlife in this part of the Kimberley.

“It is appalling that the Albanese government has failed to submit this project to the highest possible level of scrutiny,” she said.

“Thousands of West Australians called for this project to be subjected to full federal assessment, yet this plea has been ignored.”

To the state election now, the WA Liberals have just pledged a major revamp of bail and supervision laws as they continue to criticise Labor’s handling of bailed criminals.

Liberal Leader Libby Mettam said if elected on March 8 her government would introduce legislation to enforce stricter parole, bail and post-sentence supervision conditions.

The Liberals also promised mandatory electronic monitoring for serious repeat offenders.

Shadow attorney general Nick Goiran said the proposed laws were aimed at restoring faith in the justice system.

He pointed to the recent case of Mark Anthony Unchango Jnr, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old and after being released on a post-sentence supervision order is now charged and accused of following a woman from Whitfords Station and violently raping her.

“It is simply appalling that after all this time the premier has not given even a basic statement about what level of supervision was occurring in that case,” he said.

“The inadequate monitoring of such individuals undermines the integrity of our justice system and exposes law-abiding citizens to unnecessary risk.”

As West Aussies prepare for a state and federal election, prospective property buyers might be wondering whether to buy now or wait until the dust settles.

According to local buyers’ agent Peter Gavalas from Resolve Property Solutions the months leading up to an election could be a good time to buy for buyers who are well prepared.

On the sellers’ side, Gavalas says there has historically been a “freeze in their decision-making” in the months leading up to the election.

“Typically, we see the number of listings drop in the months leading up to an election,” he says.

“This is because sellers are waiting to see if a change of government – and the new policies that come with it – will have an effect on the price of housing.”

A look at recent elections reveals this pattern.

In 2019, listings between March and April declined 6.3 per cent nationally, increasing again the following month.

A similar trend occurred in the election years of 2016 and 2013.

Gavalas says fewer listings in an already tight Perth market may increase competition, but also present an opportunity for buyers.

“Sellers who are looking to move before the election may be more motivated to negotiate and close deals quickly, especially if they are uncertain about future market conditions,” he says.

“Also sellers rush to beat the administrative disruption that an election causes. And, because our elections are mostly held in May, this also coincides with vendors trying to sell before the usual winter slowdown.”

Just in, a court has heard this morning that the obstetrician accused of killing a young woman in a drunken, high-speed crash on Saturday night allegedly made “angry rants” about his wife in the weeks before the tragedy, captured by his car dashcam.

Rhys Bellinge, 45, is accused of crashing his Jaguar into an Uber in Dalkeith around 10pm, killing passenger Elizabeth Pearce, 24, and critically injuring her driver, a man in his 20s.

On Tuesday, Perth Magistrate Clare Cullen again delayed a decision on whether to bail the well-known doctor from one of Perth’s richest families, after police prosecutors revealed further review of his car dashcam showed Bellinge driving fast and erratically in that area while talking to himself about his wife, who had left him a month earlier.

“That footage, which goes back to February 6, contains numerous angry rants by him about his wife, even when he’s sober and on his way to and from work,” the police prosecutor said.

“We say it’s relevant on the grounds we are concerned for the welfare of his wife.”

The prosecutor also alleged body-worn camera footage, from the crash site and later in hospital, showed Bellinge trying to shift blame to the Uber driver.

Bellinge allegedly blew an alcohol reading of 0.183 at the scene, nearly four times the legal limit, and was clocked driving at 130 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.

Defence lawyer Tony Hager argued, however, there was no history of family violence, or family court proceedings, against his client and that he had been seeking counselling since the separation.

The crash occurred a day after the couple’s last marriage counselling session.

“There is this period of disintegration in the otherwise pro-social life in my client from [when his wife left] on,” he said.

After reviewing Bellinge’s dashcam footage from the night of the crash, Magistrate Cullen said she was concerned about what was “going on in the background.”

Read the full report from court in the related article.

A man searching through a skip bin in Cannington yesterday has rescued kittens duct-taped inside a box.

Beside it was a second box which appeared to have contained their mother, who likely escaped but was unable to free her kittens.

The kittens were found dumped, duct-taped into a box.

The man, despite having his own problems with homelessness, rushed them to the nearest vet, just around the corner, ensuring they got the urgent care they needed.

“With temperatures soaring in the afternoon yesterday these kittens would have been dead in a number of hours,” Cat Haven’s marketing manager Amber Ashford says.

“We place no judgement on people surrendering cats or kittens to us and will always take any that are in need. We also have amnesty crates at the front of Cat Haven if you can’t drop them off during open hours or wish to stay anonymous.

“There is never an excuse to dump them in such a cruel manner.”

Cat Haven has written a guide to help people who come across a litter in need – see below.

They also offer free de-sexing for the mother cat when a litter of kittens is surrendered.

“It has been relentless this summer with some days seeing up to 80 cats and kittens coming in,” Ashford says.

Cat Haven takes in every cat coming in, but this equals more than 7500 cats a year. It relies on community donations and volunteer work.

What to do if you find kittens dumped.

A bushfire emergency has been declared at Windy Harbour in the Shire of Manjimup, with residents told it is too late to leave and they may have to take shelter on the beach.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services told the residents of the South West town that the situation was rapidly changing, the Windy Harbour settlement was under direct threat, that Windy Harbour Road was closed to traffic north and south.

“For your own safety do not attempt to leave. If required take shelter on the beach,” the department warned.

″You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes.

“The fire situation is rapidly changing.

“Identify a room in your home where you can shelter from the approaching fire. It should have running water, such as a kitchen or laundry, and have a clear exit so you can easily escape.

“You must shelter before the fire arrives, as the extreme heat will kill you before the flames reach you.”

Complete instructions on exactly what residents should do are here at Emergency WA.

Bushfire Watch and Act alerts and Advice alerts are also in place for people elsewhere in the Shire of Manjimup.

Multiple roads, hiking trails, beaches and other public sites are closed.

The cause of the incident is lightning.

About 18,000 hectares have already been burnt.

Visit Emergency WA, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Facebook, listen to 6PR, ABC Local Radio or news bulletins for complete and up to date information.

Emergency WA is providing updates hourly.