As it happened: WA news on Monday, February 10

That’s where we’ll leave you for today, readers. Thank you for tuning in.

Before we go, however, an update on the Cassius Turvey murder trial which opened in the WA Supreme Court today.

Prosecutor Ben Stanwix has told the jury that one of the men accused of Cassius’ murder, Jack Brearley, allegedly bragged about bashing the schoolboy with a metal trolley pole.

Cassius was attacked after a series of violent events culminated in a “tit-for-tat escalation” and Brearley and his co-accused allegedly chasing a group of 19 high school students through bushland in Middle Swan, in Perth’s north-east.

“Cassius was one of the kids in the bush trying to get through and escape to the car park,” Stanwix told the jury on Monday.

“Cassius didn’t make it as far as the fence when Jack Brearley caught up with him. He was armed with the metal pole and used it to strike Cassius Turvey to the head.”

Read Rebecca Peppiatt’s latest report from the courtroom here.

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

An investment in First Nations women is one the federal government won’t regret, an Aboriginal women’s group says as it launches its roadmap for the future.

The Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council launched the 2025-27 strategic plan on Monday morning at Parliament House in Canberra.

The plan focuses on strengthening the Aboriginal community-controlled sector, fostering self-determination and advancing Closing the Gap priorities.

Labor WA Senator Sue Lines, centre, with members of the Kimberley Aboriginal Women’s Council at the launch of the council’s 2025-27 strategic plan in Canberra.Credit: KAWC/Facebook

The council’s chief executive Janine Dureau said serious investment is needed to develop women’s leadership capabilities.

“We are the matriarchs of our communities but we are being excluded from the decision-making,” she said.

“(There is) a lack of investment for us to be able to implement the work that’s going to have greater impact to be able to address Closing the Gap targets.”

Aboriginal women want to see their rights, leadership and self-determination on the national agenda, which is why the council chose to fly to Canberra for the launch of their plan, chairperson Selena O’Meara said.

The council’s initiatives, including their Women’s leadership program and Rise and Shine Mentoring program are designed to create social, cultural and economic benefits for communities.

O’Meara said women in the Kimberley have long advocated for their voices to be heard.

“The women have spoken ... for over 30 years, and we can’t keep singing that same song,” she said.

“We need action and this group is the one that’s going to bring that action into play, because it’s the right thing.”

AAP

The long-awaited trial of four people accused of murdering 15-year-old schoolboy Cassius Turvey has begun in the Supreme Court of WA.

Jack Brearley, 23, Mitchell Forth, 26, Aleesha Gilmore, 23, and Brodie Palmer, 29, are accused of killing the Indigenous teenager, who was attacked while walking home from school in Middle Swan in 2022.

A fifth person, Ethan Mackenzie, 20, is also on trial, accused of detaining and wounding another 15-year-old boy in the days before Cassius was attacked. He is not accused of murdering Cassius.

On Monday, prosecutor Ben Stanwix told the jury Cassius’ death was “the end point of a complex series of events that had absolutely nothing to do with him”.

“The story of how he came to be murdered is remarkable,” Stanwix said, before alleging Cassius died as a result of “petty grievances he had nothing to do with.”

Cassius was allegedly bashed on October 13, 2022 after he was chased along with other school children through a reserve.

He suffered bleeding on the brain and succumbed to his injuries 10 days later, sparking national outcry and multiple candlelit vigils in his honour.

Read court reporter Rebecca Peppiatt’s full story here.

To some breaking news from Perth’s east now, and a man has died after the Holden Commodore utility he was driving collided with another vehicle on Albany Highway in Gosnells.

WA Police have confirmed the police airwing had observed the silver Commodore travelling on Albany Highway about 10.30am on Monday, just minutes before it collided with a Toyota Landcruiser tray-top at the intersection of Albany and Tonkin Highway.

The 39-year-old male driver of the Commodore sustained critical injuries and died at the scene.

The driver of the Landcruiser, a 68-year-old male, was taken to Armadale Hospital with minor injuries.

Albany Highway remains closed between the Tonkin Highway northbound entry ramp and Page Road, with drivers urged to avoid the area.

Major crash investigation section officers remain at the scene, which is littered with debris.

In more protest news, a lively 150-odd people were out exercising their democratic rights yesterday to protest against the government’s handling of Perth’s plummeting little penguin population.

We’ve just got these photos in of the colourful Rocko’s Rally, which called for action to bring Penguin Island’s little penguin colony back from the brink.

The colony is considered the canary in the coalmine for the Shoalwater Islands Park and has experienced a 94 per cent decline between 2007 and 2023, with protesters pointing to climate change, boat collisions and tourism impacts as contributing factors.

There are just 114 little penguins remaining on Penguin Island in the population estimate published last year.

Protesters were not shy in criticising Environment Minister Reece Whitby’s comments to media last month that “sustainable” tourism had been occurring on Penguin Island for decades.

Dawn Jecks, rally leader, Save Rockingham’s Little Penguins convenor and local councillor, said: “We need updating of expired management plans, funding to enforce marine park rules and stop the penguin-killing hooning, and a plan to bring penguins back from the brink of extinction that is actually executed. And we need the WA environment minister to back and implement the interventions the experts are advocating for, before it is too late.“

Building works on the island were criticised for their timing this summer.

A spokesperson said the state government was committed to supporting this “iconic” location and its penguins.

A tropical low off the WA coast could strengthen to a tropical cyclone by Wednesday, bringing with it damaging winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the strong gusts could occur near the Kimberley coast between Cape Leveque and Bidyadanga from Wednesday morning.

The tropical low off the WA coast could become a cyclone by Wednesday. Credit: BOM

A watch zone has been established between Cape Levelque to De Grey, including Broome.

“The system is then forecast to move further towards the Pilbara coast but be slow moving on Thursday and Friday while strengthening further,” a BOM alert read.

“There is high variability in location and intensity of the system by landfall.”

Heavy rains and abnormal tides are also possible in the north this week from today until Wednesday.

Sticking with the Premier’s press conference this morning, he has also addressed US President Donald Trump’s plan to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports.

Well, obviously, you know the Trump administration is going to be focusing on disruptive announcements which makes the world stand up and take notice, but I’m not particularly concerned in relation to their most recent announcement, obviously, in terms of aluminum and steel exports to the US, they are next to zero from Australia.

But in terms of China’s steel exports to the US, I just want to provide you this information. 90 per cent of China’s steel production is consumed by their local markets, their domestic markets.

Of that 10% that they export, 6.2% of that goes to the US. So you see that their exports to the US of raw steel based products, is very small.

I spoke with the Chinese ambassador just the other day, where I asked what the impact of any tariff arrangements were. He says the experience that we had with the last Trump administration, when they ramped up tariffs on Chinese imports, was that simply people continued to buy their products, the US citizen just paid more for them, so I’m expecting minimal disruption as a result of this announcement.

WA Premier Roger Cook has just held a press conference to announce a $105 million expansion to Midland Hospital’s emergency department if elected.

During questions, however, he has been asked about the infamous fat berg that blocked a main sewerage line in Perth’s CBD last night and forced the last-minute cancellation of a Bryan Adams concert at RAC Arena.

Concertgoers waiting to be let in the doors at RAC Arena for Bryan Adam’s Perth concert.Credit: Tim Downing

“I absolutely apologise to all those people who have been disappointed because they have they didn’t get an opportunity to see Brian Adams last night,” he said.

“I appreciate it’s incredibly inconvenient and disappointing for them.

“At the end of the day, we are focused on public safety, and of course, we stand by the decision that was taken last night to make sure that we didn’t have a public health incident as a result of this fatberg.”

After a few snickers from the press pack and the Premier, he then continued to offer some sound advice.

“The fatberg has been flushed, and we are very pleased that we are now seeing that situation has been addressed.

“This is the important message for everyone, there’s only three P’s that should go down the toilet, your pee, your poo and your toilet paper.

“Do not stick other items into the toilet, because that’s what leads to the creation of fatbergs, they are essentially a combination of wipes and other things and organic matter.”

Turning to breaking news from Perth Magistrates Court now, and three climate protesters who targeted the home of Woodside boss Meg O’Neill have been slapped with more than $6500 in fines after pleading guilty to attempted trespass and attempted unlawful damage over the incident, which was filmed by an ABC crew.

Jesse Noakes, 36, Gerard Mazza 33, and Matilda Lane-Rose, 20, arrived at O’Neill’s western suburbs home at 6.45am on August 1, 2023, intending to throw paint at the house and chain themselves to a gate to prevent O’Neill from being able to leave in opposition to the energy giant’s plans on the Burrup Peninsula.

The climate activists leaving court on Monday morning. Credit: Jesinta Burton

But the protest was foiled by 10 WA Police officers who were lying in wait, intervening after the group arrived and arresting them as an ABC documentary crew’s cameras rolled.

The entire incident was caught on camera by the crew of ABC’s flagship investigative program Four Corners, who had accompanied the trio as part of a story on the growing environmental movement.

A fourth co-accused, Emil Davey, was arrested at his home a short time later.

The court previously heard the activists had been captured on CCTV scoping out the premises 72 hours before the planned protest, and had purchased four litres of yellow paint to pour into balloons, two buckets and three yellow spray cans.

And Davey had a run-in with undercover cops while driving by the home 24 hours before the protest, with the court previously told he had been held up at gun point.

O’Neill later took out violence restraining orders against all four defendants, branding the incident “extreme”.

Read the full story here. 

The long-awaited trial of the four people accused of murdering Indigenous schoolboy Cassius Turvey in 2022 gets underway today in the Supreme Court of WA.

Jack Brearley, Mitchell Forth, Aleesha Gilmore and Brodie Palmer are accused of killing the 15-year-old who was walking home from school in Middle Swan.

A fifth person, Ethan Mackenzie, is also on trial for a related matter.

Cassius Turvey was 15 years old when he died.

The group is alleged to have bashed Turvey with the handle of a shopping trolley after chasing a group of children in school uniforms through a reserve, with Cassius picked off for being the slowest.

He died in hospital 10 days later from bleeding on the brain.

His death sparked a national outcry.

Turvey’s mother, Mechelle, is expected to attend the trial, which will be conducted before a jury.

It is due to take two months to complete with 30 child witnesses giving evidence.

Our court reporter Rebecca Peppiatt will bring readers regular updates throughout the trial.