As it happened: WA news on Tuesday, September 10

We leave you this evening with the news that the Cook government is lining up an extraordinary parliamentary manoeuvre that could see both houses of parliament urge WA Governor Chris Dawson to sack the state’s Ombudsman of 17 years, Chris Field.

WA Ombudsman Chris Field.Credit: ABC News

The government is this week expecting the release of a Corruption and Crime Commission report into his travel while serving as both ombudsman and president of the International Ombudsman Institute.

The gruelling investigation involved nine days of hearings featuring just Field himself where the CCC grilled him on his extensive travel around the world for the institute.

Premier Roger Cook has in the past expressed concern at the extent of travel and its impact on Field’s taxpayer-funded role.

WAtoday understands on Tuesday the premier was gauging MPs, including opposition MPs, on whether they would support a motion in parliament to direct the governer to sack Field – if that was the recommendation from the CCC, and if Field did not resign himself.

The ombudsman is a completely independent body and the premier himself does not have the power to sack Field.

Under the act that governs the ombudsman’s office, Field may “be suspended or removed from his office by the governor on addresses from both Houses of Parliament.”

When questioned about the premier’s actions his office said Cook had “always said that he expects all public officials to act with the highest integrity and in the interests of the state.”

“The state government will await the findings of the CCC report before finalising its response,” a spokesperson said.

The ombudsman’s office was contacted for comment.

Field has always maintained he has always believed his travel was for the benefit of WA and was always extensively disclosed to parliament and the government.

“At all times, I strongly believed it was part of my broader duties to carry out the international role of president, which can only be carried out by a serving ombudsman, after being the first Australian elected to the position of president of the IOI in its 43-year history,” he has previously said.

“I never made any secret of my travels in various IOI positions over many years, nor the fact that this travel was in part funded by the office of the ombudsman.

“Nor did I make any secret of what I was trying to achieve by travelling as president of the IOI, both in ensuring that Western Australia was taking a leadership role in promoting and protecting human rights, good governance and the rule of law, as well as advancing Western Australia’s bilateral interests, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.”

Thanks for joining us today, readers; WA News LIVE will be back in the morning.

A group of pro-Palestine protesters were issued move-on notices by police and one was arrested, after holding a demonstration outside Perth’s only Jewish primary school.

The group of no more than 10 attended the school on Monday morning just before 10am, carrying the Palestine flag and signs supporting the pro-Palestine movement.

The Australian Jewish Association posted on Twitter that the “outrageous protest crosses all red lines”, by bringing “anti-Israel hate” right near the heart of the Perth Jewish community, including the city’s only Jewish school.

Its chief-executive Robert Gregory said they had been contacted by members of the community who were “furious to be confronted by this ugly sight.”

“It is just the latest outrageous act by extremist protesters,” he said.

The man arrested has since been released without charge, pending further queries, police confirmed.

Gregory said authorities needed to take a much harder line against the “spreading extremism.”

While the live sheep export ban was just discussed in state parliament, it was a hot topic in the nation’s capital today as well, with about 250 West Australians descending on Parliament House to rally for better treatment of farmers and to retain trade.

An estimated 2500 people attended the National Farmer Rally, including former opposition leader Mia Davies and former journalist Matt Moran – both of whom have been preselected for the newly created federal seat of Bullwinkel.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton addresses the National Farmer Rally alongside WA MPs and candidates including Mia Davies, David Littleproud, Matt Moran and Michaelia Cash. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The federal government’s decision to phase out live exports by sea by 2028 has sparked outrage among WA’s farming community.

In recent years, the state has accounted for more than 99 per cent of the country’s live sheep exports.

The decision has placed the WA Labor government at odds with its federal counterparts, with WA Premier Roger Cook demanding more than the $107 million funding package on offer.
Modelling shows the decision would cost the WA farming sector more than $123 million each year, with as many as 400 regional jobs at risk.

Moran, who was pictured alongside opposition leader Peter Dutton, said the Liberal Party would back farmers as they battled to keep the live sheep export industry.

The rally has thrown the issue back into the spotlight and prompted robust debate during question time in both Canberra and WA.

And in other news, Kerry Stokes-backed BCI Minerals has been granted federal environmental approval to begin production at its $1.4 billion salt project in the state’s north-west.

BCI confirmed Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek had approved the Mardie project in an announcement to the market on Tuesday, making the project the largest of its kind in more than two decades.

BCI Minerals’ Mardie project in WA.

The mega-project, situated 80 kilometres south of Karratha, is tipped to produce 5.3 million tonnes of industrial salt annually for the next 60 years and create almost 900 jobs between construction and operation.

BCI’s managing director David Boshoff said the approval was an important and pivotal moment for the company, which is hoping to capitalise on strong demand from Asia.

The federal government has helped bankroll it to the tune of more than $650 million, including via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.

The company, which inked a 21-year transshipment agreement in June, hopes to export its first shipment in FY27.

The mineral is used in industrial manufacturing and in the development of clean technologies, including solar panels and battery systems.

Mining billionaire and media mogul Kerry Stokes is a major shareholder in the company, with a 35.8 per cent stake.

BCI’s share price was hovering around 25 cents on Tuesday afternoon.

Staying with question time and Member for Roe Peter Rundle has had a dig at the state government’s recent Perth Zoo free passes, questioning when they would provide real cost of living relief “so families can afford to feed themselves and not just the ducks at the zoo.”

Premier Roger Cook responded by rattling off a laundry list of his government’s cost of living measures including yesterday’s free VacSwim lessons, the $2100 of state and federal electricity credits and free public transport periods.

Rundle then questioned whether the zoo tickets were another stunt to buy votes at the March election.

Cook said WA families had responded well to the zoo announcement, revealing 135,000 tickets had already been issued.

State parliament is back after a two-week break and the opposition has come out swinging on the federal issue of live exports during question time.

Opposition leader Shane Love accused the WA government of ignoring farmers’ anger by not advocating hard enough to their federal counterparts to scrap the phase out of live exports by 2028.

Ben Sutherland from Keep the Sheep, and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton during the National Farmer Rally at the front of Parliament House in Canberra earlier today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Cook responded by saying his government has publicly opposed the ban on a number of occasions but then talked up how much the chilled meat export industry had grown over the past decade, recording two million kilograms of sheep and goat meet last year.

“There is plenty of time to assist [farmers] to transition to other forms of farming or identify other supply chains to be part of such as the cold meat supply chains,” he said.

Love then accused Cook of revealing his true position on the issue.

“You just outlined what you really believed which is the end of this industry,” he said.

Cook said it was now federal liberals deputy leader Sussan Ley who first introduced legislation to parliament in 2018 to ban live sheep exports.

“When it comes to sincerity, we need look no further than the liberal party when it comes to the live sheep debate,” he said.

“Who was it who brought a private bill to eliminate the industry – no other than Sussan Ley, the now deputy leader of the liberal party.”

Ley changed her position on live exports in April 2023.

State opposition leader Shane Love has just finished up a press conference outside parliament house where he has fancied himself a bit of a Nostradamus when it comes to the government’s legislative agenda.

Responding to suggestions that Labor could use its power over both houses to stifle opposition debate and push through priority bills in the last seven weeks of parliament, Love said he believed this was a purposeful tactic by the government.

WA Opposition Leader Shane Love.Credit: Holly Thompson

Love predicted any bills that didn’t pass parliament would eventually be blamed on the opposition.

“There simply is a raft of legislation which is being pushed through the parliament at the moment which cannot undergo the due proper consideration in the time left for this parliament,” he said.

“I believe that it’s part of the tactic of the government who at the end of the period to say, ‘Oh, well, look, we’ve got all this legislation, and it is only the opposition that’s meant that it hasn’t been passed’.

“Actually, it’s the government’s fault for not bringing it in, in the last seven years and leaving it to the last seven weeks.”

Love also outlined the WA Nationals support for the proposed national social media ban to extend to 16-year-olds.

In Melbourne, members of the Sikh community have descended on the city centre after a Perth man allegedly desecrated a religious scripture in an incident that sparked international outrage.

The 20-year-old man fronted court at the weekend after being charged with “conduct intended to racially harass”.

The incident in Canning Vale sparked a major protest by the Victorian Sikh community on the streets of Melbourne on Tuesday.Credit: Nine.

According to WA Police, the man was charged on Saturday after allegedly disrespecting the Gutka Sahib outside the Canning Vale Gurudwara on August 27.

The man is understood to have acted alone.

But the alleged incident, which was filmed and shared to social media, has since gone viral and caused significant distress to the Sikh community globally.

Hundreds of Sikh Victorians marched down Swanston Street in Melbourne’s CBD, many of whom were wielding signs demanding that perpetrators of such crimes be held accountable.

The Sikh Association of WA joined The Hindu Council of Australia in condemning the alleged incident as “un-Australian”, saying it was the first of its kind in the nation’s history.

The 2021 census found there were about 210,000 Sikhs in Australia, with almost half this cohort residing in Victoria.

The religion originated in the Punjab area of India in the 15th century.

A Curtin University expert on childhood in the digital age has cautioned that moves to impose social media bans on kids show an “utter disregard” for evidence-based policymaking.

We posted earlier this morning that children will be blocked from social media under sweeping national plans to shield young people from online harm (7.31am) and that the WA premier has thrown his support behind it and stands ready to legislate (10.22am).

Now Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University and a chief investigator at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, says this will prevent young people participating fully in a digital world, infringe on their rights, and prevent them flourishing as digital citizens:

Many commentators have said we deal with dangerous situations by adding regulation, such as putting fences around pools. Rightly so. What’s being proposed here is filling the pools with concrete, and then magically expecting older children to have figured out how to swim. If we vastly increase our national spending on digital literacy, everyone can learn to swim, and to deal with whatever digital waters they find themselves in the future. Today’s proposals for bans simply kick the problems that exist down the road to a few years later but solves nothing.

Committing to bans before the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society has yet to deliver any findings or recommendations, also shows an utter disregard to evidence-based policy making, which is deeply disappointing.

I would direct anyone interested towards the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Digital Child’s ‘Manifesto for a Better Children’s Internet’ which addresses many of the issues.

A final one from this morning’s presser – any move to legislate a social media ban in WA would add to the Cook government’s already chockers legislative program.

After December, it is unlikely MPs will return to Harvest Terrace until after the March election given the lengthy summer break and caretaker period that takes place a month before the state election is held.

Premier Roger Cook. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

This means the Cook government has just seven sitting weeks left to get a mountain of bills through parliament.

Ever since winning control of both houses in the 2021 election, the opposition has been critical of the government’s moves to ram bills through parliament and stifle debate like it did with new voting laws.

Cook did not rule out using Labor’s overwhelming power in parliament to continue to push through legislation, saying he did not want the opposition holding things up for the sake of it.

“We will be respectful of the parliament, but we don’t want bills to be unnecessarily held up in the upper house, and as a result of that, we will take a very cautious view in relation to using any powers to speed up that legislation,” he said.

Cook said his government was “ambitious” which is why it had so much legislation ready to go.