As it happened: WA news on Thursday, February 6

That’s all from us for today. Thank you for joining us.

In case you’re only just tuning in, here’s a taste of some of the headlines we covered today:

• Forty-six emergency services personnel from Western Australia are heading east to Queensland and Victoria to help communities devastated by major flooding and severe bushfires.
• Fresh research from the Property Council of Australia shows Perth has joined Adelaide and Darwin in bucking the national trend to record a drop in CBD vacancy rates.
• The Greens have one-upped WA Labor’s vow to slash public transport fares by implementing a cap, unveiling its election pledge to make the service completely free.
• Premier Roger Cook announced a $68.3 commitment to boost equipment at TAFEs and upgrade the Munster TAFE campus
• Meanwhile, WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam pledged to boost hospital funding by $275 million to fund 500 transitional care beds in a press conference that was gatecrashed by a member of the public, and;
• The Dockers are set to be without Sean Darcy for the start of the AFL season as the injury-plagued 26-year-old ruckman undergoes minor ankle surgery.

Thanks again for tuning in, readers.

Be sure to join us again tomorrow for more of the news you need to know.

Sticking with sport now, and the Western Force have confirmed captain Jeremy Williams will remain with the club until 2027 after inking a two-year contract extension.

The news comes after a breakout year for the 24-year-old, who made his international debut in the Wallabies first match of the season against Wales in July and went on to feature in 10 of the 13 Tests.

Jeremy Williams of the Force being tackled during the round eight Super Rugby Pacific match between NSW Waratahs and Western Force at Allianz Stadium in April 2023.Credit: Photo: Cameron Spencer, Getty Images.

The former Waratah — who hails from New South Wales and made the move to Perth to join the Force before the 2023 season — was named captain for the 2024 season.

In a statement released by the club on Thursday, Williams said he “never wanted to go anywhere else” and was excited to re-commit his future to the Western Force and Australian Rugby.

“First of all, I’ve loved my time here in Perth. We have a great playing group. We have a great coaching staff and it’s a great organisation. I love the way we’re headed,” he said.

“I think the connections I’ve made here have been really good. I can really see we’re building something special, and I just want to be a part of it.

“I’ve had a great 24 months since I came over here, so I want to give back to the Force and repay the club’s faith in me.”

Force head coach Simon Cron said the club was thrilled that Williams had chosen the Western Force as his Super Rugby team, lauding his leadership qualities and what he brought to the squad.

Fremantle are set to be without Sean Darcy for the start of the AFL season as the injury-plagued ruckman undergoes minor ankle surgery.

The 26-year-old will be on light duties for the next two weeks after having a screw removed from his right ankle.

The Dockers hope the procedure will clear an infection in the joint, which was previously operated on in July 2023.

Injury-plagued Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy.Credit: AFL Photos

Darcy’s latest setback comes after he spent part of the summer in Doha continuing his rehabilitation from the knee surgery he had at the end of last year.

“Sean saw a specialist yesterday regarding the infection and it was agreed that the right call is to remove the screw to ensure that there aren’t any long-term ongoing issues with infection,” Dockers football manager Joe Brierty said on Thursday.

“The removal of this screw will mean that Darcy will have a couple of weeks de-loading to recover from the procedure before re-commencing training.

“Sean has been training diligently throughout pre-season, and pleasingly he can continue to implement his knee program during this period as he prepares to return to full training.”

Darcy will miss Fremantle’s pre-season clashes with the Indigenous All Stars (February 15) and Melbourne (March 2).

He is unlikely to feature in the Dockers’ difficult round-one test away to Geelong on March 15.

The ankle infection continues a tough run with injuries for the hulking ruckman, who managed only 12 games last year after playing 15 in 2023.

“The way he attacked that time over in Doha with the specialists was great to see, and he’s brought back some really important exercises that will assist his function and movement,” Brierty said.

“He’s really excited about what this will do for his knee strength into the future.

“All going well, it is anticipated that there will only be a small adjustment to his return to play timelines with the aim to return to football in the early rounds of the season.”

AAP

Turning to Royal Perth Hospital now, where WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam has been grilled about her policy agenda by a frustrated member of the public during a press conference.

Mettam was briefing the media on the party’s $275 million vow to fund 500 transitional care beds flanked by candidates when she was approached by a voter demanding lower taxes.

The Liberal leader attempted to placate the woman by shifting the conversation away from federally imposed income tax and spruiking the party’s plans to overhaul payroll tax and stamp duty.

But still, the voter was unsatisfied.

“I know what you’re committed to, my question is how are you physically going to do it? All of my taxes have gone up,” she said.

“You talk about all this so-called cost of living, but how about you make my life a little bit easier, and you stop taxing me 60 per cent of my income? That is a good start — less taxation.”

“Only the Liberals are committed to cutting stamp duty for seniors that want to downsize,” Mettam responded.

“Just tell the truth. Tell us how much you want to tax us and where the tax goes, OK?”

The woman was then approached by a security guard, who appeared to escort her away by telling her it was not the appropriate time for the discussion, to which she replied: “No, it is the time. She wants to be elected, and she has to tell the people the truth.”

Mettam restarted the press conference by maintaining the party was the only one with a plan to reduce taxes in WA.

Life on the campaign trail, huh?

Premier Roger Cook has not been enticed by the Greens’ free public transport idea we reported on earlier, unleashing a tirade on the party at his press conference this morning.

“The Greens are a slogan. They’re not a political party. They simply say anything that comes to their mind because they think it sounds good, but they’ll never be held accountable for the costs associated with their policies,” he said.

“They simply come up with an idea and say it, ‘Stick it on a bumper sticker’, and think that’s a system of public policy. It’s not. They’re simply a slogan.”

When pressed on why he didn’t like the idea, given his own government introduced free public transport over summer, Cook insisted it was about balance.

“We have committed to a $2.80 flat suburban fare. This will be the most affordable public transport system in the country,” he said.

“You have to balance it out with the costs and all the other issues that are associated with good responsible budget management and responsible government.”

To non-politics news now, and a 22-year-old man has been charged with drink-driving after he allegedly crashed his Kia Cerato into a parked roadworks trailer on the Mitchell Freeway last night.

A WA Police spokesman said officers were alerted to the crash in the southbound lanes near Hepburn Avenue in Duncraig about 11.20pm on Wednesday.

A 22-year-old man has been charged over this crash on the Mitchell Freeway on Wednesday night.Credit: Night News

Police alleged the car hit the trailer, which was parked as a crew carried out works on the freeway nearby.

The driver escaped uninjured. However, he has since been charged careless driving and exceeding 0.05 grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. He’s got a date with Joondalup Magistrates Court in March.

Attention Bunbury four-wheel-drivers: have you lost your ride? Forgotten where you parked it? Maybe left the handbrake off?

You might want to check out the Leschenault Estuary – more specifically, near “the Cut”, where the estuary meets the ocean at the end of the peninsula.

A team from the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre was out there earlier this week looking for, well, do we have to spell it out for you? They put up some drones to check for dolphins in the area, but were not prepared for what lay beneath the waves.

This car was spotted submerged in the Leschenault Estuary.

A post to the centre’s Facebook page revealed a “large vehicle” under the water, which the centre said appeared to have been submerged for “quite some time” near Turkey Point.

“As part of our environmental and conservation duties, we reported the vehicle to the Police authorities as well as the City of Bunbury and Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia,” the post read.

“We are concerned that fuel, oil, grease, and other chemicals potentially leak into the estuary, which could harm dolphins, other marine wildlife, and the fragile ecosystem.

Have any 4WD owners gone a bit too far off-road near Bunbury?

“We hope the car gets removed very soon as boats are also at risk of striking it, causing more danger and damage.”

For what it’s worth, we here at the WAtoday live blog desk reckon it looks like an older 4WD, perhaps a 70-series Landcruiser, or a Patrol. What do you think?

The Department of Transport told 9news.com.au it was only recently made aware of the submerged vehicle.

“It appears to have been there for some time, with no reports of it being a hazard to navigational safety,” a spokesperson said.

“DoT will in the first instance assess the situation and will if necessary work with other agencies to ensure the vehicle’s owner removes it from navigable waters.”

Some sports news now to break up the flood of election promises, and West Australian cricketer Cooper Connolly will make his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle.

The 21-year-old, who has played four first-class matches, is set to replace Todd Murphy in Australia’s XI. Murphy took 1-85 in the opening Test.

Cooper Connolly of Australia poses with his new baggy green.Credit: Getty Images

Connolly is predominantly a batsman but got picked on this tour for his left-arm orthodox spin and ability to take the ball away from a right-hander.

He’s never made a first-class hundred (his highest score was 90 in a Sheffield Shield final) and is yet to snare a first-class wicket.

Australia will start in the field in Galle, with Sri Lankan skipper Dhanajaya De Silva winning the toss and electing to bat.

If you want to follow all the action, you can check out our live coverage here.

More election promises now, and the WA Liberals have vowed to boost hospital funding by $275 million to fund 500 transitional care beds if elected in March.

Under the Liberals’ plan, the beds will be provided where they’re most needed, which would also free up beds in other parts of the health system.

Liberal leader Libby Mettam said patients across WA were waiting, “for an ambulance, for a specialist, for a bed, and, mostly, for targeted investment in our hospital system”.

The Liberal party has promised $275 million to fund 5000 transitional care beds in WA’s health system.

“Addressing the issue of extended hospital stays is a critical step to delivering the healthcare system WA deserves, and the introduction of 500 new transitional care beds will do just that,” she said.

“This is about putting the well-being of West Australian patients first and ensuring they get timely care when it’s needed, across the entire health care system.”

The Liberals have identified a clear political target in Labor’s management of the state’s health system.

At his campaign launch on Tuesday night, Churchlands candidate Basil Zempilas lambasted the government for spending “$13 billion on a train line”, and openly pondered what the money could have done for WA’s hospitals.

On Thursday, Mettam said clearing bed block across the national health system could save between $800 million to $2.17 billion a year – “and WA needs to be a big part of that”.

“These beds will save our hospitals and save West Australian patients,” she said.

Roger goes to TAFE

Meanwhile, keeping with this week’s “education election” theme, Premier Roger Cook announced a $68.3 commitment to boost equipment at TAFEs and upgrade the Munster TAFE campus as well asestablish a heavy vehicle driver training facility in Neerabup.

The commitment includes $33.8 million for an expanded round of the Modern TAFE Equipment Program – itself a 2021 election commitment.

“We want WA students to leave TAFE fully prepared for success in their next job,” Cook said.

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson was also in Bunbury announcing $26 million for youth mental health programs in regional WA.

Enjoying working from the office is one thing, getting into the CBD is another. And, amid growing cost-of-living pressures, who can afford to drive in and cop a parking fee upwards of $16 a day?

Then again, with a two-zone ticket on public transport costing as much as $5.20 – $10.40 a day, or $52 a week for regular CBD commuters – it’s not like that’s a much cheaper option.

Labor has pledged to slash fares to a “one-zone” system, where SmartRider holders would pay a flat fee of $2.80 a trip, if re-elected in March.

But the Greens reckon they can go one better. They want Perth’s “summer of free public transport” to become a year-round reality.

And Greens MLC Brad Pettitt reckons WA has the cash to afford it.

Free public transport? We can afford it, the Greens say.Credit: iStockphoto

“In a wealthy state like Western Australia everyone should be able to afford the basics,” he says.

“Taking into account the summer of free public transport and the recently announced free transport Sundays, Western Australian commuters will already get 97 days of free public transport in 2025.

“If you’re a school student then, but for a few weeks of school holidays, you can travel on public transport for free for practically the whole year.

“Investing in free and frequent public transport is a transformative way to make Perth much less car-dependent and much more sustainable as our population grows into the future. It will also save the average Perth commuter more than $46 per week or $2246 a year.”

Taking into account Labor’s pledge to slash fares, the average full-time worker commuting five days a week would save $1344 a year if transport were free.

The plan would cost the government $778 million in revenue over the forward estimates, based on current usage of the public transport system.

The Greens have also pitched a plan for 31 kilometres of mid-tier transit services along two new routes, connecting the University of WA to Curtin University and Fremantle Train Station to Murdoch University.

They reckon light rail along the UWA-Curtin route would cost $1.3 billion, or trackless tram services could be done for $420 million.

Light rail along the second route would cost $500 million, according to the Greens, and trackless trams would cost $200 million.

“With multibillion-dollar surpluses over each of the last state budgets and an obscene budget on new roads, it is time we shift our thinking and invest in long-term solutions to make our communities more liveable while providing much-needed cost of living relief,” Pettitt said.