As it happened: WA news on Thursday, August 29

Good evening readers, and thanks for joining us today.

To catch you up, in the past couple of hours we’ve reported on the long-range spring forecast, a horrific instance of sex abuse in a Perth aged care facility only captured by a family member’s hidden camera, a Perth lithium boss slamming ‘lazy’ global car makers, the EPA setting Alcoa a deadline for its mining approvals, the federal resources minister accusing BHP of trying to weaponise the press, and a last-minute reprieve for Perth’s little penguins.

We reckon that’s enough for now, so we’ll catch you with a fresh live blog in the morning.

Perth crime novelist David Whish-Wilson has released his tenth novel today and not only has it scored an elusive endorsement from local legend Tim Winton, but we hear it’s drawn from some truly hair-raising real-life experiences.

Cutler is out now. Credit: Fremantle Press

Whish-Wilson’s years of research, with the help of Sea Shepherd, have formed the backbone of Cutler and it’s not for the faint-hearted.

The thriller takes readers out to a remote ocean landscape with former undercover operative Paul Cutler, now working off the books, where the deep-sea fishing industry operates out of sight and largely out of mind.

Cutler investigates the disappearance of a young Australian marine scientist on a Taiwanese-flagged distant-water fishing vessel, and realises that the crime he’s investigating points to a slew of much darker deeds.

The famously reclusive Winton has emerged from the shadows to call it “a ripping page-turner about shameful secrets just across the horizon”.

Sounds like one to add to your list.

Cutler is out now in all good bookstores and online.

Bringing you back to a story from yesterday, and the state government has changed its plans to start construction on Penguin Island during the breeding season of a decimated and vulnerable little penguin population, it can now be revealed.

Little penguins on Penguin Island in Rockingham face an uncertain future.Credit: Rockingham Wild Encounters

Initially, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions had plans to undertake construction works including installing a roof over a new deck, completion of a visitor information hub, and installation of visitor signage and interpretation, between August and September.

This would have placed the works right in the middle of the penguin breeding season and the plans attracted vocal alarm from scientists, who said they could have further impacted on population numbers that have already declined by 94 per cent in less than 20 years.

Read more here.

Much of Western Australia has a 60-80 per cent chance of below-average rainfall this spring, long-range forecasts released on Thursday show.

And despite an August much rainier than last year’s, a long established overall decrease in WA rainfall since the mid-1970s continues, with the state experiencing up to 20 per cent less rainfall on average than 50 years ago.

A long dry summer is coming. Credit: iStock

Read more here.

To some sports news now and Dockers vice-captain Caleb Serong has opened up about the heartbreak of Fremantle’s failed finals bid, believing the pain will only drive the group to greater heights next year.

The Dockers lost their last four games to slip from third on the ladder to 10th, crushing their premiership hopes for another season.

Caleb Serong of the Dockers.Credit: Getty Images

Fremantle would have sneaked into the finals had they beaten Port Adelaide in the final round, but lost by 20 points after conceding the last three goals of the match.

Serong revealed the team held a meeting with three rounds remaining where they committed to giving the flag a red-hot crack.

“We said it would break our heart if we went all in and came up short,” Serong said.

“But I’d rather that than shy away from the challenge or not give our all in that space. I don’t think the last three weeks you can question our effort, the way we wanted to play, the intensity.

“We just didn’t make the most of opportunities and came up against three really good sides (Geelong, GWS, Port Adelaide).

“We played some amazing footy throughout the year - it was just scarred by missed opportunities, and that’s what hurts.

“But it won’t break us. It’ll make us stronger and it will teach us a lot of lessons and help us grow.”

Read more here. 

AAP

Mining and energy company Mineral Resources has warned of challenging months ahead after the lithium price slump crushed its annual profit, forcing it to rule out dividend payments.

“We’re throwing everything off the deck just to make sure we conserve cash,” MinRes founder and managing director Chris Ellison said on Thursday.

“It’s not a fun time. I mean this is the shittiest time to be the MD of a company.”

Ellison has warned of challenging months ahead.Credit: Trevor Collens

Net profit more than halved to $A114 million in the 12 months to June 30, but cashflow was up 9 per cent at $1.9 billion, including iron ore prepayments of $A600 million.

The achieved price of lithium fell by more than three quarters to $US1279 per dry metric tonne, from $US5267.

Ellison said no lithium producers were making money at that price, but the management team had decades of experience riding through commodity peaks and troughs.

“Given the stubborn lithium price and our remaining investment in Onslow Iron, we will continue to take a conservative approach during FY25, deferring expansion projects and focusing on cost reduction and cash preservation,” he said.

The mining services division, which is less impacted by commodity swings, delivered record underlying earnings of $A550 million, an increase of 14 per cent.

AAP

A 49-year-old Collie woman has appeared in Armadale Magistrates Court charged with the murder of a man who is known to her.

It is alleged that Sweeney May Woods stabbed a 51-year-old man in the leg at a home in Maddington on Tuesday evening, who later died from his injuries.

The circumstances around the incident are still unclear.

Woods was remanded in custody and will come before Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on September 25.

Exotic animals being kept at pets across WA, including several species of crocodiles, have been seized by authorities in an operation aimed at stamping out the trade of the animals – both native and from overseas.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development led Operation Closepablo to investigate the organised importation, keeping, breeding and sale of illegal exotic animals in WA.

Animals including an African spurred tortoise, a caiman crocodile and an African grey parrot were sized, as well as a range of native fauna species including lace monitors, pig-nosed turtle and an Australian freshwater crocodile.

The capture of African Grey parrots, which can live until they are 120, for the international pet trade has already caused populations to crash, Pearson says.

Some of the animals seized were listed as protected and threatened, and some were declared biosecurity pests.

The Department will seek to rehome the animals where they can be lawfully kept and biosecurity risks and welfare needs are appropriately managed, such as in authorised zoos.

Department director of specialist compliance and investigations Nigel Schofield said the recent seizure of exotic animals was very concerning.

“Operation Closepablo highlights the demand for exotic pets and wildlife species, posing serious threats to WA’s biosecurity, protected and threatened species and animal welfare,” he said.

World Animal Protection Australia director Ben Pearson said the animals found were “the tip of the iceberg of the global exotic pet trade” and commended the state government for their swift action.

“Animals suffer at every step of the wildlife trade journey: from capture to handling, transport, holding, breeding, sale and the lifetime of captivity in an environment far from their natural home,” he said.

“No wild animal can have its needs fully met in captivity. They are wild animals, not pets.”

A woman who has been charged with the murder of a man in Perth’s southeast on Tuesday will appear in court today for the first time.

Homicide Detectives charged the 49-year-old after they were called to a home on Dunnell Street in Maddington around 8.20pm on Tuesday.

The woman will appear in court today. Credit: QPS

A 51-year-old man – who knew the woman – had been stabbed in the leg. Police performed CPR on the man before he was rushed to Armadale Hospital via St John Ambulance. He later died.

Police conducted a search of the area and found the woman nearby around 8.50pm.

Following inquiries, the woman from Collie was charged with one count of murder and will appear in the Armadale Magistrates Court later today.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 00 or online at crimestopperswa.com.au.

All reports can be made anonymously.

The industrial sector was the top-performing commercial market for price growth in the year to June 2024, according to the Real Estate Institute WA’s June WA Commercial Property Update.

The office market also recorded the highest percentage increase in the number of sales.

REIWA CEO Cath Hart said people sometimes purchased commercial property for their own use or as an investment, alongside those using is as a business space.

“Our members report activity in the industrial sector remained strong over the past 12 months, with high-demand and rising prices,” Ms Hart said.

“In many areas, the challenge was a lack of supply.”

The annual median sale price per square metre for the Perth industrial market was $2389 at the end of June. This was 13.6 per cent higher than the year prior.

The inner sub-region had the highest annual median sale price per square metre at nearly $3000.

A total of 1067 industrial sales in the Greater Perth region have been recorded so far during the 12 months to June 2024. Compared to the previous year sales were down 5.3 per cent.

The South East sub-region had the most sales, with 274.