As it happened: WA news on Wednesday, November 6

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All eyes were on the US election, but there was plenty making headlines here at home.

As we leave you this afternoon, court reporter Rebecca Peppiatt has revealed the contents of police interviews with Andre Rebelo over three life insurance policies he took out in his mother’s name a week before her sudden and unexplained death, which were played to a jury as part of the 28-year-old’s murder trial.

A 46-year-old Lake Coogee man fronted court on a string of charges over the firebombing of a Midland tobacco shop last month which caused half a million dollars’ worth of damage.

And the Department of Justice is yet to respond to a scathing report penned by the custodial watchdog, which has warned WA’s prisons are struggling under the weight of understaffing and overcrowding, leading to lengthy lockdowns and unhygienic conditions that breached human rights standards.

The state government also came under fire over WA’s chronic housing shortage, with a report by the WA branch of the Property Council blaming the issue on failed housing policy from successive governments.

Billionaire Andrew Forrest defended Fortescue’s green overhaul during a meeting of shareholders in Perth, insisting its US$2.8bn deal with Liebherr Group to develop haul trucks and dozers using the miner’s technology would silence the naysayers.

Meanwhile, there was more debate over the South Coast Marine Park zoning scheme — both over the airwaves and in parliament.

Environment Minister Reece Whitby fended off claims that he released the plans an hour before the Melbourne Cup to avoid community scrutiny, and revealed his electorate office had fielded a death threat on Tuesday over the scheme.

Scroll back to read some more highlights from the day’s headlines, and tune in again tomorrow for more news you need to know.

In case you missed it, a scathing report by the custodial watchdog has found the state’s prisons are struggling under the weight of understaffing and overcrowding, leading to lengthy lockdowns and unhygienic conditions that breached human rights standards.

The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services report, released on Thursday, found the adult prison population climbed to more than 7700 in the year to June 2024, an increase of 15 per cent.

Inspector Eamon Ryan said the rise had led to a “massive overcrowding” in most facilities which had been exacerbated by sentencing delays.

An examination of the state’s prisons found many were operating at capacity, with cells that had to accommodate a third prisoner and increasingly poor conditions breaching human rights standards.

The watchdog concluded prisons were grappling with daily shortfalls of custodial and non-custodial staff, resulting in restrictions to prisoner access to employment, education, support, recreation, and visits believed to be tied to an increase in self-harm and physical violence.

Ryan said concerns over the impact of those pressures on prisoner welfare at Hakea Prison reached fever pitch in May, when a three-day inspection found the safety of prisoners was at risk and that some were being subject to “inhuman treatment”.

The review uncovered prisoners were not being afforded exercise or time outside their cells or contact with family, were being held in unhygienic conditions and forced to eat dinner in their cell as early as 4pm — leaving them to wait 15 hours between meals.

The Department of Justice is yet to respond to the report.

Read the full report here.

Turning to WA’s District Court now, where a man whose almost 17-year-old daughter was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with grade 4 malnutrition, weighing just 28 kilograms, has taken the stand at his trial to defend accusations the girl was neglected.

The 47-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his daughter, told the jury the girl excelled academically, loved pasta, had a daily regime of supplements to complement her organic vegan diet, and ate “whatever she wanted”.

The cyber security consultant and his wife, from Floreat, were arrested and charged with having care or control of a child engaged in conduct that was reckless after complaints were made by dance school teachers that lead to Department of Communities involvement in 2020.

Authorities were contacted after concerns were raised about the girl being very small for her age, incredibly thin, with her head out of proportion form than the rest of her body.

The father took to the stand in Perth District Court today as the parents’ defence team opened their case, telling the jury the girl came from a family of small, thin people – noting he weighed 54 kilograms at 169 centimetres tall.

The jury was also told he suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, and struggled with anxiety and obsessive compulsive thoughts around cleanliness.

He claimed his daughter had difficulty around feeding as a baby and a small child, which was monitored by paediatricians and gastroenterologists.

Read the full story here.

And in other news, an emperor penguin swam roughly 3434 kilometres from Antarctica to Western Australia in what scientists believe is the longest journey ever recorded for the species.

An emperor penguin has made its way from Antarctica to Denmark, WA.Credit: Graphic: Matt Davidson

The penguin was first spotted by a surfer in the small coastal town of Denmark, who initially thought he had noticed a sea bird exiting the water, before realising the creature was “way bigger”.

“We [were] like, ‘What is that thing coming out of the water?’ And it had a tail sticking out like a duck,” said Aaron Fowler.

The bird made its way out of the sea and waddled over to the group of surfers, Fowler told the ABC. “He was not shy at all,” he added.

The young male, which stood around a metre tall, probably started its journey from one of around 60 known emperor penguin colonies in eastern Antarctica and swam to Ocean Beach.

As far as scientists are aware, penguins have never made such a long journey north, though two are known to have reached southern New Zealand. Other penguins, such as the smaller king penguins, have made similarly long journeys.

Read more here.

To question time now, where the US election results have seeped into debate.

Liberal Cottesloe MP David Honey questioned comments made by Cook yesterday to the media that a Trump presidency would be a “dark road” and would impact the state’s trade relationship with China.

Honey accused Cook of alienating the US as a trade partner and asked how much influence he believed he wielded over US voters.

This was met by a wall of laughter by Labor.

Cook accused Honey of wasting time in the last three weeks of this term of parliament with such a line of questioning.

“This gives more exposure to how pathetic they are on the other side. This is how hopeless they are. How easily they are distracted,” he said.

And in breaking news, a 46-year-old man has fronted court over the firebombing of a Midland tobacco shop last month after a public appeal.

WA Police had launched a public appeal and offered a $25,000 reward for information after the business on Great Eastern Highway was destroyed on October 25.

The car driving into the tobacco shop in Midland.

Emergency services were called to the shop near Tuohy Lane about 2.30am after a Nissan Navara ute rammed through the front of the premises and the building was set ablaze in an incident captured on CCTV.

Police will allege 46-year-old Lake Coogee man Joshua Brian Binstead stole the ute and drove it into the building before pouring petrol over the vehicle and setting it alight.

Initial estimates suggested the fire had caused at least half a million dollars’ worth of damage to the tobacco store and neighbouring shopfronts, including a popular cafe.

In a statement released this afternoon, WA Police confirmed Binstead had been arrested and charged with causing criminal damage by fire, burglary, driving without authority and failing to obey police.

He faced Midland Magistrates Court earlier today and was remanded in custody.

Binstead is expected to reappear via video link on December 3.

The incident prompted warnings from police that the tobacco trade turf wars plaguing Victoria would not be tolerated in WA.

Green energy champion Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest is talking up electric trucks and giant batteries after back-pedalling on renewable hydrogen.

Fronting shareholders in Perth on Wednesday, Forrest defended the company’s green overhaul he admitted had attracted “harsh criticism, harsh doubt” from naysayers and shoulder-shrugging arrogance from equipment suppliers.

Forrest addressed shareholders in Perth on Wednesday.Credit: Australian Financial Review

“This is surely the moment we put those doubts to rest,” Forrest said, hailing a recent deal with Liebherr Group to develop haul trucks, excavators and dozers using Fortescue technology.

The US$2.8 billion agreement included 360 autonomous battery electric haul trucks, 55 electric excavators and 60 battery electric dozers under development.

“We are no longer just a mining company, we are a massive energy company as well,” he said.

Fortescue recently cancelled green hydrogen and ammonia plans at the Middle Arm precinct in the Northern Territory and jettisoned plans for work with energy giant AGL on a green hydrogen plan at the Liddell site in NSW.

Earlier in 2024, it also dumped plans to produce 15 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually by 2030 and axed 700 jobs.

Forrest told shareholders green hydrogen would be “critical” to decarbonising heavy industries that can’t be electrified and “vital” for Fortescue’s plans for a “massive” green iron ore industry in the Pilbara.

But he has called for more government support, including deals on cheaper power prices, as the alternative fuel will become viable if production costs come down.

AAP

And in other news, Environment Minister Reece Whitby has defended the state government’s handling of the South Coast Marine Park zoning scheme amid claims it was released an hour before the Melbourne Cup to shield it from community opposition.

Former WA Fishing Industry Council boss Darryl Hockey accused the government of running a sham consultation process in an interview with 6PR, claiming Whitby had hidden from Esperance locals during a lightning trip to the region on Tuesday.

But Whitby branded the claims “malarkey”, pointing out that he held a press conference with local media on arrival and held meetings with local government officials.

He also rejected claims about a lack of consultation, telling 6PR that no government had consulted more widely than it had on the marine park - which attracted 22,000 public submissions.

“I wasn’t hiding from anyone, the first thing I did was call a news conference,” Whitby told 6PR.

“I am proud of the South Coast Marine Park. It’s a good result, and we’ve come up with a very reasonable response to protecting an amazing part of the environment down there.”

Whitby acknowledged the opposition to the plan, revealing his electorate office had fielded a death threat on Tuesday over the move, but pointed out the zoning scheme had the backing of the state’s peak recreational fishing body Recfishwest.

The Cat Haven’s chief-executive Roz Robinson has joined 6PR’s Breakfast program this morning to call for help from the community, stating they were taking in between 30 to 50 cats daily in need of a home.

Robinson told listeners one person had recently dropped off 31 cats which were “crammed into a small hatchback” – an incident she said was “confronting and distressing” for staff.

In the week since October 28, the not-for-profit has taken in 261 cats and kittens in total when it has capacity for just 228 cats.

“To have someone rock up with 31 cats just threw us out completely,” she said.

Wet Nose Day will be held on Sunday – a jumble sale at the Haven in Shenton Park to raise money for the animals in care. You can hear more below.

A Perth man has been arrested and charged with grievous bodily harm after he allegedly punched another man in the face at a Melbourne Cup event on Tuesday, leaving him in a critical condition.

The victim, a 43-year-old man, was with his wife outside the Hillarys Beach Club around 4pm when the accused, 40, allegedly approached him, acting in an intimidating manner.

The pair did not know each other. Police say the victim was then punched in the face so hard he lost consciousness, before falling backwards and striking his head on the road.

He was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment of serious head and facial injuries in a critical condition.

Security staff detained the accused man, who was then charged with the attack by police. He will appear in the Joondalup Magistrates Court today.