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Thank you and good night
Thank you for joining us here at the live blog today, we appreciate it.
This afternoon Sarah Brookes brought to you a very interesting piece looking at the billions of dollars worth of properties in Western Australia which are facing the wrath of bushfire, floods and coastal erosion – and just what that risk does to property prices.
A report from Domain, which analysed every property in the state, found nearly 6000 homes (valued at $5.4 billion) are ‘incredibly vulnerable’ to bushfire in the Perth metropolitan area.
Read more here, and we look forward to your company again tomorrow.
People smuggler who made it to WA tells his story
In case you missed it, we ran an investigation into people smugglers who have made it from Indonesia to WA this morning.
Here, Ali Sarwano tells his story, four months after his mission to Australia.
Read more here.
Freo send Rory Lobb their best wishes after booing incident
By AAP
Star Fremantle midfielder Caleb Serong is sending his best wishes to Rory Lobb as the Western Bulldogs big man battles through the toughest period of his AFL career.
Lobb was booed by some Bulldogs fans after being subbed off in last week’s 43-point loss to Brisbane.
The 31-year-old was scoreless from just five disposals when he was yanked out of the game, and he has kicked just three goals across five games this season.
With Sam Darcy suspended for another week and Aaron Naughton (knee) still injured, Lobb appears almost certain to keep his spot for Saturday’s match against Fremantle at Marvel Stadium.
Lobb is contracted until the end of 2026, but speculation suggests he will seek a trade away from the Bulldogs at the end of this season in a bid to link with a fourth club.
The 207-centimetre forward-ruckman started his career at GWS, then spent four seasons at Fremantle before cutting ties with the Dockers early to join the Bulldogs at the end of 2022.
Although Lobb’s exit from Fremantle was somewhat messy, Serong said the 165-game veteran still had friends at the club.
“I’m sure there’s guys that are still close to him and will reach out,” Serong said on Monday.
“There’s a few guys who are still close to him.
“I wish him the best. He’s getting an opportunity to play some footy now and put his best foot forward.”
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‘We’re devastated’: Surfer still missing off Prevelly
The search for a surfer who went missing in the waters off Prevelly in WA’s South West has been called off.
Aaron Beveridge, 47, was last seen at Surfer’s Point struggling in the water around 4.30pm on Friday.
Rough weather conditions have hampered search efforts, with helicopter patrols today between Cape Naturaliste and Hamelin Bay showing no signs of the experienced surfer.
His family have described the tragedy as their worst nightmare.
“My son Aaron James Beveridge was tragically taken at sea while pursuing his passion for surfing at Margaret River, Western Australia,” Beveridge’s mother Cheryl Wilson wrote on Facebook.
“Can’t get my head around what’s happening. Hard to process. RIP Aaron, you were loved so much by so many people absolutely devastated.”
Nic Naitanui takes the Big Freeze plunge
Former West Coast great Nic Naitanui has taken part in the tenth edition of the Big Freeze at the MCG this afternoon.
Naitanui dressed as Bob Marley before changing into a Cool Runnings jumpsuit for the slide. He even had his lucky egg which is another theme from the movie.
“I thought I would keep the Jamaican theme going. I wanted to make sure I could kiss my lucky egg,” Naitanui said with a laugh before kissing the egg.
“What Danners has done is remarkable. He is an inspiration to all and ultimate trooper. I’m so happy he invited me down.”
Of course, today is also about raising funds to fight MND, with AFL great Neale Daniher [Danners] having led the charge for the past decade.
Daniher, battling MND, has been an inspiration to all.
Others participating today include Pat Rafter, Erin Phillips, James Brayshaw, Joel Selwood, Sally Pearson, Meg Lanning, Jack Riewoldt and Mack Horton.
Read more here.
Corporate heavyweight crowned UWA chancellor
By Jesinta Burton
Looking to education news now, and the University of Western Australia has announced prominent business leader and company director Diane Smith-Gander will succeed former High Court chief justice Robert French as chancellor.
The UWA alumna is widely considered one of the country’s most successful women, having been made an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2019 for her contributions to business and gender equity.
The corporate heavyweight chairs fintech Zip Co, diversified mining services company Perenti, HBF and the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia and helms the UWA Business School Board.
She is an Adjunct Professor of Corporate Governance and previously led Chief Executive Women.
Smith-Gander, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Economics in 2015, said she was thrilled to take up the role in 2025 at an institution that had done a great deal for her and the state.
Professor Amit Chakma has also been reappointed for a second term as vice-chancellor.
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‘Diagnosis could have been made sooner’: Doctor on death of Perth toddler
The fall-out from the death of a Perth toddler who died after his parents claim multiple doctors refused to run blood tests continues.
Sandipan Dhar, 1, died at Joondalup Health Campus on March 24, more than one month after his fever spiked following his routine 18-month vaccinations.
His parents claimed that after his injections, they took their son to the GP three times, and the hospital twice before an x-ray revealed he had pneumonia.
By that stage, it was too late to save his life, with a post-mortem revealing the boy was also suffering from undiagnosed leukemia.
Former UWA paediatric oncology professor Dr Catherine Cole said she was heartbroken over the death, and said there appeared to be opportunities where a diagnosis could have been made sooner.
Listen to her interview with Radio 6PR this morning:
‘Struggling’ mother accused over fatal crash that killed twins a no-show in court
The WA mother who has been charged over the Wheatbelt crash that killed her twin seven-year-old daughters did not appear for her court hearing this morning.
Four months after the deaths of her children Macey and Riley, Rachel van Oyen was at the weekend charged with two counts of careless driving causing death.
The incident occurred on Great Eastern Highway in Carrabin as the family drove home from visiting family in Kalgoorlie. Van Oyen, who was driving a Toyota Camry sedan, veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
Van Oyen was due to appear by summons in Northam Magistrates Court on Monday morning, but instead her lawyer requested an eight-week adjournment in her absence, saying she was “struggling in regards to the whole process”.
WA lobbying for more skilled migrants
Western Australian will soon learn whether its lobbying efforts to be granted more skilled worker visas have been heard by the federal government.
Last financial year, the state’s intake was slashed from 8,000 to 2,000.
Training and Workforce Minister Simone McGurk, during a press conference this morning, has said WA needs more construction workers.
“I understand that the Jobs and Skills Australia have a draft list that was available, we do a very careful vetting of any lists that we put forward to the federal government in terms of the skills that are required here in Western Australia, but primarily our skills are around construction, are around trades and those sort of skills,” she said.
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“This is a pinch point to getting more housing delivered. If we can get the skill mix right we will unlock a lot of potential, we don’t want to be held back by a reluctance to bring people in.”
The draft list referred to by McGurk prioritised yoga instructors, martial artists and dog handlers over some construction trades, despite the dire need for workers to tackle the nation’s housing crisis.
The state’s own attempts to bring more builders in is also struggling, with a fast-track scheme to attract construction workers from overseas only resulting in 114 out of an intended 1100 signing up to May.
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Perth brothers killed in Mexico remembered in emotional service
In case you missed it, Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson were remembered in an emotional memorial service at their old high school, Sacred Heart College, at the weekend.
The men, along with their American friend, were murdered while on a surfing trip in Mexico six weeks ago.
Watch 9 News Perth’s story on the Sorrento service below:
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