WA news LIVE: Farmers tell MPs they’re ‘not dumb hicks’; Developers asked to find land for housing

Angry farmers have told a parliamentary inquiry the banning of live sheep exports will kill some small towns.

Federal agriculture committee MPs travelled to the Muresk Institute near Northam about 90 minutes east of Perth on Friday to hear from farmers, shearers, transporters and others who oppose the government’s plan to ban such exports by 2028.

Outside the hearing, utes lined up for kilometres as hundreds of those affected attended.

During an at-times heated debate they repeatedly asked for the ban to be reversed, saying it would kill regional towns.

“People will leave, schools will close, police stations will disappear. This is devastating to regional south-west Western Australia,” WA Farmers’ John Hassell told the inquiry.

They said confidence had been “zapped from the industry”.

Questions from committee chair Meryl Swanson about how farming organisations were helping members to transition out of live exports were met with anger.

“They are not dumb country hicks that live in a vacuum,” WA Farmer’s Steve McGuire fired back.

“They tell us what to do, we don’t tell them.

“What the federal government is asking us to do is put all our eggs in the abattoir basket,” the sheep producer said.

Darren Spencer from the WA Shearing Industry Association described the $107 million transition package as “insulting.”

Ben Sutherland from the Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA said his association had received numerous calls from distressed members.

The ban would still allow live sheep to be exported by air and live cattle by sea.

The inquiry has heard mortality rates on live sheep export ships had dropped significantly since 2017, when more than 2000 sheep died from heat stress while on a ship from Australia to the Middle East.

Exporters told the inquiry sheep voyage mortality rates were 80 per cent lower than a decade ago.

AAP

WA Premier Roger Cook has asked the private sector for help in identifying land for possible residential use, as the state faces a housing supply crisis.

At a lunch hosted by the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s WA branch on Friday, Cook announced a new expression of interest process for the next tranche of the housing diversity pipeline developments.

It will provide the opportunity for private developers to identify appropriate government-owned land for potential builds.

Cook said any revenue from the program would then be put back into housing-related initiatives.

“WA is in the midst of a housing supply crisis,” institute chief-executive Tanya Steinbeck said.

“The more focus and practical solutions that are put forward to address our current housing needs, the better.”

The WA institute’s data shows the number of new lots on the market is the lowest since 2006, with just 617 lots available as of March 31.

The number of lots on the market has also declined by 34.5 per cent over the quarter and dropped 70 per cent compared to the same time last year.

The drop in supply is coupled with a dramatic lift in demand. The increase in sales over the year was an astronomical 135 per cent.

Forrest Place in Perth’s CBD has been evacuated and police have swarmed the area after rumours of a bomb threat.

Myer has closed its doors and the area has been cordoned off with police tape.

WA Police said they were responding to an “incident” at an office building on William Street.

“Some occupants of the building have been evacuated, and some limited road closures are in place while police ensure it is safe for occupants to return to their offices,” a police spokesperson said.

“At this time, no danger to the general public has been identified.”

More to come.

Perth’s Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has spoken with 6PR’s Gary Adshead this morning about the ongoing issues surrounding getting the East Perth Primary School off the ground.

Earlier this year the Perth council declined to hand over a 1.6-hectare parcel of land to the state government for the development of the school, stating they should be financially compensated.

You can read more about that decision here.

Today, Zempilas said the City of Perth had this week sent a letter to Department of Education Director General Lisa Rodgers, outlining some options for them to consider.

“Sometimes the state government breathlessly want to get out there and say: ‘City of Perth, getting in the way, City of Perth, they’re against this’,” he said.

“No, we’re not, we want a primary school in East Perth and there are six options that we have put on the table for the state government to consider so that we can all move forward with this.”

The options, outside of selling the land to the state, include asking the government to provide a fund for community-based projects, entering into a land swap or land exchange or reducing the Perth parking levy.

“A lot of the car parks that we operate are on state government-owned land, and so we’ve provided another option – provide a peppercorn lease arrangement over those state-owned car parks,” Zempilas said.

The primary school was scheduled to open in 2028 to take the pressure off nearby schools struggling with enrolment pressures – most notably Highgate Primary.

Coach Luke Beveridge has backed skipper Marcus Bontempelli to overcome illness for the Western Bulldogs’ clash with Fremantle, but says the other midfielders must take on some of the workload.

Bontempelli, 28, was out most of the week but will be desperate to front seventh-placed Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, with opponents the Bulldogs four points outside the top eight.

“It’ll take something pretty significant to stop him from playing,” Beveridge said on Friday.

“But we need an even spread of contributors to beat Fremantle because … their great strength is their work ethic. They’re systematic with some of the things they do, they’re a difficult team to beat.”

After he was tagged by Brisbane’s Jarrod Berry, limited to 19 disposals and three goals, Bontempelli could attract attention from Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young.

Returning from concussion, Ed Richards will likely join Tom Liberatore, Adam Treloar, Ryley Sanders and Harvey Gallagher among Bontempelli’s fellow midfielders.

Beveridge also expected Rory Lobb (ankle) to be fit.

The Bulldogs have already regained Cody Weightman (elbow) in a massive boost, while Anthony Scott has been recalled.

Alex Keath will miss six to eight weeks (hamstring), while Riley Garcia and Lachie McNeil have been dropped.

AAP

A Perth electrician has been fined $15,000 after switchboard components at a Mount Lawley home were left unprotected, putting people at risk of serious injury, electrocution or even death.

Gregory Craig Jason Briffa, trading as BMI Technologies, pleaded guilty at Perth Magistrates Court to two offences following prosecution by Building and Energy.

Briffa failed to earth a metal enclosure, known as a din kit, in the consumer’s switchboard, presenting a risk of exposed metal parts of the switchboard becoming live with life-threatening voltages.

He was fined $12,500 for the non-compliant work and a further $2,500 for an inaccurate notice of completion.

Magistrate Richard Huston noted Briffa’s early guilty plea, remorse and additional training since the incident, but emphasised the community’s rightful expectation that electricians work to the highest standards because fatalities could occur.

WA’s Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan, said the case should remind all electrical workers and contractors about their obligations.

“No matter how many years you have worked in the industry, there is no place for complacency and no excuse for not checking and testing your work,” he said.

“It is incredibly lucky that this installation was selected for an inspection under our risk-based compliance inspection system, allowing a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation to be rectified.”

Emergency services have responded to an increasing number of lithium-ion battery fires in WA this year, with the statistics already on track to break last year’s total of recorded incidents.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has responded to 70 fires ignited by these batteries so far this year – on target to pass the previous record of 110 set in 2023.

Authorities are particularly concerned about the spate of residential fires sparked by e-bikes or e-scooters that can spread rapidly and are difficult to extinguish.

Batteries of cheaper products have flooded the market and are now becoming damaged or reaching their end-of-life, replaced by incompatible alternatives and posing a serious fire risk.

eRideables in particular have already caused 20 fires this year, including two incidents last week that destroyed homes in Karratha and Carlisle.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the lithium-ion batteries were relatively safe when bought from reputable suppliers and treated with care.

“But compromised products that overheat and explode have caused fatal house fires overseas and interstate – we don’t want Western Australians at risk,” he said.

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the batteries had fast become one of the greatest fire risks.

“But these fires are preventable if you follow safety advice including charging on a hard surface and not leaving devices on charge indefinitely,” he said.

This is the night when ultimate tagger Ryan Crowley will finally feel torn.

When Saint Marcus Windhager lines up on Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale at the Gabba on Friday night, the former Docker will be cheering for the St Kilda tagger, while barracking for his friend, caught between supporting his ball-winning ex-teammate and the Ross Lyon disciple assigned to stop him.

“I thought it would be a great match-up,” Crowley said. “It’s a tough one because I am good mates with Lachie, but then I also go for Ross’ teams most of the time, especially with a tagger.

“But the key to success with any tagging role is not that it’s one guy against one guy, and that is sort of what I try to get across: It has got to be a team mentality from both of the guys.”

It has been a big fortnight for the ex-Fremantle star. For years he has been telling people that taggers still have a place in the game. At last, he is getting some vindication.

Read more here.

Frustrated farmers are again rallying this morning, venting their anger at the federal government’s looming ban on live sheep exports.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has joined hundreds of protesters gathering outside the Muresk Institute near Northam as the committee investigating the government’s legislation holds its only WA public hearing.

It’s the second large-scale protest held in WA since the ban, slated for 2025, was announced.

Read more here.

There were some delays at the airport this morning.

Radio 6PR reported an issue with the bag drop system at Terminal 4 at Perth Airport from around 5am.

It’s understood passengers were told they must manually check-in their luggage, which led to an overcrowded terminal.

Perth Airport said there was a technical issue with a conveyor belt which has just been resolved.