WA news LIVE: Perth students expelled for hacking own school system; Fat cat pay rises revealed

A former Rebels boss has been found guilty of possessing hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds of crime, and will likely face time behind bars.

Aaron Karl Labrook , 54, was convicted in the Perth Magistrate’s Court this morning of possessing more than $450,000 in unlawfully obtained cash including $207,850 found in a box wrapped in Christmas paper in the rear of a car, and $247,700 found at the Ascot home of his co-accused, Perth racing identity Kellie Kersley.

The Magistrate, in handing down his verdict, rejected Labrook’s claims at trial that the money was lawfully obtained through club funds as part of a High Court challenge against WA’s new bikie laws.

However, Labrook was granted a request to have his sentencing delayed so he could attend the birth of his baby in a few days time.

Kersley, 55, was sentenced to one year in prison for stashing some of Labrook’s cash, with his lawyer conceding he may receive a similar punishment.

Labrook’s sentencing is due to take place next month.

Premier Roger Cook has just been asked during a press conference about his thoughts on the Federal Liberal party’s announcement last week that it wants to build a nuclear power plant in Collie.

He had some strong words:

“Peter Dutton and the Liberals’ plans for nuclear power in Australia is a con.

It’s selling the next generation of Australians down the river, and it’s treating the current generations of Australians like fools. 

We know that the future for power in Western Australia is renewable energy, it’s the reason why we’re investing so heavily in batteries, why you’re seeing a considerable expansion of our renewable generating capacity, and why Western Australia will become a renewable energy powerhouse, exporting to the world.

Peter Dutton, let’s just call it for what it is, he is in a climate denial state, and he is simply demonstrating that he has no solution for the future for Australia.”

Australians, however, are split on nuclear power after Dutton triggered a pivotal clash on energy and climate: 41 per cent of voters back the shift to atomic energy and 37 per cent have rejected the idea.

Read more here.

Education Minister Tony Buti has just addressed the hacking scandal at a Perth Catholic school where at least four students were recently expelled.

The Corpus Christi College year 11 students had been hacking into the school system for years to access sensitive information including grades and test scores, by using a teacher’s login and password.

At a press conference on Monday morning Buti, whose teaching career started at the school, said it was a terrible incident.

He was questioned on whether schools needed multifactor authentication to protect their systems, but said it was not something he had yet been briefed on.

“I’m sure I’ll get a briefing on the … IT challenges and when I do I’m sure we’ll consider all options to try and make our IT systems safer,” he said.

“I think schools do take it seriously, but it’s an incredibly challenging situation. We have major institutions around the world that are hacked, so when we try to protect [schools’] IT systems, it’s very challenging.”

WA’s most senior bureaucrats will receive a four per cent pay rise, the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal has revealed.

The decision impacts the state’s director generals and commissioners.

Among the highest paid is WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch, whose pay has increased by 16 per cent in the past two years to $528,000 and DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm, whose pay jumped 21 per cent over the same period to $446,000.

The highest-paid public servants include Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson, Chief Psychiatrist Nathan Gibson ($547,000) and Solicitor-General Craig Bydder ($670,000).

The pay bumps come as the state government continues to negotiate pay and conditions with several key industries, including teachers, who went on strike after being offered an 11 per cent pay rise over three years, and the public sector union, who were offered an “insulting” 11.75 per cent increase over three years for its 40,000 workers earlier this month.

WA Police are searching for an arsonist after a Perth primary school went up in flames last night, causing $100,000 damage.

Firefighters were called to Subiaco Primary School just after 9pm following reports of a structure fire.

It’s understood the administration building was damaged in the blaze, which took one hour for crews to bring under control.

A short time ago the arson squad arrived at the scene of what is being considered a suspicious blaze.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.

To overnight news now and a woman allegedly attacked in a domestic violence incident in Fremantle at the weekend was released from hospital last night after being hit and dragged by a car.

A 25-year-old man has been charged with a string of offences including strangulation, stealing a vehicle and danger driving causing bodily harm after CCTV captured the car involved in the incident ploughing into a letterbox around 4pm on Saturday.

Here’s what made news in Australia and around the world overnight.

• A new poll revealed many Australians are willing to consider nuclear power even if they are unsure, raising the stakes for Labor and the Coalition in an election fight on energy.
• Australia’s supermarket giants could be fined billions of dollars if they breach a revamped and mandatory code of conduct.
• With 1.5 million Australians now living with diabetes, advocates are pushing the government to protect the supply of drugs such as Ozempic and fund glucose-monitoring technology.

• Overseas, gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church and a police post in simultaneous attacks across two cities in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing at least six policemen and injuring 12, Russian news agencies quoted the interior ministry as saying.
• And a second senior Conservative official has stood aside amid an election betting scandal that has engulfed Britain’s ruling party just two weeks from polling day.

Good morning and welcome to another edition of our live blog, covering all things Perth and Western Australia on this chilly Monday.

First up, WA small business owners caught in the chaos of a shipping shortage are pleading with consumers to spread out their Christmas shopping this year.

The call comes after warnings US tariffs on Chinese imports would soon impact the availability of containers and ships, and increase congestion in major ports like Fremantle.

While delays at the docks in China may seem far away, Joondalup’s Trojan Fitness equipment store owner Luis Bastos said small businesses in Perth were seeing the impacts first hand.

And Perth’s housing crisis is so bad that those on priority accommodation lists are waiting an average of 1½ years, while crisis services send more people to hotels or motels as shelters burst at the seams.

The state government is spending more than ever on funding homelessness services due to an unprecedented growth in demand.

Finally, Chinese Premier Li Qiang capped his visit to Australia last Tuesday at a lithium processing plant in our resource-rich state, marking China’s push to retain control of the world’s critical minerals and rare earths.

Around the same time, the boss of Perth-based $2.7 billion ASX-listed Iluka Resources, Tom O’Leary, was warning participants at a global mining conference in Japan about the “uncomfortable reality” behind China’s superiority.

Stay with us as we bring you the news that matters to you throughout the day.