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A beach in Perth’s north has been evacuated after a five-metre white shark was spotted this morning.
Surf Life Saving WA said its helicopter spotted the shark about 600 metres off the Hillarys Dog Beach, about 10am.
“Given the size of the shark and its proximity to the kayakers it was circling, the crew sounded the siren to alert beachgoers to the potential hazard,” a spokesperson said.
About 35 beachgoers were warned about the shark and cleared from the water.
The Department of Primary Industries and Resource Development said it had detected multiple white sharks over the last three days, and advised the public to be weary when entering the water.
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Here’s a recap of the day’s headlines:
Thank you again for tuning in today. We’ll see you back here tomorrow for more news you need to know.
The expanded 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup will feature a round of 16 for the first time, with the Wallabies to kick off the showpiece event in Perth.
A total of 24 nations – up from the previous 20 – will compete in the six-week tournament, which begins on October 1, 2027, and concludes on November 13.
There will be six pools consisting of four teams each, with the top two from each group plus the four best third-placed teams qualifying for the knockout phase.
In previous World Cups, the quarter-finals marked the start of the knockout phase, but the expanded nature of 2027 means there will now be a last-16 phase for the first time.
The tournament draw will be held on December 3, with all 24 nations to find out their pool opponents.
World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said expanding the World Cup to 24 teams was a “landmark moment for our sport”.
“It means more nations, more matches, and more opportunities for fans around the world to connect with rugby,” Robinson said.
“The introduction of a round of 16 will deliver even more knockout rugby, ensuring every match counts and every team has the chance to make history.
“Importantly, we’ve been able to achieve this within a streamlined tournament window that protects player welfare while enhancing the spectacle.
“This is a huge step forward for rugby and a reflection of the game’s global growth.”
A beach in Perth’s north has been evacuated after a five-metre white shark was spotted this morning.
Surf Life Saving WA said its helicopter spotted the shark about 600 metres off the Hillarys Dog Beach, about 10am.
“Given the size of the shark and its proximity to the kayakers it was circling, the crew sounded the siren to alert beachgoers to the potential hazard,” a spokesperson said.
About 35 beachgoers were warned about the shark and cleared from the water.
The Department of Primary Industries and Resource Development said it had detected multiple white sharks over the last three days, and advised the public to be weary when entering the water.
Vacancy rates across Perth’s retail strips have fallen – bucking the national trend – as a favourable economic climate across WA
Ray White Commercial WA’s latest market report The Insight: Perth Retail Strips, revealed a significant turnaround in the city’s retail landscape, with the average vacancy rate across eight key strips falling to its lowest point since 2018.
This positive trend is a direct result of a favourable economic climate, characterised by low unemployment, sustained population growth, and a flourishing residential property, according to director of capital markets Brett Wilkins
“The survey of 581 tenancies across key locations reveals a dynamic shift in the retail mix, with a notable move away from traditional retail categories toward experiential and service-based offerings,” Brett Wilkins said.
While strips like Albany Highway and Leederville have solidified their reputations as dining destinations with a high concentration of cafes, restaurants, and specialised food retailers, other strips have maintained their unique character.
Bay View Terrace in Claremont and Napoleon Street in Cottesloe continue to buck national trends, remaining strongholds for high-street fashion and lifestyle retail, a testament to their affluent local catchments.
Meanwhile, Scarborough Beach Road in Mount Hawthorn has firmly established itself as a services hub, with an impressive 36.86 per cent of its tenancies dedicated to health, beauty, and wellness services.
Brett Wilkins, who has been analysing Perth’s retail strips for nine years, commented on the findings.
“This report highlights the resilience and adaptability of Perth’s suburban retail precincts. The improvements in vacancy rates are not just about a strong economy; they are a reflection of savvy business owners and landlords pivoting to meet consumer demand for unique, in-person experiences and essential services,” he said.
“We’re seeing a flight to quality as local private investors and owner-occupiers compete for well-tenanted properties, reinforcing the long-term value of these locations. While challenges like inflation persist, the data points to a very healthy and stable market with a bright outlook.”
Returning to the ramping issue one more time this week with Premier Roger Cook, like his Health Minister Meredith Hammat, also refusing to guarantee ramping levels would reduce next winter.
“I can guarantee that you will see significant investment and significant strategic focus on our hospital system to ensure that we can meet these challenges each year with the flu season,” he said.
Cook also declined to characterise three consecutive months of record ramping hours as a crisis – the word he used to describe the problem when in opposition and ramping hours broke through 1500 a month.
“A crisis is when you have a situation like we did under the Liberals and Nationals, where they simply gave up, they have no solutions, no answers to how we meet these challenges,” he said.
“What you’ve seen from us is a significant investment in hospital infrastructure.
“We now have a $3.7 billion expansion program, a significant increase in doctors and nurses, a 30 per cent increase in the workforce, and you see innovative and technology-driven solutions around diverting people away from EDs.”
Cook said the government’s virtual ED program implemented last year was diverting about 34 ambulances away from EDs every day.
Fresh from a trade mission to China and Japan Premier Roger Cook has weighed in on the issues surrounding BHP’s iron ore imports to China.
Late on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported China’s state-run iron ore buyer China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG) had told major steelmakers and traders to temporarily halt purchases of all new BHP cargoes.
That report has been rubbished by Chinese commodity market pricing firm Mysteel, which said there had been no such order issued.
CMRG is currently locked in negotiations with BHP over new iron ore contracts and Cook said at a press conference in Perth this afternoon the issue wasn’t brought up during his mission to China, but he had been briefed on the issue by BHP’s head of iron ore Tim Day while in Japan last week.
“He’s saying the negotiations are tough. They are subject to a certain amount of strategic gamesmanship for want of a better description, but I’m confident they’ll reach an agreement,” he said.
“The negotiations are ongoing, and, as you know, in any negotiations, from time to time, the parties have got disagreements.
“This iron ore underpins both the Western Australian and the Chinese economy, so we’re obviously encouraging all parties to reach an agreement with regards to those contracts.”
A 34-year-old man has been jailed for the terrifying rape of a teenage girl in January last year during which he put his hands over her mouth while he violated her in a public toilet at Coogee beach.
Fernando Octavio Salas Collard lied during a Perth District Court trial, a judge has said, claiming the 16-year-old girl told him she was 19 and had flirted with him, giving the impression she wanted to have sex.
Instead, judge Seamus Rafferty told Salas Collard the girl was intoxicated and vulnerable when he took advantage of her.
“You showed a callous disregard for the welfare of a 16-year-old intoxicated young woman … you violated her in the most intimate way,” Rafferty said.
“You’d known this girl for 10 minutes. There was nothing she did to arise that she wanted to engage in sexual conduct with you.”
The father of five was sentenced to 6½ years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2029.
Health Minister Meredith Hammat has addressed the record September ramping figures in a press conference this morning where she said the government was disappointed but could give no guarantees next winter wouldn’t be as bad.
She batted away questions about whether her career should be on the line if ramping continues to grow.
Speaking at a press conference announcing a new nasal flu vaccine to boost WA’s 20 per cent rate of flu vaccinations in kids this morning, Hammat blamed the worse-than-usual flu season and aged care beds for the abysmal winter ramping figures.
When asked whether she could guarantee the state wouldn’t see ramping levels like this again, she said they were already planning for winter 2026.
“We are making a series of announcements, a series of investments. We’re really focused and the premier’s been clear, one of our government’s priorities, along with jobs, along with housing, is health and making sure West Australians get the access to health that they need,” she said.
When pressed whether she would stake her job on bringing down the figures, Hammat reiterated her focus was on making sure people had access to the healthcare they needed.
A short time after Hammat’s press conference, the four major health unions held a doorstop outside Royal Perth Hospital, launching their five-point plan we reported on earlier.
One notable attendee was United Workers Union WA secretary Carolyn Smith, who is a Labor factional heavyweight and aligned with Hammat and Premier Roger Cook.
Smith played down her Labor links and said the four unions coming together was about sending a strong message to the government.
“We’re sending it here at Royal Perth. We are all as unions, talking to the government. We are saying this has got to change for the staff in the hospital system, but also for West Australians using the hospital,” she said.
Opposition leader Basil Zempilas has visited the lion’s den this morning to deliver his rebuke over the state’s newest ambulance ramping record.
Zempilas held his press conference at the government’s HQ Dumas House equipped with a list of past comments by Labor shadow ministers describing Barnett government ramping records as a crisis.
Zempilas said the latest figures of above 7200 hours for September was a failure of “absolutely epic proportions”.
“They’re not taking the matter seriously if they preside over three consecutive months of record ambulance ramping,” he said.
“So we’re here today to make the point. The people of Western Australia, premier, want answers, and they want you to take this matter seriously.”
The City of Perth has pushed through two last-minute motions opposing major state government projects, despite warnings the decisions breached caretaker restrictions just weeks before the local government election.
At Tuesday night’s ordinary meeting, councillors voted to formally oppose the proposed Metronet ferry terminal at Matilda Bay, near the University of Western Australia.
Under the Local Government Act, councils are prohibited from making “significant acts” during caretaker periods unless they are legally required or deemed urgent.
The motion, moved by councillor Steven Wellard and seconded by Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds, authorised a letter to Premier Roger Cook stating the City does not support the project in its current form.
Wellard said the matter had to be dealt with urgently because a development application had already been lodged and the project was “gaining momentum.”
“Every single person I met in that area was dead against Matilda Bay … people wanted the council to take a stand,” he told the chamber.
Reynolds argued the City could not afford to wait until its next scheduled meeting on November 18.
“A lot can happen between now and then,” he said.
But councillor David Goncalves opposed the move, urging colleagues to defer the decision until after the election and warning that rushing a binding position during caretaker risked undermining governance.
“Our job tonight is to properly consider items, not engage in last-minute election campaigning,” he said.
City chief executive Michelle Reynolds confirmed councillors were due to receive a briefing on the ferry proposal next week and that the project remained under assessment.
Despite this, the motion was carried 6-1, with only Goncalves voting against.
Councillors then turned to a second last-minute item, again brought forward by Wellard, opposing the proposed Perth Entertainment and Sporting Precinct at Burswood.
Community deputations had raised concerns about traffic, noise, environmental impacts and the lack of a feasibility study.
That motion was carried unopposed, 7-0.
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