WA news LIVE: Bushfire emergency in Perth’s south-east; Two charged over antisemitic graffiti​on February 4, 2025 at 11:34 pm

To breaking crime news now, and police have charged two men over antisemitic graffiti sprayed across Nedlands, Dianella and Dalkeith at the weekend.

A swastika and a series of slurs were spray-painted on homes, bus stops and signs between 6.30pm on Saturday and 7.30am on Sunday.

WA Police set up a taskforce, led by the State Security Investigation Group, and searched two homes in Dianella and Beechboro, leading to the arrest of two 27-year-old men.

Both men have been charged with criminal damage in circumstances of racial aggravation and are set to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A WA Police spokeswoman said the force would not allow “vile acts of hatred and racism to go unchecked”, and dedicated patrols had been targeting prominent locations visited by members of Perth’s Jewish community since December.

“This swift outcome should send a clear message to anyone engaging in this kind of behaviour. We will find you, and you will be put before the courts to face the consequences of your actions,” the spokeswoman said.

“We will continue to work with Jewish community leaders to ensure they feel our support.”

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Premier Roger Cook said the WA government condemned the antisemitic attacks and vowed to hold to account anyone involved in the “cowardly acts” which he said were designed to sow division, hatred and fear in the community.

“We will not stand by and allow this corrosive behaviour to undermine people’s sense of peace and security in Western Australia,” Cook said.

“Our WA Police have the best resources in the country. To anyone that thinks you can get away with these vile and cowardly acts, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will be held to account.”

If you noticed the commute was a bit busier this morning, that might be because close to half a million students officially started the school year.

The first bell of term 1, 2025 has rung for a record 498,700 students and more than 62,000 teachers from kindergarten to year 12 across the public and non-government schools.

This includes 326,600 students in the public system and 172,100 students in the non-government sector.

More than 303 graduates and 60 overseas teachers will take up their first teaching jobs in public schools across WA.

WA Labor has taken the first day back as an opportunity to announce a raft of new funding commitments ahead of the upcoming election.

The proposed $745 million funding injection is for 11 new public primary and secondary schools and upgrades at older schools.

Four new primary schools – Treeby East Primary School, Eglinton North Primary School, Yanchep East Primary School and Vasse West Primary School – would open in 2028.

The new Brabham Senior High School would also open in 2029.

A further two future secondary schools at Alkimos North and Dawesville and four primary schools at Anketell, Mount Lawley West, Byford North and Brabham South were also included in the funding.

Former West Coast Eagles star Adam Hunter, a key member of the club’s 2006 AFL premiership team, has died aged 43.

He was found dead early on Wednesday morning in Bunbury, south of Perth.

Hunter played 151 games for the Eagles over a decade-long AFL career from 2000-09, before injuries led to his premature retirement.

Hunter kicked a career-best 29 goals in 2006, including a crucial major in the final stages of that year’s epic grand final battle against Sydney.

His iconic celebration was etched in Eagles folklore as they gained revenge on the Swans for their defeat in the previous year’s decider.

West Coast led tributes to Hunter on social media on Wednesday.

“We are devastated by the loss of 2006 Premiership Eagle Adam Hunter,” the club posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Our thoughts are with his family, teammates and friends.”

Hunter’s death continues a tragic week for the AFL, after former Brisbane Lions player Troy Selwood and Essendon VFL coach Dale Tapping both died on Tuesday.

Selwood’s twin brother Adam was a teammate of Hunter’s at West Coast.

Hunter battled legal issues after his AFL career and was fined $400 for possessing cocaine when stopped by West Australian police in 2014.

Lifeline 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.

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A new promise to fix the state’s growing housing crisis has been made, just before the formal start to the 2025 election was launched.

On Tuesday evening, Housing Minister John Carey announced $19.5 million for housing and homelessness support at a Shelter WA forum at the State Library.

The organisation wants all four major parties to commit to ending rough sleeping and to solving the rental crisis.

Carey said more than $10 million of the promised funding would be spent on a homeless outreach program in the metropolitan area and Mandurah. The other three party leaders were also in attendance and each gave a two-minute pitch.

Housing is expected to be a key focus over the next two months for all parties. Liberal Leader Libby Mettam has already promised $100 million for an expansion of the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

And Labor has turned the focus away from Perth with a $145 million promise for a regional housing package.

The Greens have also said they would push for a two-year rent freeze, a permanent cap on increases and tougher rental bidding controls.

It’s another injury blow for the Eagles, with midfielder Dom Sheed’s AFL ruled out for the season after rupturing his ACL during a training clash on Monday.

It’s the latest in a run of injuries for Sheed, which have restricted the 2018 premiership player to just 24 of a possible 68 games since 2021.

But in better news, Harley Reid is expected back on track next week after a lower leg complaint last Friday.

Jake Waterman is also expected back after missing the previous two sessions with a sore back.

West Coast’s first game back will be played at Optus Stadium against the Gold Coast Suns on March 16.

And if you’re a Fremantle fan instead, they will be playing the day before against the Cats in Geelong.

To breaking crime news first this morning and a 31-year-old man had been accused of murdering his father and wounding his stepmother in a brutal attack at a home in Perth’s northern suburbs.

Police were called to a home along Elsbury Approach in Clarkson at 6.24am on Tuesday where a 72-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were found with serious injuries.

An off-duty nurse rushed to help, finding the 72-year-old with stab wounds, but was unable to save him. He died in his driveway.

The woman was rushed to hospital by emergency crews.

On Wednesday morning, police officially charged the man’s son with his murder, as well as one count each of aggravated home burglary and commit and aggravated grievous bodily harm.

He was arrested at the scene, with police stating at the time they believed the incident to be family violence-related, and is due to appear before the Joondalup Magistrates Court today.

Nearby resident Adam McCreedy told 9News Perth it was “pretty apparent that something pretty sinister had happened”.

“I knew it wasn’t anything minor and that it was fairly serious,” he said.

Here’s what’s making headlines today:

The mercury is rising again today, folks. A baking 40-degree maximum across Perth. Seek out air-conditioning.

Good morning readers, and welcome to our live news blog for Wednesday, February 5.

Well, today’s the day. With the issuing of writs, the WA election is formally under way, to culminate on polling day on March 8 (the second Saturday in March – as stipulated by the Electoral Act).

So, what does that mean? Well, the writs guide a bunch of things, like the date the electoral rolls close, the deadline for nominations, and so on.

For Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas, it also means it’s time to take a leave of absence, as promised, so he can ramp up his campaign in Churchlands.

On the topic of elections, dear reader, you may have noticed in these digital pages a flurry of promises over the past few weeks. There have been so many it’s enough to make even our most ardent journalists’ heads spin.

Fear not. Hamish Hastie has been meticulously tracking each pledge made – and how much they’re worth.

He brings it all together in this handy election promise tracker, which you can read all about here.

Meanwhile, WA’s firefighters will coordinate their bushfire attacking efforts from the confines of fortified shipping containers, under a trial to roll out remote incident control centres.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the incident control centres were fortified to be ember-proof and would be stationed at fire-prone hotspots across the state.

Read Connor McGoverne’s report here.

And we have an update from London on the Sam Kerr trial – the police officer accusing her of racism has been challenged over his motives behind the charge.

Thanks for joining us today, stay tuned as we bring you all the news you need to know.