A baby whale carcass has washed ashore at Lurline Bay in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, and Randwick City Council has shut nearby beaches as a precaution. The council is consulting the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Gamay Rangers on a culturally and environmentally sensitive approach. The carcass is not being removed for now. Its rocky, cliff-lined location makes access difficult, and the council is considering closing the surrounding area and rock shelf walkway. Mayor Clare Willington said the whale is an important totem animal to the local Bidjigal people.
A baby whale carcass has washed ashore at Lurline Bay in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, and Randwick City Council has shut nearby beaches as a precaution. The council is consulting the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Gamay Rangers on a culturally and environmentally sensitive approach. The carcass is not being removed for now. Its rocky, cliff-lined location makes access difficult, and the council is considering closing the surrounding area and rock shelf walkway. Mayor Clare Willington said the whale is an important totem animal to the local Bidjigal people.
Cambridge council will consider a shark barrier at City Beach after a 31-tonne whale carcass washed up on its coastline. Deputy mayor Ben Mayes has proposed a desktop review of the barrier's feasibility, which would also examine costs and possible external funding. The removal operation is forecast to cost about $180,000, roughly three times the original estimate. Mr Mayes has called on the State Government to take primary responsibility for funding whale carcass responses across WA. The State's Treasurer has said the government is willing to engage with the town on the costs.
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A $240 million redevelopment of Galleria Shopping Centre in Perth's north east will be unveiled on November 5, when its new Fashion Mall opens. The centre will offer close to 100 outlets across fashion, technology, lifestyle, beauty and sport. New names opening on the day include Country Road, JB Hi-Fi and MECCA, with Victoria's Secret and others following in the weeks after. Myer will also reopen with a revitalised beauty hall and refreshed layout. The centre has added green spaces and upgraded public areas.
The Town of Cambridge spent almost $180,000 removing a 31-tonne humpback whale that washed up on City Beach in Perth. Mayor Gary Mack said specialist cranes, operators and a sealed truck added unexpected costs. The carcass was taken to Red Hill landfill on October 1. A motion calling on the state government to fund future carcass removals is set for October 27. A state government spokesperson said removal costs fall to the local government that owns the land.
Cambridge ratepayers could face a bill of about $180,000 to remove a 31-tonne whale carcass from South City Beach. Deputy Mayor Ben Mayes has put forward a motion asking the State Government to take primary responsibility for funding whale carcass responses across WA. He also wants Cambridge reimbursed for the beach operation. The carcass washed ashore on September 28, and the removal involved specialist contractors and 76 council employees. The council is expected to decide on the motion at its October 27 meeting.
Parents are offering to learn to fly drones to help protect City Beach from shark attacks. Surf club president Eoghan McKenna said qualified volunteers will boost aerial surveillance when the nippers season begins on October 25. The move follows a dead whale that washed up nearby earlier this month, attracting sharks close to shore. Earlier, swimmer Greg O’Neill was attacked by a suspected white shark at Sorrento Beach. The State Government has committed a further $5 million to shark mitigation this year.
An AI safety camera trailer was installed on Curtin Avenue in Cottesloe to detect mobile phone use, seatbelt non-compliance and speeding. It operated on southbound traffic between Eric Street and Napier Street from September 30 to October 6. Touching a mobile phone carries a minimum $500 fine and three demerit points, while incorrect seatbelt use starts at $550 and four demerits. The Road Safety Commission says detected seatbelt and mobile phone offences fell by 76 per cent over the 12 months to August 2026. Fines go into the Road Trauma Trust, which funds road safety projects.
Popular beaches in the Town of Cambridge reopened on Wednesday after a week-long closure due to a whale carcass. The 31-tonne humpback whale was removed from South City Beach, with clean-up costs estimated between $60,000 and $100,000. The council is seeking state assistance to cover the expenses, while an alert remains for potential shark activity due to leached whale remains. The beaches were closed after high bacteria levels were detected, but recent tests showed acceptable water quality. The state government has allocated $5 million for shark mitigation, including increased patrols and tagging efforts.
Perth's rental market remains tight despite falling property prices, with median weekly rents holding at $750. Domain's chief economist, Dr Nicola Powell, attributes this to insufficient rental supply and investor caution due to stagnant capital growth. The vacancy rate has dropped to 0.4%, indicating high demand. Shelter WA's Kath Snell highlights the unsustainable nature of current rents, which consume half the income of those earning $100,000. She advocates for a rent cap to alleviate the housing crisis, as many renters struggle to afford basic needs.
A popular bowling alley in Perth's north has closed indefinitely after a fire broke out on Monday evening. Rosemount Bowl on Fitzgerald Street in North Perth was evacuated, along with the nearby Pot Black and Bloodlines venues. The business said at about 10pm that everyone had left safely and no one was hurt. The fire is not believed to be suspicious and is being managed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. A witness claims the blaze started in the kitchen, but this has not been officially confirmed.
A Western Australian country town is giving 16 per cent of its annual rates income to keep a local doctor. The Shire of Narembeen pays the local medical practice $370,000 a year and also provides a building, a car and a house. Shire President Holly Cusack says the arrangement is financially unsustainable but that losing the GP would mean a 120-kilometre round trip to the nearest doctor. In Kalbarri, a community group crowdfunded more than $70,000 to set up a not-for-profit, bulk-billing clinic after the town's only GP closed in June.
WA police will use a new drone program to gather real-time intelligence before officers reach emergencies. Drones will launch from docking stations in Kwinana, Rockingham and Baldivis and can operate beyond line of sight. They will be dispatched from a command centre in Perth. Police Minister Reece Whitby says the program is an Australian first. Targeted uses include family and domestic violence matters, missing persons, crimes in progress and stolen vehicles.
The City of Melville council has condemned online bullying, harassment, threats and violence against council members, candidates and staff. It did so after independent federal MP Helen Haines was struck by a car in an alleged road-rage incident on October 19. However, councillors voted 6-7 against asking the WA Local Government Association to push for a coordinated response and review gaps in protections. Councillor Karen Wheatland, who proposed the motion without notice, said nobody should have to accept threats as the price of serving their community. Other councillors questioned whether the proposal was appropriate and sensitive.
WA Police is expanding its automated drone fleet, which launches from Perth to emergency scenes within seconds. Police say the drones respond to emergency calls rather than patrol. Civil liberties advocates warn the rollout could outpace laws protecting individual privacy. Similar trials are underway in regional New South Wales, where advocates question the lack of published results. Critics say there are no clear legal protections governing how police use drone footage, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulates only aviation safety.
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BYD's premium brand Denza says the Z9 GT electric wagon will not reach Australia until the first half of 2027. A spokesperson said the company is juggling priorities and does not want to launch simply to meet a date. Denza had earlier planned a launch in the third quarter of 2026. The Z9 GT has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 2.7 seconds and a 1036km electric range under the CLTC cycle. Pricing for the Australian market has yet to be announced.
Porsche Cars Australia is recalling 77 of its 911 and 718 sports cars made in 2023 and 2024. A manufacturing defect in the centre-lock wheel nuts may cause a wheel to loosen and detach while driving. The recall covers several 911 and 718 models from the 992 and 982 generations. Porsche will contact owners and ask them to book a free repair at an authorised Porsche Centre. The 911 was previously recalled in March 2025 over a seatbelt issue.
Complaints about the Australian Taxation Office have risen sharply as the agency ramps up debt collection. The Tax Ombudsman received 2376 complaints in the six months to September, up 74 per cent on the same period last year. The office said it received 1358 complaints over that period, because the ombudsman's figures also included matters not involving the tax office. The ombudsman found the tax office acted reasonably in 63 per cent of debt collection complaints it investigated. Outstanding tax debt stood at $54.2 billion in 2024/25, with $35.9 billion owed by small businesses.
Lotus Australia has issued a nationwide safety recall for 114 Lotus Elise sports cars made between 2014 and 2021. A manufacturing defect may deform the low-pressure fuel pump impeller, causing the fuel pump to fail and the engine to stall. The company warns that a sudden loss of power while driving may increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death. Owners will be contacted by their Lotus dealer to book a free repair appointment. The Elise was last recalled in 2020 over a fuel rail issue.
US stocks closed higher on Monday after two weeks of declines, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq lifted by optimism around AI companies. Anthropic disclosed steep losses and rapid revenue growth in its filing for a US initial public offering. Semiconductor firms helped drive the gains, while Meta plans to raise up to $US95 billion in equity to fund its AI expansion. Investors are watching the Federal Reserve's policy statement on Wednesday and a busy week of earnings reports.
The cost of abandoning Snowy 2.0, Australia's largest renewable energy project, is still unknown. Snowy Hydro chief executive Dennis Barnes told a Senate estimates committee that the cost of ending the project has not been modelled. The company estimates completion will now cost between $22.2 billion and $25 billion, up from $12 billion in 2023. Barnes said replacing the project with batteries was modelled at $80 billion. Innovation Minister Tim Ayres said abandoning the project would be immensely costly and that the government would see it through.
Outdated technology and weak digital safety skills are the biggest threats to national cybersecurity, according to the latest Cyber Threat Report from the Australian Signals Directorate. The public sector recorded nearly half of the 1500 incidents reported to the Australian Cyber Security Centre in the past financial year. Director-general Abigail Bradshaw warned that service outages will likely become normal and urged companies to put security ahead of access. Medium-sized businesses reported a 45 per cent rise in cybercrime losses, with an average cost of $141,300.
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has criticised the government for failing to support thousands of people who lost savings in the $1.1bn collapse of the Shield Master Fund and First Guardian. Joyce said he gave his ex-wife $400,000 as part of their divorce settlement, and that money is now gone. He urged the government to pay victims their super so they can retire, rather than a partial compensation payment. A Choice podcast investigation says about 11,000 Australians lost retirement savings, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has 14 ongoing court actions against 31 people.
A Loch Ness Monster expert has written a guide on how to spot the creature. Adrian Shine, who founded the Loch Ness Project, says the monster exists and has explained how it can be seen in his new book. He believes Loch Ness lacks enough nutrients to support a large beast. He argues most sightings are wakes from large boats, which he links to the Caledonian Canal, built in the early nineteenth century. Broadcaster Robson Green said the expedition could neither prove nor disprove a creature's existence.
