Western Australian primary school canteens are set to be given healthier menus after new national data showed fewer than 5 per cent of Australians aged 2 and over eat the recommended amount of vegetables, legumes and beans. The National Nutrition Foundation report also found about $9.2 billion of health spending went on nutrition-related risks such as obesity. Discretionary foods made up almost a third of average daily energy intake. The foundation's freshSNAP program, supported by the Australian Department of Health, works with more than 200 school canteens across WA.
The City of Stirling has voted to investigate stronger shark safety measures along its 7.5km coastline, including a possible shark barrier at Scarborough Beach. A report is due to the community and resources committee on November 24. Options include enhanced drone patrols and AI-assisted shark detection. Council officers warned that barriers may be unsuitable for exposed surf beaches because of heavy swells and strong currents. The move follows three fatal shark attacks in four months, the most recent involving a 61-year-old man at Sorrento Beach in September.
Aldi has the highest average Google rating among WA's three major supermarket chains, based on customer reviews. Woolworths Perth Airport earned the best individual store rating in the state, at 4.46 stars. Shoppers praised clean stores, helpful staff and easy parking. Common complaints included checkout queues, empty shelves and poor service. Woolworths Cottesloe, Coles Kununurra and Aldi Mirrabooka were the lowest-rated stores in their chains.
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The shark barrier at Cottesloe Beach has been installed after stormy weather delayed the work. Installation began on Monday and was completed on Wednesday. The barrier is 170 metres long, extends 140 metres out from the shoreline along the groyne, and will stay in place until the end of April. The Town of Cottesloe spends $120,000 a year on the barrier. Mayor Melissa Harkins said it is part of the town's commitment to community safety. The work comes amid increased shark activity around Perth beaches and a recent fatal attack at Sorrento Beach.
A Joondalup councillor wants the city to assess whether a modern non-lethal shark barrier could be installed at Sorrento Beach. Cr Phillip Vinciullo's motion follows last month's fatal shark attack that killed 63-year-old Greg O'Neill. He says the aim is to gather current information, not to assign blame. The beach's previous Eco Shark Barrier was removed in 2020 after an assessment found structural damage. Mayor Daniel Kingston has also put forward a motion on beach safety, with a final council vote expected on October 27.
A shark net is going in at Quinns Beach this week ahead of summer, and local lifesavers say it will reassure parents of children learning to swim. Mike Spiby, a surf and ski coach at Quinns Mindarie Surf Life Saving Club, said the barrier would bring confidence to the club's 700 Nippers. He said the community felt deeply affected by a recent fatal shark attack at Sorrento. Residents who watched contractors roll out the net on Tuesday said it made the beach feel safer for families.
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.
Netted swimming enclosures are being installed at metropolitan Perth beaches as shark fears remain high after a string of fatal attacks. A 170-metre barrier at Cottesloe Beach was completed on Wednesday and will stay until the end of April. Council crews are preparing the Quinns Beach barrier to be operational by Friday, while the City of Fremantle expects to install the Bathers Beach enclosure later this month, depending on the weather.
Two Perth men have been charged over alleged data theft linked to a global hacker group called TeamPCP. Police allege Ruben Ian Thomson and Louis Michael Gaebler received cryptocurrency payments for their roles. A tip-off from Australian cyber experts helped the FBI and Australian Federal Police locate the group in Perth. Police say the malicious code potentially compromised more than 1000 organisations and that more than 500,000 credentials were stolen. Both men remain in custody, and their matter returns to the Perth Magistrates Court on October 30.
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.
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.
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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.
Paranormal investigator Colin Browen has described the most frightening moment of his 11-year ghost-hunting career. While inside the basement of a former asylum, he saw a woman's hand appear beside a pillar, then slowly withdraw and disappear behind it, prompting his team to leave quickly. Browen, who hosts the Murder In America podcast and The Paranormal Files on YouTube, said many spirits he has encountered are not hostile. He said some are cheerful, and that most seem to want acknowledgement or help with a task.
