A bushfire came close to homes in the Geraldton suburb of Strathalbyn on Tuesday morning, forcing Geraldton Christian College to evacuate and close for the day. A bushfire emergency warning was briefly issued for the area before the Department of Fire and Emergency Services downgraded it. Just after 10am, the fire was confirmed extinguished and firefighters had left. Western Power said about 1084 customers lost power due to damaged infrastructure, with power to all but 19 restored by 9am. The cause of the fire was unknown at the time of publication.
Women make up only about six in every 100 Australian truck drivers, and just four in 100 among heavy vehicle operators, despite a shortage of roughly 28,000 drivers. A new Women in Trucking report, launched at Parliament House in Canberra, argues women are being pushed out rather than leaving by choice. Its national survey of 489 drivers found 86 per cent saw opportunity for women, yet only 72 per cent said they were welcome.
West Australian surfer Mel Ismail says the people who helped save his life after a shark bite north of Geraldton deserve recognition as heroes. Ismail, a firefighter and part-time teacher, is adjusting to life without his lower leg but plans to surf again. Shannan Dunn raced into the water to help him back to shore, while other beachgoers provided first aid, a tourniquet and transport to an ambulance. Ismail said he does not hold resentment towards the shark and that people should not let fear stop them from doing what they enjoy.
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Mel Ismail, 56, lost part of his leg after a shark attack while surfing at Glenfield Beach in Geraldton. The off-duty firefighter said he was dragged into the water and came face-to-face with the shark, which bit off his leg. A fellow surfer, Shannan Dunn, helped him reach the shore. Ismail was taken to Geraldton Hospital, where his partner, Kylie Fleay, was working. The shark species involved has not been identified.
A West Australian firefighter lost his leg in a shark attack while surfing at Glenfield Beach near Geraldton. Mel Ismail described facing the shark and trying to push its eye as it dragged him underwater. After the attack, fellow surfer Shannan Dunn helped him reach shore, where others assisted with first aid and transport to hospital. The shark species remains unidentified.
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.
Woodside Energy's plan to drill for gas off Western Australia's north-west coast could significantly damage coral reefs and endangered turtles, according to a draft letter from the state's environmental watchdog. The letter, written in 2023 and seen by the Guardian, said the company's protections for turtles and blue whales near Scott Reef would be ineffective. In February 2024, the watchdog told Woodside it planned to reject the project. Woodside has since added shear rams to its drilling plans, a step it says would limit the length of any well blowout.
West Australians who have not yet claimed their $100 fuel relief voucher and plan to submit a paper form are unlikely to receive the money before Christmas. Paper forms have been taking about 10 weeks to arrive, and a spokesperson advised applicants to allow nine to 10 weeks, with postage possibly longer in some regional areas. About $110 million has been paid to more than a million of the 2.3 million eligible licence holders since July 1.
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.
Electrical work in Western Australia must be carried out by licensed professionals, and checking a licence takes only a few minutes. Electrical worker and contractor licences can both be verified through the public online search run by Building and Energy, the state regulator. Customers should confirm the licence is current and the name matches. Unlicensed work can raise safety risks and may lead an home insurer to dispute a claim. Licensed contractors must also lodge a notice of completion after most work.
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.
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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 Israeli military has said its decisions on attacks against Iran are based solely on security considerations, after reports of a feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Channel 12 reported the two were at odds, while CNN reported that military chief Eyal Zamir warned that strikes before the election would delay the vote. Analysts say tension between the government and the military has been common. Netanyahu has stressed the Iranian threat in the final days of the election campaign, and polling suggests Gadi Eisenkot's party could challenge his Likud for the most seats.
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.
Jamie Lee Curtis says she is grieving privately over the deaths of her longtime friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who were killed at their Los Angeles home last December. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, she described a close bond stretching back decades, including Rob Reiner serving as best man at her 1984 wedding and being godfather to her daughter. Curtis said she paid tribute to the couple at the September Emmy Awards, a moment harder than she expected.
