Housing advocates want annual rent increases capped across Western Australia. The Make Renting Fair Alliance released a report arguing Perth tenants could save almost $33,000 over five years under a 2 per cent cap. A Broome financial counsellor said her rent rose from $480 to $740 a week since 2021, before her lease ended and the only suitable unit was offered at $1,000 a week. The state government has ruled out rent caps, citing concerns they could reduce investment and supply. It plans to introduce further rental reforms to parliament this year.
Western Australia's summer cruise season opened last Sunday when Crown Princess arrived at Fremantle at 6am. The 3000-passenger ship is on a 28-day round Australia trip that also visits Broome and the Kimberley coast. The arrival is the first of 200 scheduled cruise visits to WA ports in the 2026-27 season. Next year, Sapphire Princess will be based in the state. Carnival Cruise Line has also announced it will remove two ships, Carnival Adventure and Carnival Luminosa, by March 2028. That is half its summer fleet in Australia. Carnival cites regulatory uncertainty and local operating conditions.
The Stronger In Our Way Men's Forum will be held in Kununurra on November 10 and 11. Men, Elders, community leaders, employers and service providers from Darwin to Broome are invited. Presented by two Aboriginal corporations, the forum will focus on healing, men's strengths and aspirations. Activities include yarning, workshops and cultural programs. A community celebration with music, stalls and food will take place on November 10 from 3.30pm. Workshops on November 11 are for men only, and all activities are free.
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Aboriginal communities in Broome, Fitzroy Crossing and across the Kimberley are being encouraged to talk about gambling harm. The We Win When We Yarn campaign was launched today in partnership with local communities and Kimberley health services. It aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma and promote free, confidential support through Gambling Help services. Racing and Gaming Minister Don Punch said many people still feel unable to ask for help. Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said the campaign was developed by communities for communities.
Five saltwater crocodile sightings have been confirmed around Broome in the past two weeks, prompting beach closures. A 3 metre crocodile was spotted at Simpsons Beach last Friday, October 15, and Simpsons Beach, Demco Beach and Entrance Point were closed for 24 hours while rangers patrolled. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions says crocodile activity is rising as temperatures climb and the wet season nears. Residents and visitors are urged to stay alert near waterways, follow ranger directions and warning signs, and avoid entering water where crocodiles may be present.
The cruise ship Crown Princess arrived in Fremantle at about 6 am and is due to leave for Broome at 4 pm. The ship carries 2,414 passengers and 1,117 crew, and 632 passengers are booked on organised tours. Australians took a record 1.45 million ocean cruises in 2025. However, Carnival has cut its year-round Australian fleet from four ships to two, citing uncertain government support and regulatory costs. Cruise ships generated $289.5 million for Fremantle's economy in 2023-24.
Dingoes in the Great Sandy Desert are hunting feral cats, according to a research project run by Nyangumarta rangers. Scat research over six months shows dingoes now get nearly 30 per cent of their diet from feral cats. Rangers say the cats are killing animals such as the greater bilby and desert mouse. A single feral cat can kill more than 700 small animals a year, according to WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The Wartaji project, begun in 2022 with Central Queensland University, tracks dingo movements using cameras and satellite collars.
Youth night spaces in Fitzroy Crossing and Broome have each marked two years of operation. Fitzroy Crossing's hub has served more than 55,000 meals and engaged over 950 children since opening in September 2024. Police in Fitzroy Crossing say youth offending has fallen and trust with officers has grown. In Broome, an independent evaluation praised the Ngurra Buru Night Space, and crime across three suburbs fell in its first 13 months. Kununurra has opened a temporary night space, with a permanent facility due at the end of the year.
The small cruise ship Coral Geographer left Fremantle on Wednesday evening, just after 5 pm. Earlier reporting had said she was bound for Broome, but she is actually heading south with an overnight stop off Rottnest. Coral Expeditions runs 54 WA departures this year, including six-night Fremantle to Albany return cruises in October. Several larger cruise ships are scheduled to visit later in the year, including Crown Princess in October and Viking Orion in December.
Western Australia has the most poorly rated airports in the country, with seven of the ten lowest-rated passenger airports. Travellers complained about slow security checks, limited facilities and baggage delays. Newman Airport in the Pilbara ranked worst, averaging 3.10 stars from 295 reviews. Perth Airport ranked eighth and was the lowest-rated capital city airport. Port Lincoln Airport in South Australia was rated highest, averaging 4.62 stars from 131 reviews.
Former Premier Mark McGowan is offering a day trip to Rottnest Island aboard his custom-built Lux 8m at this year's Telethon Ball auction. The highest bidder and four guests will be skippered across by McGowan and enjoy a pub lunch. The auction, held on Saturday night, includes many other items, from a Pilbara dining experience to a Kimberley escape and a Margaret River retreat. Proceeds fund research, equipment and services for sick and disadvantaged children in Western Australia.
The cruise ship Coral Geographer sailed from Fremantle this evening on a voyage to Broome. Coral Expeditions is running 54 departures from Western Australia in 2026 and 56 in 2027. New six-night cruises from Fremantle to Albany and beyond are timed for the wildflower and whale seasons in October. The Coral Geographer will return to Fremantle for the New Year. Several larger ships are also due in port before the year ends, including Viking Orion on a 31-day voyage around the country in late December.
Three Chinese nationals have avoided immediate jail over a failed people smuggling attempt at a remote air base in Western Australia's far north. Shyuan Hong, 56, her 34-year-old daughter Zhongfang Zhang and Shuai Sun were each given a three-year suspended sentence in a Sydney court. Border Force detected the group after a boat arrived in April 2024 near Truscott Airbase, though several men walked into the base unintercepted. The court heard the trio tried to bring Hong's husband and Zhang's boyfriend into Australia undetected, but the pair were later detained.
Two women and a man have each been given a three-year suspended jail sentence for trying to smuggle asylum seekers from a remote WA landing area to Sydney. Hong Shuyan and Zhang Zhongfang, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to harbour unlawful non-citizens, planned to collect their partners, and Sun Shuai drove a hired van to the location. The group panicked when border force officers detained several arrivals, and they left Broome without collecting anyone. Judge Mark Williams said the failure did not make the offending less serious and described unlawful entry as a scourge on society.
Uber has struggled to fill the gap in late-night transport in Broome, in Western Australia's far north. Buses stop at 7pm during the peak tourist season, and many taxis stop at a similar time. Residents and visitors say they face long waits and expensive fares, and some turn to e-scooters instead. Police say drink driving is unacceptable, despite the inconvenience. The state government says it has expanded the bus timetable for the tourist season, though that schedule is set to be reduced later this month.
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Broome-based Aboriginal economic development organisation Morrgul says it helped Indigenous entities across regional Western Australia win more than $31.3 million in contracts in the past year. The work is estimated to have created 63 jobs for Aboriginal people. Morrgul supported 392 Indigenous entities between September 2025 and August 2026. More than 91 per cent of businesses it supports are still trading after three years. The organisation recently won Supply Nation's Registered Supplier of the Year award and the Dr Dean Jarrett Award for Outstanding Impact.
A former Broome bishop, Christopher Alan Saunders, was found guilty of 13 sex offences by a West Australian jury. Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house with alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. Saunders denied wrongdoing, and it is not yet known whether he will appeal. Archbishop Timothy Costelloe acknowledged the eight-year delay but said the church let police lead the case to protect the integrity of the justice system. He said the church hoped to soon reopen its own internal legal procedures against Saunders.
Former Broome bishop Christopher Saunders, 76, has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison for sexually abusing young Aboriginal men in the Kimberley between 2010 and 2019. A jury found him guilty of one count of rape and 12 counts of indecent assault involving two men, and acquitted him of three counts relating to a third complainant. Judge Martin Flynn said Saunders exploited the victims' vulnerability after supplying them with alcohol. Saunders, who was eligible for parole in 2031, is the highest-ranking Catholic jailed in Australia over historical sexual abuse.
