Residents of South Hedland confronted WA Premier Roger Cook during a five-hour visit to the northern town. It was his first trip there since the state government announced a coronial inquest into the deaths of three local children in 2022. Cook said he fully appreciated that people wanted to see things improve. Child Protection Minister Jessica Stojkovski accompanied him, and no child protection policy announcements were made. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said it was insulting that the premier did not meet affected families.
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.
Children from remote Western Australia's Pilbara have recorded a country song with award-winning musician Josh Arnold. The students from the School of the Air gathered at Yarrie Station, a cattle property about 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, to film the music video. Nine-year-old Tanami Fox-Coppin said she was happy to see her friends, whom she usually sees only three times a year. Arnold said the project gives station children pride in who they are. Yarrie Station owner Annabelle Coppin said such activities help students feel more connected to school.
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Community projects under the Remote Australia Employment Services program are now running in more than 60 remote communities. The projects aim to help job seekers gain skills, experience and paid work. Around 25 per cent of provider funding will go towards locally designed projects. Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said the projects back local people and ideas. In Port Hedland, Western Australia, Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation is delivering pre-employment training and mentoring.
Western Australian Attorney General Tony Buti will ask a coroner to hold an inquest into the deaths of three children in South Hedland. The children were killed by their mother in July 2022. Premier Roger Cook defended Mr Buti's handling of the matter, saying he had acted carefully. Indigenous elders said the decision came too late, but hoped it would provide answers for the family and lead to improvements in the town.
Eskimo Joe frontman Kav Temperley and Dr Emily Zhen are finalists for Western Australia's nominee for 2027 Australian of the Year. They join Professor Michael Wear, a Shark Bay marine environmentalist, and Esther Oh, a telehealth innovator. Oh founded Agili8, which connects remote areas with medical experts using smart glasses and smartphones. Twelve other West Australians were named as nominees in the senior, young and local hero categories. WA winners will be announced on Friday, October 30, before the national awards in Canberra on January 25.
WA Attorney-General Tony Buti has ordered a state coroner's inquest into the deaths of three children who were murdered by their mother in Port Hedland in July 2022. Buti said fresh evidence and circumstances had not been considered by former coroner Phil Urquhart, who had decided against an inquest. The decision follows political pressure from the children's grandmother, Dorothy Papertalk, and others. Margaret Dale Hawke was sentenced in 2023 to a minimum of 25 years after pleading guilty to three counts of murder. Buti declined to give details of the new information.
WA Attorney General Tony Buti has requested a coronial inquest into the deaths of three children killed by their mother in Port Hedland in 2022. The request follows a sustained campaign by the children's grandmother, Dorothy Papertalk, who had been denied an inquest by a former coroner. Buti said he is now satisfied there is new evidence that was not considered earlier, though he did not detail it. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said the delay was unfair and cruel to Ms Papertalk. Buti also announced a broader review of the laws guiding coronial inquests.
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.
Fifteen children were found living unsupervised in a home in Port Hedland, in Western Australia's Pilbara region, last month. Community elders raised concerns about child neglect. National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter has met community members and hosted a child protection roundtable in Perth. She is now conducting a rapid review. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy has visited Port Hedland to hear from the community directly, after the Prime Minister described the matter as a state responsibility.
The WA Government has appointed Janelle Marr as Senior Coordinator for the multi-agency response to children at risk in the Pilbara. She reports directly to the Child Protection Minister, Jessica Stojkovski, and will lead weekly interagency meetings. Ms Marr has more than 25 years of leadership experience at board and executive level. Alongside the appointment, the government is expanding the Safe Night Space in Port Hedland from three nights to seven nights a week, and deploying additional senior child protection staff to the Pilbara.
Western Australia's Premier Roger Cook says new information released by the state Ombudsman on the deaths of three Pilbara children could support a coronial inquest. The children, aged 10, seven and four months, were killed by their mother, Margaret Hawke, in South Hedland. A previous request for an inquest by their grandmother, Dorothy Papertalk, was refused in 2025. Attorney-General Tony Buti says he can order an inquest only if fresh evidence is provided that the former coroner did not consider. Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas questioned why no inquest has been called.
Senator Lidia Thorpe will push for a federal inquiry into First Nations child safety and removals, calling the situation a national crisis. The WA Children’s Commissioner will release a report on the state’s child protection system but ruled out a specific inquiry into recent child murders in Port Hedland. The Greens urge the federal government to fund Aboriginal-controlled services to prevent the closure of a Darwin shelter. A search continues for a missing Aboriginal man in Perth, and a major exhibition by Wadawurrung artist Kait James has launched.
Senator Lidia Thorpe will push for a federal inquiry into First Nations child safety and removals, calling the situation a national crisis. The WA Children’s Commissioner will release a report on the state’s child protection system but ruled out a specific inquiry into recent child murders in Port Hedland. The Greens urge the federal government to fund Aboriginal-controlled services to prevent the closure of a Darwin shelter. A search continues for a missing Aboriginal man in Perth, and a major exhibition by Wadawurrung artist Kait James has launched.
